On Tuesday, Gregg Berhalter’s side win or go home. The problem is that US sports culture is built around endless second chances
The flavor of this World Cup is very different: I’m tempted to call it “The beautiful distraction.” It’s Argentina focusing only on doing this for Lionel Messi and then forgetting how to play soccer without him. It’s Germany trying to make a statement before kickoff and then losing to Japan. It’s what’s happened to Iran in their opener, where they were dealing with so much politically that England smelled blood and destroyed them. It’s Qatar hosting the tournament despite not being good enough to play in it. (This game will not only punish a coward, it will also punish the untalented.) Make sure you’re good enough to be there next time.
The US can’t engage in the distraction. Next they have to play Iran, and the decades-old political backdrop is enormous. For our players, I think this is the one week to say, “No comment”. It doesn’t mean you don’t care. But if they stuck a microphone in my face as a player and asked how I feel about what’s going on in Iran, I’d say, “Ask me on Wednesday. Next question.”
Eric Wynalda scored 34 goals in 106 appearances for USA and played at three World Cups. He is now a broadcaster.
