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Jeff Carlisle, US soccer correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. — As U.S. men’s national team goalie Matt Turner prepared to answer questions Wednesday in the postgame mixed zone, he came face-to-face with the legend American Kasey Keller. The former USMNT goalkeeper praised Turner for the latter’s heroics in the 1-1 draw against Brazil.
After Keller left, Turner remarked, “That was cool. What a guy.”
It was fitting that the two men exchanged a quick word, as they now share the rare distinction of avoiding defeat to Brazil. This is Keller’s exceptional performance against the Selection back in the 1998 Gold Cup semifinals that almost single-handedly led the United States to a 1-0 victory. The stunned look on Brazilian World Cup winner Romario’s face as Keller made save after save remains fondly remembered.
Wednesday was Turner’s chance to shine. To be clear, it wasn’t perfect. Turner’s wayward pass in the 17th minute allowed Rodrygo to put Brazil in the lead. But Turner recovered, making 10 saves, including a Rodrygo shot in the 74th minute. The fact that the United States’ record against Brazil now stands at 1-18-1 reveals how rare such a result is.
Compare this performance with last Saturday’s performance against Colombia, where the United States was defeated 5-1. Turner looked overwhelmed at times, and given the way he has struggled for minutes and form at Nottingham Forest this season, concerns were beginning to grow that he might not be the man to start in the goal of the United States. For now, he has put those doubts to rest.
“It’s been a tough couple of months for me personally on the pitch,” he said. “So to have the opportunity to be here again and feel the confidence that my teammates and my coaches have in me here, it’s huge. It speaks volumes to me. So I was grateful to be able to perform well Tonight it won’t always be like this, but I think you’re only as good as the guys around you.”
Turner’s performance largely reflected that of the team; there were imperfections, but it was a huge improvement from last Saturday, filled with increased determination and execution. Christian Pulisic equalized with a powerful free kick in the 26th minute, and he almost won the match in the 68th minute only to be thwarted by Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson. Brenden Aaronson suffered the same fate after being set up by Pulisic 15 minutes later. The defense, much criticized after the Colombian debacle, gave in to attackers like Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha, but it held firm.
The whole team’s willingness to do the dirty work provided the backbone to achieve a most improbable result.
“I think it was just a desire to defend, to have numbers behind the ball in transition, to recover numbers a lot (quicker), just a lot smarter and not lose balls in bad areas and just give them easy opportunities,” Pulisic said. “And yes, just a team spirit, the willingness to also suffer sometimes and then find our chances. So, it’s definitely a big step in the right direction.”
The United States also used its collective brain. The team, along with manager Gregg Berhalter, have been criticized for sometimes wanting to get the ball out of the back at all costs, and that predictability – or stubbornness – worked against them in the Colombia match. On Wednesday, there was more of a desire to complete long passes and fight for second balls, especially on goal kicks.
“I think the biggest thing we took away from this weekend’s game is that sometimes you change your game plan. We can’t just be robots,” defenseman Chris Richards said. “You have to have a feel for the game. And so I think that’s what we did tonight, mixing things up and rather than just playing all the time. Sometimes you had to go straight in and that’s OK to reset.”
International tournaments, and the friendly matches that precede them, are invitations to become a prisoner of the moment. The US isn’t as terrible as it was against Colombia. It’s also dangerous to think that a draw against Brazil means it’s all sweetness and lightness. The American midfielder remains a work in progress.
It’s also worth considering the rather curious history of the US team under Berhalter, where they performed abysmally before major tournaments. In 2019, ahead of that year’s Gold Cup, the United States lost its warm-up matches to Jamaica and Venezuela, the latter by a score of 3-0. Before the 2022 World Cup, there was a heavy 3-0 defeat against Japan, followed by a dismal 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. In both cases, the United States had successful tournaments. Granted, that doesn’t guarantee anything, which might explain Berhalter’s muted reaction in that match, even though he praised his team’s teamwork and intensity.
“We feel like we’ve taken a small step. It’s not a big step, but it’s a small step to be able to play against an incredibly talented Brazilian team and bend but not break,” he said. he declared.
It would be an exaggeration to say that the United States is operating at its peak, but there is certainly a sense of increased momentum within the group that wasn’t there after the Colombia result. And the way the result against Brazil gives us hope. There was a time when the United States was notoriously difficult to play against. This trait has not manifested itself with the same level of consistency over the past decade. The fact that he did it tonight is a positive development. This will be necessary in the coming weeks.
Now the Copa America awaits. Group C, in which the United States will face Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay, should be navigable. But the United States is not in a situation where it can just show up and expect to get results. This seems to be one of the main takeaways from these last two friendlies. It’s a lesson that shouldn’t need to be reinforced given the experience level of this team, but it’s better that it happens now than in the Copa itself. For now, the United States can enjoy a rare result against one of the world’s best.
As Berhalter said: “It’s a good end to the preparation camp. We are ready for the Copa America.”