Will the USMNT live up to the title of “Golden Generation” at the Copa America, or will they crack under the pressure?

When the term “Golden Generation” is associated with a group of gamers, it is the ultimate mix.

On the one hand, the expression highlights the high level of enthusiasm that surrounds a team. The talent level is so high that fans – and even some pundits and coaches – are starting to dream of what could be possible. They can allow themselves to dream of previously unexplored heights, so that if they are reached, they will warm the heart years later, sitting by the fire.

But such a label can also be a trap: expectations are so high that they become unrealistic and, instead of inspiring players, they can weigh heavily on a group.

This is precisely the scenario that the United States men’s national team currently finds itself facing as it heads toward the 2024 Copa America.

Historically, the U.S. men’s program hasn’t had much to boast about. Its record at a World Cup was its semi-final appearance in the inaugural edition in 1930. In the modern era, the United States managed to reach the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup. In the context of a Copa America, there have been two semi-final appearances, one in 1995 and another at the Copa America Centenario in 2016. Credible performances, but nothing worth jumping on a table and scream at the top of your lungs.

So why this craze for this generation of American players? It all depends on the caliber of clubs paying their salaries, as well as what they have achieved with those clubs.

American winger Christian Pulisic lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy with Chelsea in 2021 and is coming off a career season with AC Milan. Midfielder Weston McKennie has enjoyed a similarly successful spell this season with Juventus, helping them win the Coppa Italia.

The number of American players participating in the UEFA Champions League group stages each year regularly seems to reach double digits. In a recent friendly against Colombia, the USMNT fielded a starting lineup composed entirely of players attached to clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.

However, the enthusiasm generated by such success at their clubs is tempered by the fact that, at international level, this generation has yet to surpass those that came before them. When the U.S. men reached the Round of 16 in 2022, they accomplished something the U.S. men had done four times before in the team’s modern era. Likewise, winning a Concacaf Gold Cup or a Concacaf Nations League has long been considered routine.

A so-called “golden generation” needs a “golden moment” – a landmark victory or best tournament result ever – and without that, the label seems premature.

“They still have to win something big, and I think as of today they haven’t done that yet,” said DaMarcus Beasley, a former U.S. international and current analyst. “Do I think they have the ability? One hundred percent. I’m a big fan of this band, a big fan of their talent.

“But they have yet to get into shape when it comes to a big game, whether it’s a friendly or a tournament. So it remains to be seen if it “is truly our golden generation.”

It’s a statement that U.S. Captain Tyler Adams isn’t fighting. He notes that the “Golden Generation” label is usually applied to teams “that haven’t won anything in the last 10 years” or more. Think of England in the mid-2000s, or even Belgium’s more recent vintage, whose current crop hasn’t quite made the international breakthrough many predicted, despite an immensely talented group.

Adams is aware that achievements at club level are not enough.

“I think when you look at our team and the group of players that we have, we’re definitely a talented group of players,” he said ahead of the USMNT’s 1-1 friendly against Brazil this week. last. “But I would say the most important thing when I think about this team is that individual success is not directly tied to team success, and that’s what we’re working on right now.

“So it’s great to see everyone playing at a big club around the world. It’s probably the first time in a long time in American football that we can be recognized at such a high level. That doesn’t mean that we are going to have direct success We are currently working towards this success.

For defender Joe Scally, the “Golden Generation” label isn’t something that occupies the team’s thoughts: “We never even talk about it at all,” he said.

Labels aside, expectations can still seep into a team’s psyche like a king tide. The water slowly seeps in and before you know it, you are enveloped in it. And it’s not just fans and media that fuel expectations for the current United States men’s national team. Head coach Gregg Berhalter made his own contribution, speaking openly about taking the United States to a place — at least in the modern era — where it has never been before. In the context of a World Cup, that means a semi-final. For a Copa America, that means the final.

The discussions before this Copa America oscillated a little. There have been comments, such as those from Haji Wright, that the World Cup is the main priority. While this is true, the timing seems to be a way of limiting expectations: the World Cup won’t happen until 2026. Other comments have focused on creating the aforementioned “Golden Moment.” Scally mentioned wanting to “do something big for the country”. This is also the direction Adams is leaning.

“I think you have to have goals. You have to have expectations of what you want to accomplish as a group,” Adams said. “But I think based on 2022, it was a good benchmark for where we are currently. We went through a group stage as a youth group. It was important to do it with little World Cup experience.

“Obviously now it’s about being able to win knockout matches and important matches, and we haven’t achieved that yet. So we have to continue to work towards that, and I obviously think that the Copa America will be a great opportunity for us to do that, but there is still work to do.

The path to achieving this goal will not be easy. Group C, which includes Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay, is one that the United States should be able to surpass, although there are no guarantees.

Bolivia are a wild card: less is known about them than about the other teams in the group, although the Bolivians will not be able to enjoy the advantages of playing at altitude as they do during their home qualifiers. In one tournament, Panama punched the United States several times. Uruguay are enjoying impressive form under new manager Marcelo Bielsa.

If the United States advances to the quarterfinals, they will likely face one of the two teams they have faced in recent friendlies, namely Brazil or Colombia. Getting past either team will take a monumental effort, but this is this USMNT’s opportunity to show that it is indeed capable of something special, labels be damned.

The USMNT now has the experience. It was tested during a World Cup. Will he be able to achieve his goal? Or even go beyond?

But if the United States doesn’t do this, what does that mean for Berhalter? So far in his tenure, he has shown himself capable of meeting expectations, but nothing more. Would the leaders of the American Football Federation dare to fire a coach because he failed to beat Brazil? It would be tough, but that’s what happens when the expectations around a team rise.

For now, Adams is thinking about what winning would bring rather than the alternative.

“I think (a round of 16 win) would give our team a lot of confidence,” Adams said. “We’re confident we can do it, but right now it’s all about executing. Our team gets into situations and we have to be able to execute. That’s the main thing.”