Rotation is something the team is prepared for as 38 players have appeared so far during the World Cup qualifiers with 21 of them playing 90 minutes or more. Berhalter talked about how the best piece of advice from Bruce Arena, a two-time former USMNT coach (and now boss of New England Revolution), was that you would never have your top team, so he made sure his roster could at least fill up. 1.5 teams to compensate. This policy has proven to be important. In view of the crucial USMNT home qualifier against Panama on Sunday in Orlando, Berhalter is in need of a roster change. With Sergino Dest, Reggie Cannon and DeAndre Yedlin out of the team due to injury or punishment, Berhalter called Shaq Moore to fill the gap. Moore traveled to meet with the team despite the fact that his team, Tenerife, is fighting for promotion to the second division of Spain during this period. Listen below and watch In Soccer We Trust: A CBS Sports Soccer Podcast where three times a week your three favorite former USMNT players cover everything you would want to know about the beautiful game in the United States. Moore has not played for the national team since the USMNT first lost to Panama in October, but before that he was a member of the tournament’s top ten Gold Cup last summer, when the USMNT played in a major alternate group. Berhalter knows what he will get with the right back. Moore was considering joining the team when Dest was injured shortly before that window, but George Bello was eventually selected as the need at the time was for a natural left-back. Dest can play on both sides if needed and USMNT had Reggie Cannon and DeAndre Yedlin on the right. Now Yedlin has been suspended and Cannon has COVID, so the situation has changed. Berhalter noted that Moore’s position has also changed since the roster was selected a few weeks ago. “The funny thing is when before we named this roster Shaq was not playing at all, and basically the weekend after we named the roster that started in that game, [and played] “90 minutes,” Berhalter said. “And I thought he played very well as a right back [vs. Sporting Gijon]. “He had an assist that day and he was very good to move on.” But Berhalter had a difficult decision to make, as Tenerife had games and Moore’s addition at the time could hurt his chances of playing for the rest of the season. As Cannon was still available at the time, Moore stayed in Spain and started another race for Tenerife, performing well before receiving the call to camp. Berhalter honestly described his reasoning, saying: “He is a guy you know, he played in a Gold Cup final for us. So we are very comfortable with him and we decided to go with the experience, Joe Scully in this case.” Scally also found some difficult minutes for the club recently, starting only twice in 2022 in the Bundesliga for Borussia Monchengladbach, although both of those games came this month. But it is important for Berhalter to know what he is going to get from his children and while Scully was on the team in November, he has not yet appeared in a USMNT match under Berhalter. So for the manager it is an act of balancing. It depends on the rotation, but it also needs to know what it gets from the players it brings. So Moore, with his international experience, got the call. Berhalter has an average of three to four changes in each match during the qualifiers. The only time he did not spin like that was one of the biggest disappointments of this cycle. After beating Mexico at home in November, Berhalter made just one change before heading to Kingston to face Jamaica. It was the suspended Miles Robinson who paved the way for Chris Richards. The whole team had tired legs played a disappointing 1-1 draw. If they had won this match, just a draw against Panama on Sunday would have been enough to win a place in the World Cup. Now, even with a win, they could technically risk their last qualifying match in Costa Rica on Wednesday. However, goalkeeper Zack Steffen does not believe that similar issues will raise their heads this time, and believes that after their draw on Thursday against Mexico they are in a much stronger position mentally.
“This time, I think, taking a degree at Azteca, with all the energy and emotion there, we did not get very high,” he said. “We did not get too low, returning to Orlando, where I will focus to stay in the moment, to focus on what we can control, and all this is just to bring our body back to prepare our mind and concentrate for the tomorrow. “ This change of mentality is again a credit to Berhalter, who ensures that his children are ready for any challenge that might come their way. And with Panama on the horizon, everything Berhalter has built will be on the line. An alternating team showing fresh legs and higher energy levels than Panama, who will also be playing with a short break, could possibly dominate the match. Panama has to win and it has to try and score, and the USMNT can take advantage of the space it is sure to create. Take care of business and it will be an excuse for Berhalter’s approach to building a deep team where everyone is willing to go up. Failure to do so, however, and then the USMNT mentality under pressure will really be tested with a trip to Costa Rica and a place in the World Cup on the line. This is the challenge of international football. No matter how prepared you may be, disaster always has some consequences. Berhalter has built a great team in the hope that he will be able to keep away from these disasters. Now it’s time to find out if they will do it.

How to watch USMNT vs. Panama and odds

Date: Sunday 27 March Time: 7 p.m. ET Location: Exploria Stadium – Orlando, Florida TV: FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) Chances: US -245; Draw +310; Panama +675 (via Caesars Sportsbook)