There were plenty of chances to score: Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah in the first half, Pulisic and Jordan Pefok in the second.
Then there was that late run by Gio Reyna running one, two, three, four… well, keep counting because it seemed like it would never end. Was it done by a 19-year-old American who hasn’t played in qualifying since September due to injury and has just returned to action with his Bundesliga club? Yes, he did.
Berhalter said it reminded him of Diego Maradona’s famous trot for Argentina against England, culminating in a goal nearly 36 years ago on the same patch of grass.
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“I had visions of it when Gio was in possession,” Berhalter said. “Unfortunately, he didn’t finish him off or didn’t get the chance to finish him off.”
When told about the Berhalter comparison, Reyna almost giggled as he and Pulisic exchanged goofy looks over the microphones.
“I don’t know anything about it,” said Reina, the son of former US Captain Claudio Reina. “Yeah, it was a good run and it didn’t lead to anything.”
The overall U.S. effort was also unsuccessful, but after a draw, the Americans were second with two games to go in the eight-country CONCACAF competition. Three automatic berths in Qatar remain unclaimed in November, but Canada (25 points), USA (22) and Mexico (22) are close. A fourth team will advance to the one-game playoffs in June against the champions of Oceania (probably New Zealand).
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The journey, which took the American team to San Salvador and Cincinnati, to Nashville, Panama City and a host of other stops over the course of seven months, will reach central Florida this weekend, when it will be waiting for a chance to finish the job.
Sunday night’s victory in Orlando over fifth-placed Panama (18 points) would not have been enough. But combined with fourth-place Costa Rica (19), tied or beaten by No. 6 El Salvador (10), it would all be over. A draw in the US and a loss in Costa Rica will also do the trick.
Mexico, trailing the United States on goal difference, could move forward by beating winless Honduras, while Canada will look to secure its top spot since 1986 hosting Jamaica with one win in Toronto.
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The United States will complete a 14-game schedule on Wednesday in Costa Rica, where it has never won. However, if the Americans are destined to win on Sunday, they won’t need to win on Wednesday. Even if they don’t clinch, the Americans may just need to avoid defeat by a ridiculous margin to stay ahead of Tikos on goal difference.
“On Sunday, we put ourselves in a position to win and qualify for the World Cup,” said Pulisic, one of four players left after the 2018 World Cup, when the team failed to qualify. “This is the situation we are in and we are happy about it.”
On Thursday, they extended their unbeaten streak against El Tri to a record four games. In two qualifications, the Americans won and drew. In both games they attacked with energy and performed with a confidence that belied their age. (Thursday’s starting line-up averaged 24 years 4 months.)
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Although they are still aiming for their first away qualifier victory in the rivalry, they have earned three straight draws at Azteca.
The final stalemate came despite the absence of five injured regulars. Neither of them will return on Sunday, and due to yellow card suspensions, right-back DeAndre Yedlin and winger Tim Weah will also miss the game.
Right-back Reggie Cannon was out on Thursday after testing positive for coronavirus, prompting Berhalter to call up Shaq Moore from Spanish second division club Tenerife. He was supposed to arrive in Orlando on Thursday.
With three games in seven days, including one at 7,300 feet, Berhalter said, he expected a lot of players to be involved. On Thursday, he decided not to shield four key players from receiving yellow cards; he got burned in the first half when Yedlin and Weah were booked, but Tyler Adams and Zach Steffen avoided a similar fate.
Berhalter’s first two substitutions were not aimed at strengthening the defense, but at continuing the attack. After replacing the quiet Ricardo Pepi, Pefok has an unmissable opportunity that Reyna has created. Incredibly, at close range and with a wide choice of targets, he really missed.
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Reina, who is still working on his fitness and form after a series of injuries, has been fantastic from the moment he entered with about 30 minutes left. This bodes well for the start of Sunday.
“You could see he was stronger,” Berhalter said. “He looked fast and he’s getting in shape. When he hits 100 percent, he will really help this team for longer periods.”
Although Mexico enjoyed promising stretches and put a lot of pressure at the end, “we had a better chance,” Pulisic said. Late in the first half, a cross from Weah landed Pulisic a one-shot from seven yards that was blocked by goaltender Guillermo Ochoa.
The Chelsea star hit the lawn three times.
By the end of the night, disappointment gave way to calmness.
“Everyone was very happy with how it went,” Reyna said. “We’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”