HAMILTON, Ontario – The US men’s national team have quite a thing going with FC Dallas.
For several years the Yanks have made a habit of calling up the club’s current and former players. They’ve spent most of the past year or two in a 4-3-3 formation quite similar to what FCD used under Luchi Gonzalez – and it’s no coincidence the two teams effectively swapped coaches several months ago, with former USMNT assistant Nico Estevez taking up Gonzalez’s old job in Frisco and vice versa.
Now Gregg Berhalter finds himself weighing up two of Dallas’ homegrown products as he decides who will spearhead his attack during two massive Concacaf Octagonal qualifiers over the next four days, starting with Canada here at icy Tim Horton's Field on Sunday afternoon (3:05 pm ET | TV & streaming info).
That would be Jesus Ferreira and Ricardo Pepi, and while the dependable Gyasi Zardes remains a viable option up top, most of the conversation about the No. 9 role in the USMNT’s last two media availabilities revolved around the Texan duo.
The 2021 MLS Young Player of the Year before securing a club-record deal to German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, Pepi had started six of the United States’ last seven matches heading into this window. But Ferreira got the surprise nod in a 1-0 win over El Salvador on Thursday, bringing his less orthodox, ‘false 9’-ish interpretation of the position to his first career start in World Cup qualifying.
His 72-minute outing sparked divergent takes among pundits and fans, mostly breaking into two camps. One appreciated his movement, pressing, unselfish combinations to spring teammates – like the assist he bagged on Antonee “Jedi” Robinson’s game-winner – and overall contributions which earned him solid marks from many data-oriented analysts and sites. The other simply could not see much of anything beyond the two chances deep inside La Selecta’s penalty box he failed to direct on target in the first half.
Berhalter seems to fall into the first group. “Cheetah” was one of three players he singled out by name for praise in his opening remarks at the postgame press conference, saying, “I really liked the contribution of Jesus Ferreira, who set up a number of plays and also had a couple of opportunities for himself,” and later added, “although we might only try to judge No. 9s by their goal production, I still think he had a solid performance.”
For some of us, that last phrase is reminiscent of the worn, morbid old joke about asking Abraham Lincoln’s wife Mary how the play was, other than that part. Along that line of thinking, strikers’ first and most important job is to finish chances, period, and their inability to do so renders all the other stuff mostly moot.
But the USMNT’s current system does indeed ask for that other stuff from its No. 9, and some of it is foundational to the fortunes of other members of the attack and the overall structure itself. Plus Berhalter is a rational sort, a data junkie and relentless thinker – some would say overthinker – who can be expected to look deeper in search of more lasting and sustainable meaning.
On Saturday he pushed back against a question about link-up play vs. finishing in the context of Ferreira, who recently earned a new Young Designated Player deal.
“His finishing, the sample size is too small,” said the coach. “Jesus is a very talented player. He set up the goal, he set up a number of other chances and he had chances for himself. And I think that's all you ask for in a striker, is to be able to provide chances and create, and have chances for yourself in each game. And he had that.
“So we were pleased with his play. His defensive work rate was excellent. He checked all the boxes, except for putting the ball in the back of the net. Again, the sample size for Jesus with the senior national team is very small, so time will tell on that.”
Ferreira has logged decent numbers in his short USMNT career, tabbing two goals and four assists in six caps, albeit much of it compiled in friendlies vs. lesser opposition. Meanwhile Pepi became the toast of the fanbase with 3g/3a across three qualifiers last fall, half of it reaped in a devastating second-half dissection of Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Sept. 8.
Asked why Pepi did not see the pitch against El Salvador, Berhalter sounded like a brake operator on the hype train. Readers eager to divine who might start these next two games can read their own tea leaves here.
“I had a conversation with Ricardo and it was really open,” he said. “You're 18 years old. You're the future of this program. And we just have to be patient right now. There's been a lot on your plate these last couple of months with your transition to Augsburg, heavy loads with playing the games. And so for Ricardo we know he's going to help this group, we know he’s going to help this group both in the short term and the long term. It's just about being patient.
“Like any player, we're talking about, what are we looking for? What's the specific game plan against this opponent? And then we pick the player that fits it the most. And in this particular case, we felt like Jesus fit better. Doesn't mean Ricardo’s not a great player. It's doesn't mean he doesn't have other strengths. It means that we just chose for Jesus in that particular game.”
Most of the USMNT’s goals during this Qatar 2022 cycle have been scored by someone playing a position other than striker. Usually that’s reason for concern. It may be less so with Berhalter’s philosophy.
After Thursday’s win he hailed the attacking impact of fullbacks like Robinson, calling them the team’s “superpower.” And two days later he spoke of his as “a very balanced team” as he addressed the matter of Christian Pulisic’s pedestrian form, adding “we don't need one guy to be the hero necessarily, and I think there's maybe some unwanted pressure that Christian’s putting on himself because he's a great teammate, he's a great player. And he can be the perfect game-changer for us, used in the right way.”
That hints at the collectivist nature of Berhalter’s vision. It’s also a reminder the 9 is expected to grease the wheels for the likes of Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson to feast in front of goal as well as doing so themselves.
Did Ferreira do enough to earn more time up top? Was Berhalter defending him publicly but docking points in private for the misses? Has Pepi’s confidence grown somewhat weathered by all the new challenges of the past few months? Do Canada and Honduras pose different sorts of propositions that call for him or Zardes?
These are the evaluations national-team coaches get paid to make, and they often define the trajectory of the team.
