re: United States of Need a Win v. A Team We Need To Beat | The Oct | 9:30pm CT (Paramount+)

Apparently coaching soccer is like Earl Weaver's quote about baseball, you just need 11 guys named Robinson.

This was obviously a must win, but I don't think the USMNT's issues in the first two games were about their quality. They played well against El Slavador, just couldn't score. They did play worse against Canada, but a draw was a fair result.

This was a gut check game, even moreso when down 1-0. And this team has looked like a bunch of talented kids without much guidance or experence. WC qualifying is tough everywhere. No one skates through. But the good news is this team answered the bell when they absolutely had to.

Of course, a huge part of that is finally finding a guy who can finish. If Pepi is the answer at striker, it solves a lot of issues. I'd also point out that the team poured on four goals without McKennie, Renya, Steffen, or Dest. Which sort of shows the problem wasn't really talent.

At the end of the day, only results matter in qualifying. The USMNT got 5 points, which was the bare minimum bar for success in this window.

The next window is crucial. Not just two home games, but a home game against two winless teams, including a Jamaica side which was the only team to lose twice in qualifying. The road game is one of those don't sleep on it games, as Panama has 5 points, and it's critical that the USMNT gets at last a draw there.