CLEVELAND, Ohio.- Following a 6-0 victory for the United States over Trinidad and Tobago in Cleveland on Saturday night, U.S. Manager Gregg Berhalter was pleased with more than just the final result.
“I think the first half set up the second half,” Berhalter said of the match. “We wanted to have a high tempo and keep them moving. We felt like our fitness could have an effect on the game.”
The match was scoreless for the first 40 minutes, and the U.S. did not score the second goal until the 66th minute.
“A slight adjustment we made in the second half was dropping our right winger down a little bit into space. They (Trinidad and Tobago) did a good job rotating in the midfield and we needed an extra man. When we dropped a midfielder down, it had a positive effect on the match.”
Berhalter was complimentary about FW Gyasi Zardes, who netted two goals in the game, advancing his goal total for the tournament to three.
“It’s a team game,” said Berhalter. “We support each other, and that’s no different for anyone. Gyasi’s a guy where you know what you’re going to get from him.”
“In your 23-man squad in a tournament like this one, you need a majority of guys where you know what you’re going to get. We’re proud of him. We’re proud of his effort, but it’s no surprise. He’s a tremendous worker and it’s nice to have him in the squad.”
Berhalter was quite satisfied with the well-rounded approach of his team.
“Overall, I think the diversity in our game showed today,” he said. “We had some good offensive transitions. We had some good build up. I like that we played with that diversity. It’s important in this tournament.”
