In just over two month’s time, the United States men’s national team will embark on yet another World Cup qualifying attempt. With the pure and utter embarrassment of last cycle’s failure in the rearview, Gregg Berhalter’s resurgent group of talented players face the task of getting the USA back on the world’s biggest soccer stage. This summer’s Gold Cup is likely the last chance for the U.S. coaching staff to evaluate players firsthand and assess how they’ll fill out their roster for the the first round of qualifiers in September.
Heading into any major tournament, the natural instinct is to beat your chest and proclaim that first and foremost you want to win.