When it comes to World Cup goals, USA senses dam is about to break

AL KHOR, Qatar — Christian Pulisic's laser left-footed shot rattled the crossbar. Weston McKennie missed a wide-open volley that soared over the net. Haji Wright's early header went wide. Yunus Musah's shot was blocked by England midfielder Declan Rice.

"It's difficult to score goals," U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said plainly after the United States and England tied 0-0 in the second match of Group B on Friday night here at Al Bayt Stadium.

That's especially true in a World Cup.

The game Friday was a measuring stick for the U.S. men's national team, which has been trying its hardest to change the way the world, and Americans back home, view soccer. There was no better opportunity to make an impression than to not only hold its own, but to dominate against England, ranked No. 5 in the world, on this kind of stage.

And while some fans watching in the United States might have found those scoreless 90 minutes gripping, others might have rolled their eyes at another soccer game without a goal in a group stage that has been full of them.

So, what does the USMNT need to do in the attack to put the ball in the back of the net? England might have held possession longer, but the U.S. created better chances. It just failed to finish.

"For us, we're happy with the positions we got into," Berhalter said." We had some close opportunities. At times, we wanted to get even deeper and get the ball in front of the goal and give them real problems.

"But you know, at this level, goals aren't easy. It's not easy to score."

Against Wales, the U.S. had one shot, Weah's superb goal in the 36th minute. Against England, the U.S. had 10 shots, though only one was on target. 

The USMNT simply must score when it plays Iran, which beat Wales 2-0 hours before the USA-England match, on Tuesday because a draw or loss won't do. The Americans have to beat Iran to advance out of the group stage.

"In the next game, we just have to be aware of our chances," Weah said. "That is super important. Obviously, it's frustrating we didn't score [against England], but I feel like the goals are coming."

Berhalter's starting lineup was mostly the same against England as it was in the first match against Wales, except that Wright started at the No. 9 spot instead of Josh Sargent.

Wright, 24, was a late and unexpected addition to Berhalter's roster — one made with goals in mind. He didn't play in any qualifying matches and only earned his first cap for the senior team earlier this year in a friendly against Morocco in which he scored on a penalty kick. His career has notably been up and down. 

Buddies with Pulisic and McKennie from playing together at the 2015 U17 World Cup, Wright caught Berhalter's attention while having a breakout season in 2021-22 for Turkish club Antalyaspor. He scored 14 goals in 32 matches, including eight goals in seven games during a six-week stretch in April and May of this year. He is the second-leading scorer in the Turkish Super Lig, just behind Ecuador's Enner Valencia, who already has scored three goals in Qatar.

Hoping he might conjure up some of that magic in the biggest game of the tournament so far, Wright got the starting nod. But aside from an early header that sailed wide of the goal, he wasn't much of a threat.

Berhalter's team has struggled to identify that cold-blooded finisher. 

Jesús Ferreira leads the national team with five goals in 2022 and finished fourth in MLS with 18 goals for FC Dallas this season. He hasn't come off the bench yet, mainly because his style of play has not been well-suited for the USMNT's first two opponents. He could see the field against Iran, a team that likes to sit back on defense.

For what it's worth, the USMNT has never scored a ton of goals in a World Cup. In 1998, Brian McBride had the only group-stage goal for the U.S. in a 2-1 loss to Iran. In 2006, the U.S. scored two — one from Clint Dempsey in a loss to Ghana and the other was an own goal against Italy. In their most recent World Cup in 2014, they scored five through the round of 16.

Of course, there are plenty of world-class strikers in this tournament. Brazil's Richarlison put on a show with two mind-boggling goals against Serbia. Kylian Mbappe nearly had a hat trick for France. 

Berhalter said of watching England's Harry Kane up close, "I didn't realize how good he was, geez." 

It should be noted, though, that in two games, the U.S. has not allowed a goal in the run of play. U.S. center backs Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman, whose foul in the first match led to Gareth Bale's equalizing penalty, have been calm and smart defensively. 

But the U.S. will regret so many missed opportunities. The Americans were patient in the buildup, made sharp passes and had nifty flicks, but the play always unraveled on that last touch, getting turned over somewhere in the final third.

There is a sense within the team, however, that the dam is about to break.

"Obviously, every player that gets an opportunity wants to put it in the back of the net," McKennie said. "But sometimes it's not in the cards and that's how it is. You can't really change it after it happens. You can just try to keep getting goal scoring opportunities. 

"If you create 100 chances, at least one of them is going to go in eventually. So I think the most important thing was that we created the chances and that we can be a threat, and that will just build over the course of [the tournament]."

Read more from the World Cup:

• 'We win or we are out': Young USA team knows history is on the line vs. Iran
• USMNT can’t afford to let up now, pledges 'We're not done'
• USA should get major confidence boost from 0-0 draw with England
• Yunus Musah has World Cup moment, outduels England star Jude Bellingham
• World Cup Group Scenarios: What does each team need to advance?
• Three takeaways: USA outplays England, but can't find the net in draw
• World Cup Daily: USA controls its fate after draw vs. England
• World Cup Now: Expert analysis from England-USA scoreless draw
• Get to know the USMNT's 26-man World Cup roster
• How to watch every game of the 2022 World Cup
• 101 most memorable World Cup moments 
• Stu Holden's top 50 players at the World Cup

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.