Preview: There's plenty at stake in USMNT-Morocco friendly at TQL Stadium

If you thought the stakes were high when the U.S. Men's National Team came to Cincinnati to face Mexico in November 2021, as well as when it navigated other World Cup qualifying matches, the pressure is just as intense now, and probably more so.

The qualifying campaign, and the ghosts of failing to qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, are put to rest. Now, USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter's 26-player camp has gathered to fine-tune and prepare for the rigors of this year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

In order to do that, Berhalter's team will play four tune-up matches in June. The first is Wednesday at TQL Stadium against World Cup-bound Morocco (7:30 p.m.) as Cincinnati will again serve as the backdrop to a consequential USMNT match.

The aim of the Morocco game, and more broadly the entire June camp, is to arrange the American players for the biggest stage in world soccer, and not many more opportunities to do so will be possible.

In order to properly equip his side, Berhalter and his coaching staff must sift through the available pool of American players for a couple weeks in June – about six months before the start of the World Cup.

Assessments will be made and further scouting will combine to inform the next round of decisions for a two-match, September international window, which is the last camp the Americans will have together before the final World Cup squad is named

"The experience of playing against two World Cup opponents is going to be important for us. To really have the finality of that and to really compete in those games and see where we stack up," Berhalter said Tuesday of his June camp. "Within that, there's gonna be time periods in those games where we have to test the players, so we're going to make substitutions no matter what the score line is. We're not gonna play everyone 90 minutes to hang onto a 1-0 lead. That's just unrealistic at this stage. We can't do that. We don't have enough time on back end to be able to do that.

"When we move into Nations League, we'll use probably the first game (against Grenada in Austin) to give some guys international experience, competitive international experience. And then the challenge of how do we go away from home and win a game (against El Salvador). That's going to be a challenge on the entire group."

Following the Morocco match, the USMNT will face World Cup-bound Uruguay Saturday at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, followed by two competitive games against regional foes to open the defense of the American men's 2021 Concacaf Nations league championship.

What's of greatest importance for the USMNT at this stage of World Cup preparations is beginning to discern which combination of players is beginning to peak at the right moment. The team needs a squad that can give the country its best possible chance of advancing out of a hyper-competitive Group B in the World Cup.

Group B includes marquee fixtures against England, Iran and the winner of a playoff contested by Ukraine, Scotland and Wales – all from the vaunted UEFA region of FIFA.

Position battles and areas of concern are already being addressed this week in Cincinnati. Particular interest has been placed on the center back, goalkeeper and center forward positions.

It's at those spots that Berhalter and Co. are seeking newfound strength and consistency.

Walker Zimmerman, a central defender for Nashville SC of Major League Soccer, is thought to be in strong position to make the final World Cup roster. But Atlanta United FC's Miles Robinson, who played alongside Zimmerman in central defense for the USMNT to great success in World Cup qualifying, suffered a season-ending, torn Achilles tendon during MLS play May 7.

"You start thinking about the timelines, you start thinking about the math, and while it's not impossible to come back, certainly it's going to be an uphill battle," Zimmerman said during a Monday media roundtable.

Finding a new center back pairing is a key concern, and Berhalter confirmed Tuesday that New York Red Bulls' center back Aaron Long would start against Morocco alongside Zimmerman.

Goalkeeper, too, is a position where the right to start is yet to be won outright. Manchester City FC's Zack Steffen and New England Revolution-turned-Arsenal FC shot-stopper Matt Turner started throughout World Cup qualifying but Steffen withdrew from the June camp days ago.

Steffen cited family reasons in withdrawing from the camp.

In the right club situation, Steffen should be able to play his was back into consideration but in his absence, Turner, Sean Johnson of reigning MLS Cup champion New York City FC and Ethan Horvath of Nottingham Forest FC, which was promoted to the English Premier League only days ago, will engage in a robust competition.

It's a competition that, in theory, could also prove difficult for Steffen to rejoin.

"We have Ethan Horvath, who just got promoted to the (English) Premier League, on this squad. Matt Turner’s going to Arsenal and Sean Johnson’s been one of the best goalkeepers in MLS this season already (for New York City FC," Berhalter told The Enquirer on Sunday. "That, to me, is a good problem to have with those guys in camp and doing well. It’s always about the next-man-up mentality. That’s what it’s been all throughout qualifying and that’s what it will be in this camp.”

During a Tuesday news conference, Berhalter said he wants to let the competition play out, and that he sees himself as having plenty of time make a decision.

Few national teams in the world, if any, are altogether content with their stock of goal-scoring forwards, and the USMNT can count itself among those nations looking for more out of that position.

There's a reason FC Cincinnati's Brandon Vazquez, a scorer of seven goals and three assists in MLS this season, has been getting national team consideration from Berhalter.

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The forward spot is another position to be won for the Americans, and the competition is crowded.

Even Jordan Pefok, the golden boot winner in Switzerland's first division this season as the league's top scorer, wasn't invited to the June camp. Nor was Vazquez.

Jesus Ferreira and a resurgent Haji Wright will have a chance in June to stake their claim to the striker position that's lacked for consistency for the Americans.

Using the weeks-long June camp that's scheduled months ahead of the World Cup has thrown off the cadence of customary preparations for FIFA's showpiece event.

For now, Berhalter is applying a one-game-at-a-time mentality ahead of the opening test against Morocco, which constitutes the sixth-to-last match for the USMNT before the World Cup begins.

With confidence Morocco will pose a suitable challenge and feature some players from Europe's top leagues, it's down to Berhalter's players to prove they deserve a seat on the plane to Doha, Qatar.

That process is underway, and the pressure will mount at TQL Stadium again as kickoff against the Moroccans nears.

"We know that Morocco is a good opponent. They have high-level players," Berhalter said. "We know they’ll be participating in the World Cup, so it’s a good measuring stick for us and we want to win the game. Some guys will get opportunities to show themselves and they’ll be making a case to be part of the program and it’ll all be exciting. Ideally, we have a great crowd and we win the game and we look to Kansas City and play a strong Uruguay team.”

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The Game

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday at TQL Stadium

TV: ESPN2

Series info: Morocco leads the all-time series against the U.S. with three wins and a draw (3-0-1).

Cincinnati.com prediction: USMNT 2, Morocco 2.

USMNT

2022 record: 3-2-1

FIFA world ranking: No. 15; Group B in FIFA World Cup

Head coach: Gregg Berhalter (34-9-7 as USMNT manager)

Morocco

2022 record: 4-1-2

FIFA world ranking: No. 24; Group F in FIFA World Cup

Head coach: Vahid Halilhodžić (hired 2019)

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: World Cup 2022: Preview of USMNT-Morocco friendly at TQL Stadium