2022 Men's World Cup: 6 Takeaways from the USMNT's Draw vs. Wales

The United States men's national team marked their return to the World Cup with a disappointing draw against Wales in their group-stage opener Monday.

What looked like a dream scenario for the United States after Tim Weah scored early ended up being a nightmare when Walker Zimmerman conceded a penalty in the 80th minute and Gareth Bale grabbed the equalizer.

Though the U.S. played well for large parts of the match, a combination of heavy legs and mental lapses cost them what would've been three points and a significantly better chance of getting out of their group.

With England as their next opponent, the two dropped points may come back to bite them.

Here are six takeaways from the USMNT's draw versus Wales.

Tim Ream was on the outside looking in to the national team picture a year ago.

Ignored in favor of younger center-backs, the 35-year-old's performances for Fulham have been so great that he was difficult to ignore.

Against Wales, Ream showed his quality and why Gregg Berhalter trusted him enough to start.

The St. Louis native had a phenomenal game. His veteran presence, passing range and defensive positioning were a big reason why the U.S. stymied Wales for so long.

He ended the match with eight passes into the final third, completed 93.2 percent of his passes and won 80.0 percent of his ground duels, according to FotMob.

Even though a potential clean sheet was spoiled, Ream still did enough to show he's undroppable.

Wales was unable to get going offensively because of the work rates of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah.

The midfield trio pressed relentlessly and made it uncomfortable for the Welsh double pivot of Ethan Ampadu and Aaron Ramsey.

Adams, especially, had a memorable game.

The 23-year-old and new national team captain not only kept the team ticking, but his positional awareness also helped the U.S. recover the ball quickly if they were pulled out of position during defensive transitions.

He ended the match with 83.3 percent of his tackles won, six recoveries and two interceptions, per FotMob.

The counter-press that the U.S. employed worked for a period of time. Yet, for all its benefits, it can leave players tired and exposed by the end of the match.

The question is: Will this style be sustainable against a better team in England?

Matt Turner stepped up in a big way.

Penalty aside, the Arsenal man didn't have much to do, but when he was called into action, he did his best to keep the clean sheet even when his defenders let him down.

There was only so much he could do on Bale's penalty shot. Nonetheless, Turner made some spectacular saves and kept the U.S. from conceding more than they did.

He was brave, coming off his line several times, and made solid stops that pushed the U.S. on late in the match.

Turner will have to continue his good run of form if the U.S. want to make it to the knockout stages.

For all the good that a high press brings, there is bad, and it could come back to haunt the U.S. as the tournament goes on.

The Stars and Stripes did a great job of stopping the Wales attack. Their coordinated press allowed only nine touches in their final third through the first 30 minutes of the game.

But, as the match progressed, multiple players experienced muscle fatigue and cramping.

This culminated in Wales' pushing hard in the last five minutes of the game as they searched for a winner.

Will this high-intensity style harm the U.S. in the long run?

England beat Iran 6-2 and made it look easy in the other Group B game. Will the U.S. have a hard time recreating their press against an opponent who played such an opening game?

Zimmerman's ill-advised tackle on Bale was the quintessential blunder.

With Bale's back facing toward goal, there was no reason for Zimmerman to go flying into him.

His mistake cost the U.S. three potential points. It wasn't the end of the world, but it did hurt their chances of making the next round.

Regardless of how the penalty came to be, it didn't take away from Bale's propensity for scoring goals during pressure situations.

Much like with his equalizer in the MLS Cup final a couple of weeks ago, the Welshman was calm, cool and collected as he slotted home.

It was a bad day for Zimmerman, but that didn't stop Bale from showing his class.

How will the U.S. bounce back from this?

England will be a tough opponent. Their convincingly victory against Iran doesn't exactly inspire confidence for the USMNT, especially after they ran themselves ragged against a physically tough side.

Presumably, England will want to have possession. If that's the case, the U.S. will probably attack in transition.

With pace on the flanks and enough physicality through the middle, Berhalter could set up the team in a compact 4-3-3, cutting off the passing lanes and shifting from side to side to make it difficult for England to break down.

If they win the ball back, their main outlet of attack could be down the left flank, using the speed of Antonee Robinson when England is pulled out of position.

This game, tactically, will be different than the one versus Wales. However the U.S. line up, getting a result is a must if they want to advance to the knockout rounds.