United States National Football

The majority of the top-ranked men's soccer teams in the world converge on Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Brazil enters the tournament as the No. 1 team in the FIFA World Rankings. Belgium, Argentina, France and England fill out the top five, respectively.

Not all of the top teams in the FIFA World Rankings landed a spot in the 32-team field because of how difficult it is to qualify out of Europe and South America.

Italy is the lone top-10 team not headed to Qatar, and a handful of other squads inside the top 25 will be watching from home.

There are six teams in the World Cup field that are ranked outside of the top 40, including host nation Qatar (50). While it's likely those countries will struggle in the group stage, there is always a chance one of them springs an upset or two.

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FIFA World Rankings of World Cup Teams

Group A

Netherlands (8)

Senegal (18)

Ecuador (44)

Qatar (50)

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Group B

England (5)

United States (16)

Wales (19)

Iran (20)

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Group C

Argentina (3)

Mexico (13)

Poland (26)

Saudi Arabia (51)

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Group D

France (4)

Denmark (10)

Tunisia (30)

Australia (38)

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Group E

Spain (7)

Germany (11)

Japan (24)

Costa Rica (31)

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Group F

Belgium (2)

Croatia (12)

Morocco (22)

Canada (41)

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Group G

Brazil (1)

Switzerland (15)

Serbia (21)

Cameroon (43)

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Group H

Portugal (9)

Uruguay (14)

South Korea (28)

Ghana (61)

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Brazil rose to the top spot in the FIFA Men's World Rankings behind a dominant World Cup qualifying campaign in South America.

Neymar and Co. cruised to first place in CONMEBOL with 45 points from 17 games. Argentina was the closest team to Brazil with 39 points while Uruguay was third with 29.

Brazil extended its strong run of form into its World Cup warmup games. It won four friendly matches by a combined score of 14-2. All of those contests came against World Cup qualifiers.

Belgium enters Qatar as the highest-ranked European side at No. 2. The Red Devils were semifinalists four years ago in Russia, and they controlled one of the tougher European qualification groups with Wales and the Czech Republic.

Belgium's last six matches before the World Cup came in the UEFA Nations League. It had three wins, one draw and two losses, with both defeats coming against the Netherlands.

The rest of the usual world powers of men's soccer fill out the rankings beneath Brazil and Belgium.

Spain, France, Germany, Argentina, England, Netherlands and Denmark have all been fixtures on the world stage for a long time. Italy is the only top-10 power that will miss out on the tournament. The Azzurri finished second to Switzerland in group play and then lost in the playoff round to North Macedonia. Portugal then beat North Macedonia to get to the World Cup.

The United States men's national team comes into Qatar with the No. 16 world ranking. The team's stock dropped a bit in September after disappointing performances against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

The USMNT is the second-best North American team in the rankings behind Mexico. Both teams have tough challenges in the group stage against England and Argentina.

Canada is one of six teams outside the top 40 in the World Rankings taking part in the World Cup. Two of those teams find themselves in Group A.

On paper, Group A featuring the Netherlands, Ecuador, Senegal and Qatar is the weakest, while Group B, the USMNT's group, appears to be the toughest with four top 20 teams.

Christian Pulisic is prepared to handle the weight that comes with being the United States men's national team's biggest star ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Pulisic told ESPN's Jeff Carlisle he's "done a lot of things" in his career but that the World Cup stands out.

"It's something when I was a kid in Pennsylvania growing up, five to 10 years old, that's all I thought about was the World Cup," he said.

The 24-year-old added this opportunity inevitably presents a different challenge:

"All those emotions and stuff that you're not ready for, it always hits you. It hits you, and you feel it. You feel the big moments coming every day. Laying in bed at night, when it gets a day closer, you feel it a little bit more, so that's how it goes.

"I know I can overcome those feelings and bring out hopefully my best work out on the field. So that's the goal."

Pulisic delivered perhaps the most striking image of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. He couldn't hide his emotions after a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago shut the door to Russia on the USMNT.

There was also a sense the national team from top to bottom had let Pulisic down. He was a promising young talent excelling at a major European club, Borussia Dortmund, and he wouldn't get to play in the most prestigious tournament in the world.

Although the U.S. is back in the World Cup, whether Pulisic will deliver is another matter.

The Chelsea attacker had five goals in 10 CONCACAF qualifying matches, the most on the team. His club form, on the other hand, has been inconsistent.

Former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel didn't seem to rate Pulisic that highly despite their time together at Dortmund, and the arrival of Graham Potter hasn't changed things much.

Since Potter's first match in charge Sept. 14, only four of Pulisic's 11 appearances have come in a starting capacity. Across all competitions, he has started five games this season with one goal and two assists.

Pulisic played down fears his lack of playing time could adversely impact his performance in Qatar.

"My form's actually been really good in recent weeks, I feel," he said, per Carlisle. "So I've gotten some games in, [I'm] continuing to work there and improving myself there, and honestly, I feel really strong and very good and prepared going into this."

The United States remains heavily dependent on Pulisic to lead the attack. He'll be tasked with creating goal-scoring chances for his teammates and testing the opposition goalkeeper while cutting in from the flank.

The USMNT might have a difficult time if he's not at his best in the World Cup.

The 26-man squad that will travel to Qatar for the upcoming World Cup is set. Manager Gregg Berhalter and U.S. Soccer announced the selections on Wednesday.

THE USMNT SQUAD HEADED TO THE WORLD CUP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Ouyo74QO5x

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 9, 2022

One of the biggest surprises was that goalkeeper Zack Steffen didn't make the cut, with Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Matt Turner (Arsenal) and Sean Johnson (NYCFC) instead filling out the position for the USMNT. Turner is expected to be the starter.

Ricardo Pepi's fall from grace for this USMNT side has been significant after he once seemed like the future of the position. So it wasn't a surprise that his exclusion was one of the main storylines.

"In some of the cases it's more about what we have then what we don't have," Berhalter said on the ESPN broadcast announcing the selections regarding Steffen and Pepi. "With the three goalkeepers on the roster we feel great. We feel good about it. We saw a lot of progess with Turner in his last six months. We know Horvath has been competing at a good level in the Championship. And Johnson has been a mainstay in this group since Day 1. So we're comfortable with that pairing."

"In the case of [Pepi], that was a really difficult conversation to have with him," Berhalter continued. "And it's always difficult when a guy helps you get to the World Cup, scores three goals in qualifying and isn't going to be a part of the program. And again, it's more about who we did add that we felt good about."

Twitter had its take on Berhalter's roster choices, per usual:

Shaq Moore is an absolute stunner…wow #USMNT

— Stephen Meyer (@StephenMeyerRDC) November 9, 2022

Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers makes the US roster. A richly-deserved call up. No place for Rangers' James Sands.

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 9, 2022

Aaronson listed as a midfielder. Usually listed as a forward/winger.

— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 9, 2022

I need to sit down.

I can't believe Ricardo Pepi isn't on this team.

— Jimmy Conrad (@JimmyConrad) November 9, 2022

https://twitter.com/davisjsn/status/1590469084113575936

No Pepi wow.

— Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) November 9, 2022

This roster is not as shocking as Landon Donovan being left out, but man, Gregg gave Jurgen a run for his money. #USMNT

— Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) November 9, 2022

Morris and Wright but no Pepi is a joke. Good lord. #USMNT

— Stephen Meyer (@StephenMeyerRDC) November 9, 2022

Most of the roster was to be expected, however.

Players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson have been mainstays for the USMNT in its youth movement and will headline the 2022 World Cup Squad.

Others, like Yunus Musah and Timothy Weah, have continued to prove their value for the USMNT and should play a big role.

There were some question marks coming into Wednesday, however.

Had young midfielder Malik Tillman proven enough to earn his spot on the plane? (Apparently not.) Who was going to make the cut among the forwards, a huge position of concern for the Americans, between players like Paul Arriola, Pepi, Josh Sargent, Jordan Morris, Haji Wright and Jordan Pefok?

Another question was how injured players—most notably defenders Chris Richards and Miles Robinson—would be replaced on the roster. The answer on defense was Ream and Scally.

The absences of Steffen and Pepi in particular will cause debate. This wasn't a straightforward roster selection for Berhalter. But the USMNT will head into the World Cup with most of its best players healthy and hungry to prove they belong after missing the event four years ago.

Onward to Qatar.

MURCIA, Spain—The U.S. men’s national team concluded their second and final friendly before the 2022 World Cup this evening in Murcia, Spain, battling a stark and persistent inability to conjure an attack and look threatening toward goal. Over the course of 180 minutes, the U.S. produced two shots on goal, and scored neither.

Tonight’s chaotic 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia saw marginal improvements in a few individual performances, but featured all the festering issues present for Friday’s catastrophic 2-0 loss to Japan: sloppy mistakes, poor possession, palpable nerves, readable tactics, slowness to adjust, and above all else, a complete and utter inability to generate or sustain an attacking threat.

Hanging above all this is the continuous absence of several key players because of injury, including Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah, Chris Richards and Yunus Musah. The evening before match day, Gregg Berhalter warned media that his ideal starting XI in Qatar would likely be stymied by injury. As Giovanni Reyna left tonight’s match in the 30th minute experiencing “muscle tightness”—tightness to a muscle that’s kept him sidelined for large swaths of the past year—observers can only concede that injuries will likely continue to cause concern.

The team now has eight weeks remaining to focus on club form and hope for health and fitness before gathering in Qatar one week before a tournament in which they will face Wales, England and Iran.

The back line continued to struggle

Of course, issues getting the ball forward began in the back, which is where Japan left the ball on Friday, daring the USMNT to move through their press. Japan provided space to the center backs and suffocated routes out. Attacking players dropped deep and stayed compact, rather than taking or creating space, and over the course of the first half, a floundering U.S. squad broke the Berhalter-era record for giving the ball away in its own half. Thanks in large part to Matt Turner’s dominant shot-stopping (which Berhalter has rarely acknowledged) the U.S. departed Dusseldorf downed only 2-0.

Given the performances of Friday, one may have imagined none among the trialed bunch of defenders—Sam Vines, Aaron Long, Reggie Cannon and Mark McKenzie—had performed their way into the squad for the Saudi Arabia match. But high on a list of stubborn decisions from Berhalter is that he looked into the abyss of Friday’s showing and decided to start Aaron Long again.

Paired once more with Walker Zimmerman against Saudi Arabia, Long exhibited consistent issues on the ball and left the U.S. vulnerable to dangerous counters. Long was replaced by Mark McKenzie midway through the second half and to little improvement, as McKenzie showed signs of nerves and intermittent decision making similar to Long.

Sergiño Dest was given another go at left back tonight, where he looked strong in spurts but fatigued by the second half. DeAndre Yedlin was decent defensively from the right, but was just as incoherent in the attack as everyone else.

The lone, effervescent bright spot of the evening was the much-delayed 30-minute cameo of Joe Scally, who immediately brought more energy and fight to the match than we’ve seen since June.

Yunus Musah's absence was glaring

Issues formulating an attack began at the back, but they coalesced perhaps most concerningly with a dismantled midfield left in dire need of Yunus Musah, who is uniquely capable of breaking through lines on the ball and maneuvering in compact spaces. Weston McKennie lacked inspiration or energy, and in particular against Japan, put out one of the worst individual performances we’ve ever seen from him. Tyler Adams was ineffective in Berhalter's imposed system against Japan, but was easily among the best performers against Saudi Arabia. And you could never accuse him of not having “fight.”

Luca de la Torre featured in a tough role against Japan, and lack of minutes at club level compounded with the team’s disjointed collective performance all but removed him from the game. Given his talent, it’s a shame we did not see any minutes from him tonight.

Johnny Cardoso and Malik Tillman—young additions to an already young squad—made late cameos against Japan, to little effect and beneath the weight of incredible stakes. Kellyn Acosta and Brenden Aaronson made their own midfield cameos against Saudi Arabia, both passable in those roles.

Like everywhere else on the field, the Americans seemed to pick up more questions in the midfield than they solved.

Did anything go right?

The U.S. did a better job of getting the ball to the final third against Saudi Arabia, perhaps in large part because of how Saudi Arabia set up. There was immediately more space to exploit and move forward. Berhalter also made some tactical adjustments from Friday, focusing his team on making runs in behind and sending long balls to wingers moving forward. This worked best in the first half as Zimmerman found Christian Pulisic looking bursting into the attacking third with pace. Pulisic, Dest and McKennie had a few strong sequences together on the left, but it lulled by the second half and ultimately produced nothing in the first.

Giovanni Reyna looked strong in his opening minutes, but discomfort became clear, and around minute 30 he was brought off as “precaution.” With his replacement, the combination of Paul Arriola, Kellyn Acosta and DeAndre Yedlin didn’t produce much offensively from the right.

Speaking to Berhalter and players in the post-match, it’s clear the squad felt improvement getting the ball to the final third, but exhibited lingering frustration at needing to find that final touch, that final ball, that final threat toward goal.

There's still no answer at striker

Here we must pause to consider the dire situation of the USMNT striker pool. It need not necessarily be so dire, which, in part, breeds the frustration at its state. The U.S. has striker options in hot form with their clubs and topping competitive leagues for goals. Jordan Pefok is highest on that list, though he is not here. Berhalter’s system is built for a different type of striker, and he remains dogmatic to its cause.

Jesús Ferreira is likely the first-choice striker and received the most minutes in camp, despite not converting for country in quite some time. Ferreira is a dynamic field player who is knocking them home with FC Dallas, but he remains stuck in a goal desert with the national team. It’s true he didn’t get many chances this window, but he also didn’t put them away, and he may not get many in the World Cup.

Ricardo Pepi returned to the squad having scored one goal with Groningen after staggering his way through Bundesliga and netting no goals in nearly a year. He worked hard but didn’t produce.

Josh Sargent likely deserved the biggest run-out of the strikers in camp but got 45 arduous minutes against Japan, which may not have been enough to get to Qatar this November, despite his fit in the system, his experience with the team or his form with Norwich this year.

Where does Berhalter take things from here?

Berhalter is clearly aware that things are in a dire state. He told media after today’s draw with Saudi Arabia that no player looked great. Rather than delve into specifics on lessons learned, Berhalter said that coaching staff had learned “things.”

In a camp in which the main priority was preparing and sorting through talent, he did specify this: “There's not many players who performed at their normal levels in this camp. You can ask about center-backs, full-backs, whoever ... there's not many players that performed at their normal levels."

Berhalter is aware, also, that the pressure is on him. He was forthcoming in admitting he’d been out-coached against Japan, and has made adjustments in approaches to training. But when it comes to key personnel, and to the overall system, we’ll need wait for November to know for sure what “things” Berhalter has learned from this horrid window, and importantly, whether he can or will adjust them.

This is not the United States men's national team fans wanted to see in the final tuneup before the World Cup.

Days after losing 2-0 to Japan, the United States managed only an uninspired, scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday afternoon.

The USMNT had two shots on target in the contest. Against a Saudi Arabia team that didn't utilize its full first-choice roster. After zero shots on target against Japan on Friday.

So yes, the angst online was evident, with manager Gregg Berhalter and his system of choice as one of the prime targets:

https://twitter.com/lgbtqfc/status/1574833509667024896

https://twitter.com/lgbtqfc/status/1574844534239813632

Berhalter can't be the coach after this cycle. #USMNT https://t.co/9anjHNw5uR

— Javi 🇺🇲 (@Javi_USMNT) September 27, 2022

If the USMNT, who are young, physical and technically limited, go to a midseason World Cup and try to play pretty soccer instead of bully soccer, I am going to lose my mind

— Ryan Rosenblatt, World Series Champion (@RyanRosenblatt) September 27, 2022

Other side of the world, in an empty stadium, neutral venue, vs a sub par opponent..

And it’s been an underwhelming 70 minutes.

On the back of that sobering 0-2 defeat to Japan.

This is how you’ll be seen before Qatar? The lasting impression #USMNT

— herculez gomez (@herculezg) September 27, 2022

The United States certainly has the talent to produce an exciting and successful World Cup. In its final tune up matches, however, it provided almost nothing that would suggest that will occur.

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) September 27, 2022

I REALLY hope that we didn’t wait 8 years just for #USMNT to get sent home in three games. I REALLY HOPE.

— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) September 27, 2022

We are at this stage of panic. Can’t wait for second volume of biography to hear the story 🇺🇸 https://t.co/rqVktCu47J

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) September 27, 2022

Literally nothing in this team has inspired confidence ahead of the World Cup during this window.

Theres been zero promotion, zero buzz. You’d be forgiven as a casual fan for forgetting its a World Cup year or not knowing the US qualified.

And now these performances. Not great.

— USMNT 🇺🇸 Thoughts (@USMNT_Thoughts) September 27, 2022

https://twitter.com/rwohan/status/1574842065900314624

Zero shots or chances created for Ricardo Pepi in 60 minutes. 13 touches, 5/7 passing, 1 pass into the opponent’s final third.

Zero tackles or interceptions on defense, 3/4 duels won. #USMNT

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) September 27, 2022

Basically every point of concern for USMNT fans played out on the pitch against Saudi Arabia. The forwards remained lackluster, with both Ricardo Pepi and Jesus Ferreira offering very little in the way of positive impact.

Christian Pulisic, long viewed as the savior for this program, went invisible for long stretches.

The team's inability to break down a low block was apparent, highlighting a lack of elite, creative playmakers. That was even further evident when Gio Reyna, forever seeming to battle injury, left the game after 30 minutes as a precaution with muscle tightness.

UPDATE: Gio Reyna was experiencing muscle tightness and came out of the match as a precaution. https://t.co/GET8j1zGc1

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 27, 2022

And of course, the questions about whether Berhalter puts his players in the best position to succeed persist. There are talented young players on this roster; that much has never been in question. But are they best suited to play the type of possession football Berhalter seems to crave?

On Tuesday, the answer was a resounding no. And with just 54 days until the World Cup begins for the United States against Wales, the time for finding answers grows short.

The USMNT made the World Cup this cycle. That, alone, makes it an improvement on the last cycle. But this team doesn't seem particularly likely to get out of the group stage, and given the young talent assembled, it would be hard to see that as anything short of abject failure.

The United States men's national team needs a positive performance in Tuesday's friendly against Saudi Arabia.

The match in Murcia, Spain is the second of two games for the Americans in the September international window. But they fell flat in a 2-0 loss to Japan on Friday.

Only goalkeeper Matt Turner came away from the defeat with a good review, and the result did more harm to the USMNT's hype going into the 2022 FIFA World Cup than help.

Gregg Berhalter's team needs an impressive outing against its fellow World Cup qualifier to ease some nerves within the fanbase that the team can live up to the minimum expectation of getting out of Group B, which also includes England, Wales and Iran.

The USMNT chose to play Saudi Arabia so it could get used to how a Western Asian team plays in preparation for Iran. The same could be said about Saudi Arabia and a North American squad since it will face Mexico in its final Group C game in Qatar.

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USMNT vs. Saudi Arabia Info

Date: Tuesday, September 27

Start Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, UniMas

Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app

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Top Storylines to Watch

USMNT Needs Bounce-Back Performance

The 2-0 loss to Japan was frustrating in so many ways for the Americans.

Japan took the game to the USMNT and might have scored four or five goals if Turner had not excelled in net.

The center-back pairing of Walker Zimmerman and Aaron Long gave away possession too easily on many occasions, and the midfield lacked the cohesion to keep the ball and generate chances.

The one key chance the Americans had was hit over the bar by Jesus Ferreira, and that naturally spurred an argument as to whether any of the other strikers in the talent pool would have finished the chance.

Friday's defeat was a wake-up call to the USMNT in a rare match outside of CONCACAF. The formation of the Nations League and World Cup qualification over the last two years have kept the Americans within their own region for a majority of their contests.

They are expected to beat all teams in CONCACAF, and to their credit, they have for the most part. But they need a result against a nation outside North America to quell the skepticism that emanated from the fanbase after the Japan loss.

Saudi Arabia is 53rd in the FIFA World Rankings, while the USMNT comes into the match in 14th place.

Saudi Arabia has not scored in its last three friendlies, all of which came against South American opposition. It played to a scoreless draw with Ecuador on Friday and lost 1-0 to both Colombia and Venezuela in June.

The Saudis have not scored multiple goals in any of their games in 2022, but they also haven't been blown out in any match this year. Their largest loss was a 2-0 defeat to Japan in February in World Cup qualifying.

Berhalter's squad needs a strong performance, and likely a win, to ease any of the concerns that came out of Friday's match.

The USMNT could be in for a grind based on Saudi Arabia's recent results, but that could be a good thing for a team that has four multi-goal victories in 2022.

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Striker Situation Still Unresolved

Ferreira, Ricardo Pepi and Josh Sargent appear to be the USMNT's strikers headed for Qatar.

Jordan Pefok, who has played well with Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, is out of the picture, so it is down to the trio on the current roster to put goals in the back of the net.

Ferreira had a golden chance to score in the first half against Japan, but he sent a header over the crossbar. The missed opportunity did not help Berhalter's decision at the position since Pefok is strong in the air.

Ferreira, Pepi and Sargent have 15 goals between them on the international level. Until recently, Ferreira was the only one with a stable situation at the club level.

Sargent started to get playing time up top in the English Championship with Norwich City and Pepi got a loan move to FC Groningen in the Netherlands from Augsburg in the Bundesliga to help him get games.

Ferreira was not helped by the lack of chances created by the midfielders on Friday, but the argument against him is that he has to finish the one clear-cut opportunity he gets because that may be the case in the World Cup.

The USMNT midfield missed the injured Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic. Their absences hurt with buildup play in the middle of the park and chance creation.

Every part of the American lineup has to play better on Tuesday, but if any of the strikers fail to score again, it will leave doubt as to whether the right players will be headed to Qatar.

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Prediction: USMNT 1, Saudi Arabia 1.

Most of Saudi Arabia's games this year have been low-scoring affairs and a similar result is likely on Tuesday.

The USMNT has an imperfect product up top, but it should focus on sharpening its defensive abilities first after gifting Japan plenty of scoring opportunities on Friday.

The American defense is not perfect and a goal concession seems likely. A goal can be scored as long as the USMNT possesses some type of attacking buildup play and find a rhythm moving forward.

After all, nothing can be worse than the 2-0 loss to Japan in which the Americans looked far from a World Cup qualifier.

The United States Men's National Team did not look like a team ready to contend for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Friday's 2-0 loss to Japan in an international friendly match in Germany, and manager Gregg Berhalter realizes there is work to be done.

"We've got work to do. We clearly need to improve, but overall really good experience for this team," Berhalter said following the loss, per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.

"Give Japan a lot of credit. I think they played a good game and they gave us a hard time. I think at times we were well in the match and performing well, but overall, over 90 minutes, we could have been better. [It] wasn't good enough."

The USMNT were outplayed from start to finish on Friday as they had no answer for the pressure brought on by Japan.

The Samurai Blues took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute on a goal by Daichi Kamada following a turnover by the Weston McKennie. Hidemasa Morita found a wide-open Kamada inside the 18 for the go-ahead goal.

Japan scores the goal that had been coming, with VAR review confirming Daichi Kamada’s go-ahead strike. 1-0! #USMNT

(via @TUDNUSA) pic.twitter.com/uFaHCi6T9Z

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) September 23, 2022

Japan extended their lead in the 88th minute on a goal by Kaoru Mitoma, who cut through the inside of the U.S. defense before curling a shot into the bottom corner past Matt Turner's outstretched arms.

Japan finishes off the #USMNT, as Kaoru Mitoma cuts inside and delivers the dagger. 2-0!

(via @TUDNUSA) pic.twitter.com/8C2rAHTuVB

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) September 23, 2022

While the Americans led in possession, Japan led the U.S. 16-4 in shots and 8-0 in shots on target.

The U.S. is ranked 14th in the world by FIFA, while Japan is ranked 24th. If they can't defeat a team that is below them in the rankings, how can they be expected to compete at the World Cup?

Berhalter admitted last week that he knows his squad won't be the most talented going into Qatar, but he stressed the importance of the group playing as one unit:

“I know we're not going to be the most talented team at the World Cup, and we're going to have to compensate for that by being a cohesive unit, by working for each other, fighting for each other and having a great team spirit. We're going to have to do that if we want to be successful at the World Cup.”

The USMNT will look to get back on track against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27. They open play in the World Cup on Nov. 21 against Wales.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter was the focus of intense criticism as the United States men's national team suffered a 2-0 loss to Japan on Friday in one of its final warm-up matches ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Daichi Kamada and Kaoru Mitoma scored for the Japanese side, as the USMNT struggled mightily to generate any consistent attacking pressure inside Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The United States' use of Aaron Long and Walker Zimmerman as the center-back tandem in the first half failed to pay dividends, as it couldn't to build out of the back against a high press, and Japan continued to control the pace of play throughout a majority of the second 45 minutes.

Here's a look at some reaction to the performance from social media:

The Berhalter of it all is building. They should have fired him a dozen times before this point. Going to send a really good team to Qatar only to watch it waste away in this horrid system. Unacceptable on all levels.

— #DoomSayer (@MrBill11) September 23, 2022

Neither Long nor Zimmerman are asked to play out of the back week in and week out at their clubs.

Not like Berhalter asks of them.

The backline struggling to deal with Japan’s pressure.

Better teams will punish you for it.

— herculez gomez (@herculezg) September 23, 2022

This is the sort of soccer Berhalter always wanted the US to play. Quick, proactive, good on the ball... wait, Japan are in blue?!

— Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven) September 23, 2022

https://twitter.com/_Susaeta/status/1573308785518583813

For better or worse, #USMNT’s successful qualification largely came down to Gregg Berhalter’s halftime adjustments each match. Today, the adjustment hasn’t let to many chances on frame.

Desperately need to start their games in a better way by the time November arrives.

— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) September 23, 2022

Part of the post game conversation needs to be how Berhalter just simply got outclassed tactically. #USMNT

— Matty Jollie (@MattyJollie) September 23, 2022

https://twitter.com/nrarmour/status/1573300628759142400

Hopefully this result serves as a wake-up call for the #USMNT. Shocking performance for some key players and lot of questions for Berhalter too - including how he's set the team up!

— Martijn Edelman (@MartyEdelman14) September 23, 2022

https://twitter.com/jonsoltz/status/1573314945915183105

Berhalter has been in charge of this same squad for years. His starting XI hasn’t changed much.

-we still can’t break through a midblock
-we still get burned in transition
-we still operate way too quickly in possession and settle for bad chances

Post-WC, it’s time for a change

— Jordan (@sports_by_stats) September 23, 2022

https://twitter.com/WhiskeyTy/status/1573312746778759171

Berhalter just got outcoached and these players just got humbled. Defense is gonna be a problem at the WC, we struggled to create anything, we couldn't get our forwards service. This is not just on Berhalter, the players are to blame too. IDK what we need to do, just not ready

— Looking Beyond (@LookingBeyond2) September 23, 2022

The squad fielded by Berhalter on Friday wasn't the one that'll likely take the pitch when the USMNT opens the World Cup in November, including star Christian Pulisic being a late scratch from the matchday squad with an injury picked up in training.

That said, it was still an uninspired performance that raises further questions about whether the Americans are trending in a positive direction with just two months until Qatar.

It also brings the continued international absence of central defender John Brooks, who recently made his debut for Portuguese club Benfica, back into the spotlight as the U.S. works unsuccessfully to find the anchors for its back line.

Berhalter and Co. will get another chance to showcase some semblance of progress Tuesday when they face Saudi Arabia in a friendly at Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia, Spain.

Another lackluster outing in the last preparation match before the World Cup would raise serious doubts about the team's outlook as players return to their clubs next week.