Berhalter likes "safe" players. Cannon is his idea of a safe player. Berhalter has yet to reach the stage where the manager exhorts his players to "be brave".
I don’t think this is the case. I think that the problem he is having is actually that he is having trouble getting his players to “be brave”. Berhalter doesn’t play Weston McKennie, a true star player, on that field in those conditions last night if he does not want him to do things he is not comfortable doing.
I just watched the game and was pleasantly surprised. First, the entire team worked their butts off throughout the 90+ minutes. We look like a traditional, scrappy USA team. I haven’t seen us give an all out effort like that for several years. The scrappiness starts at the top: Pulisic, Adams and McKennie are leaders. All three were focused throughout and looked ready to play in Qatar tomorrow. Let’s hope they all stay healthy. Along with Zimmerman, they are the heart of the team. Musah is a beast. Need I say more? No, except to state the obvious: He’s just a potentially dominating player who can matchup with anyone when going forward. Weah looked sharp — still dangerous and is working hard consistently. His upside is exciting to think about. Aaron Long unexpectedly impressed. He showed a lot of composure in difficult conditions. Very pleasantly surprised and I think he will/would/could complement Zimmerman well in Qatar. Also I like his speed and athleticism, because he can provide cover when Robinson goes forward. Aaronson and De La Torre continue to impress. Skilled, high work rates, smart. I would be comfortable with either starting or (as is more likely) coming on as supersubs. It’s a blessing to have two guys like this playing well now. Combined with others who didn’t play this game (Steffen, Turner, Dest, Yedlin, Reyna, etc) we are looking good going forward. Now we need to stay healthy!