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AUSTIN, Texas — Forward of but extra vital matches towards Trinidad and Tobago, Paul Caligiuri advised American soccer gamers concerning the greatest one.
Caligiuri’s 28-yard shot within the thirtieth minute lifted the US to a 1-0 victory at Port-of-Spain’s Nationwide Stadium on Nov. 19, 1989, and into the World Cup for the primary time since 1950.
“We’re now three generations from after I started, late ’80s and ’90s,” Caligiuri mentioned a day earlier than Thursday’s recreation, the primary of two in a five-day span towards the Soca Warriors that can decide a berth in subsequent yr’s Copa América and the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals. “I mentioned, ‘You guys are the most effective group we’ve ever had. And in my private opinion, wanting from afar, both on TV or on the video games, it appears to me that you simply guys take pleasure in enjoying and also you take pleasure in enjoying for one another, and that’s the recipe for fulfillment.’”
Caligiuri, a Walnut Excessive and UCLA product, addressed the group Wednesday on the invitation of Coach Gregg Berhalter.
“We wouldn’t have been right here on this identical state if it wasn’t for us qualifying for that World Cup, if it wasn’t for his objective,” Berhalter mentioned. “I believed no higher approach on the anniversary of the objective and really enjoying Trinidad to honor one in all our ex-teammates and actually pay tribute to his contribution to U.S. soccer.”
Now 59, Caligiuri scored 5 objectives in 110 worldwide appearances and retired after the 2001 season.
“I received a chill after I stroll in that room, to be sincere with you, and hadn’t had that feeling and emotion for fairly a very long time,” he mentioned. “There’s been a whole lot of assets pumped into the sport and also you see the consultants round supporting the group in each capability from the bodily to the psychological to the game science. It’s simply wonderful. And after I take a look at how far the sport has gone, with the ladies’s (group) profitable large world championships to us internet hosting now one other World Cup, to see the place these gamers on this present U.S. males’s nationwide group play, they’re not simply enjoying in Europe, they’re enjoying on huge golf equipment in Europe and so they’re enjoying in Champions League. It’s simply fascinating. It’s nearly laborious to suppose what the subsequent decade goes to result in.”
Atlanta defender Miles Robinson is the one Main League Soccer participant on the U.S. roster. Robinson and New England defender DeJuan Jones had been the one MLS gamers on the October roster as Berhalter depends closely on a Europe-based squad for the beginning of his second time period as American coach.
“You’ve gotten a mix of MLS being in the course of their playoffs. You’ve gotten the type of some gamers each in MLS and in Europe. You’ve gotten us wanting to have a look at some youthful alternate options,” Berhalter mentioned. “We don’t get hung up on the place the gamers are coming from. We’re how can we develop this group, develop the participant pool and provides expertise to a broad collection of gamers?”
Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and captain Tyler Adams will miss the total-goals sequence due to accidents.
“It’s simple for us to take a seat right here on this facet and say we wish to change soccer in America eternally, proper?” Berhalter mentioned. “However the true meat of it’s we’ve to win video games like this and we’ve to place ourselves to win trophies within the Nations League and to compete within the Copa América.”
In October 2017, the U.S. misplaced at Trinidad on the ultimate day of qualifying when the People wanted solely a draw, a defeat that ended a streak of seven consecutive World Cup appearances.
“Trinidad’s all the time going to be a particular opponent,” Caligiuri mentioned.
Defender Tim Ream is the one participant from the defeat at Couva at present within the U.S. coaching camp.
“I hope it’s all the time nonetheless in our minds,” Berhalter mentioned. “Similar to we will embrace the great things, we additionally must embrace the unhealthy stuff. And it was an awesome studying second for us collectively, the coaches concerned, the gamers concerned. In my view, it’s not about ignoring that, it’s about embracing it and leaning into it.”
Midfielder Gio Reyna, who turned 21 on Monday, is predicted to get extra enjoying time after being eliminated at halftime in exhibitions towards Germany and Ghana final month, his first nationwide group appearances since breaking a leg in June. Reyna has not performed a 90-minute match for membership or nation since March 2022.
“I don’t envision him having minutes restriction on this recreation,” Berhalter mentioned. “It’s extra about how lengthy can he preserve his excessive ranges.”
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