U.S. star Christian Pulisic doesn't start qualifier against Honduras; scores in second half

In a World Cup qualifier his team couldn't possibly afford to lose, U.S. men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter kept arguably his best player and Chelsea star Christian Pulisic out of Wednesday's starting 11 against Honduras at Allianz Field.

His team had scored once in the first two qualifiers of this current three-game window that ended Wednesday.

So out of the 11 came Pulisic, Gyasi Zardes and Brenden Aaronson.

And in went teenage sensation Ricardo Pepi, MLS star Jordan Morris and French first-division player Tim Weah up front. Defender Reggie Cannon did the same on the back line.

Until Wednesday, Pulisic scored one goal in six World Cup qualifying games.

Morris started his first qualifier since 2017 now that he has healed after two ACL surgeries.

"He still has a role to play," Berhalter told FS1's pregame show about Pulisic. "It's just not in the first half of the game. He can still make a big impact."

He didn't need to, not after the U.S. scored two first-half U.S. goals while Pulisic watched.

Pulisic, though, subbed in and scored the third goal for the Americans in the 67th minute.

U.S. men's national team midfielder Weston McKennie on Wednesday night scored the game's first goal and played in his sixth qualifier since he violated COVID-19 rules in September.

He didn't play consecutive games against Canada (a 1-1 draw in Nashville) and in Honduras (a 4-1 victory) after that.

"It was a learning lesson," he said "I felt I let my team down, my country down and my family and myself."

On Wednesday, McKennie scored in the eighth minute, a rather rare first-half goal for the U.S. and a rare set piece goal as well. He scored on a perfectly timed header serviced by Kellyn Acosta's free kick from near the right sideline.

On Tuesday, McKennie spoke publicly about the situation during a video conference call with reporters before training at Allianz Field.

Since not playing in those two September games, McKennie played in five of his team's past seven qualifiers. He missed one because of yellow-card accumulations and the other when Berhalter rotated his lineup when his team played three games in a week.

He scored a goal late in a 2-0 victory over Mexico in November and McKennie has been the U.S. team's best performer in recent months.

"As I went back, it was just important for me to put my head down and work," said McKennie, 23, who plays for Juventus in Italy. "That definitely helped me a lot. I struggled for a bit, lost some of my confidence. … Whenever I came back in, I was just trying to build relationships and trust with everyone. Just perform and show I'm there for the team and I'm there to try to win.

"The best thing to do is be available and not have a situation like that again."

Defender Walker Zimmerman returned to the 11 as expected and scored his first USMNT goal in three years for a 2-0 lead in the 37th minute.

He missed Sunday's 2-0 loss at Canada because of a hamstring injury. He scored with a short, spinning shot with a bounding ball on another long Acosta free kick.

Midfielder Tyler Adams (hamstring) and defender Chris Richards (ankle) did not play. Honduras played without Kervin Arriaga, the young defensive midfielder whom Minnesota United has been close to signing. He didn't make the trip north, reportedly because of an immigration issue.

Honduras star forward Alberth Elis started Wednesday after he didn't play in a 4-1 U.S. victory in Honduras in September.

Both USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Miles Robinson had their shaky moments in Sunday's 2-0 loss in Canada, which Berhalter said he has addressed with each of them.

"The national team is a different level and it is understanding what it's about," Berhalter said. "If you think about the amount of pressure that teams are under, that individuals are under, it's a different level. … I had conversations with both of them. We unpacked their performance and I'm confident they're going to get it right.

"Matt is a guy who hasn't made too many mistakes in a USA jersey and Miles the same thing. So I think as Miles gets some rhythm, he'll be just fine."

The MLS New England Revolution keeper, Turner made his 16th national-team appearance Wednesday night. He had 11 victories and 10 shutouts in his first 15 games.

Berhalter was asked Monday about moving France first-division's Tim Weah to a No. 9 striker position given his recent form and the one goal the U.S. team has scored in its last qualifiers against El Salvador and Canada.

"Tim has been really effective on the wing," Berhalter said. "You think about what he has done these last qualifiers: Set up a goal against Mexico, scored a goal against Jamaica, set up a goal against El Salvador. He has been a really bright spot on the wing. It hasn't crossed our mind to change that."