USMNT qualifying takeaways: Why the midfield needs change and Sergino Dest should play his natural position

Here are three takeaways after the lackluster scoreless draw to El Salvador on Thursday night

The United States men's national team opened their Concacaf World Cup qualifying campaign with a less-than-ideal result, given those ever-lasting memories of losing to Trinidad and Tobago in 2017 coupled with such a successful summer winning the Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup titles. In Thursday's 0-0 draw away at El Salvador, the U.S. were the better team on the night but were far from good, taking home a point that adds a bit of pressure to Sunday's big clash against a talented Canada side.  "A great learning experience for our group," USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said after the match. "From my vantage point, there are a lot of things to improve on. I thought the fight was good, the intention to win the game was good, but we've got to get better. We've got to be more connected as a team and finish our chances in a better way."