GLENDALE, Arizona—The nature of Gregg Berhalter’s job is such that, in the coming days, he will focus on the imperfections of a 3-0 win over Panama.



For the rest of us, however, there are plenty of positives to focus on from the first U.S. men’s national team outing in the Berhalter Era. After three weeks in January camp, the team displayed signs of real progress. From an individual perspective, debutants like Djordje Mihailovic, 20, and Nick Lima, 24, stood out as top performers. On a team-wide level, some of the tactical nuances installed by Berhalter and his staff proved to be effective.



And, though it’s not the main barometer of a January camp, the commanding result against an inferior Panama side should not be lost in the discussion either.



It was not a wholly clean performance. There were nerves in the early stages and there are kinks still to work out. It’s true, too, that greater expectations—and weightier...