GLENDALE, Ariz. — If new U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter wanted any indication of the task he has ahead of him, all he needed to do was look at the backdrop of red and gray seats for Sunday’s friendly against Panama.

The U.S. men’s national team arrived in Arizona optimistic about a new era and a fresh start. On the field, it was impressive — actually, it was outstanding. The young USMNT side dominated Panama, 3-0.

This was the match that was supposed to set the foundation for Berhalter’s tenure. Even with a non-FIFA window limiting the January player pool to MLS players, this was Berhalter’s chance to make a first impression.

What the USMNT got instead was a near-empty State Farm Stadium where only a fraction of the 63,000-seat capacity was made available to the public. And while the attendance was announced at 9,040, it looked closer to 7,000.

Uh, at least the field looks nice pic.twitter.com/JFWHuJFNdO — Andrew Joseph (@AndyJ0seph) January 28, 2019

And this is where Berhalter faces a challenge that he inherited, and probably can’t do much about in the near future. In terms of perception, the USMNT is at a low point. The program is coming off an embarrassing failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup followed by a puzzling coaching search that left the team in limbo more than 400 days.

“I can’t control — we can’t control — a lot of those things,” Berhalter said of the poor attendance after the game. “Our job is to keep working hard and develop a team that people like to watch and people are proud of.”

Yet, the U.S. Soccer Federation still settled on an NFL stadium for a friendly against Panama to compete concurrently with the Royal Rumble some 20 miles down the road (48,193 were in attendance at Chase Field). From the moment the matchup and venue were announced, an empty stadium was the expectation. High ticket prices didn’t help the cause with the cheapest ticket nearing $50 after fees.

The USSF and Soccer United Marketing are living in a fantasy where the USMNT is a hot ticket that can fill NFL stadiums when the reality says otherwise.

Coaching debut or not, this poor turnout wasn’t a surprise. And it was totally self-inflicted. This game never had a chance to succeed.

The USMNT can no doubt still draw a crowd — if Christian Pulisic and the rest of the core are on the field. Otherwise, the decision-makers need to be realistic about what they’re dealing with and the product that they’re trying to sell.

Does the USSF want to build a soccer fanbase in this country?

Yes? Great. These tickets should be between $5 and $10.

If the USMNT is going to be tinkering with new lineups and figuring itself out tactically, it only makes sense to charge fans a price that reflects the fact that this whole program is once again a work in progress.

Beyond that, these games should be played in smaller stadiums. In 2018, the first friendly of the year drew 11,161 at the 27,000-seat StubHub Center. Nothing happened in the 12 months since to suggest that upgrading to the Arizona Cardinals’ home would be a good idea.

By doing so, USMNT was subjected to having a nationally televised match being broadcasted from an empty stadium with ultra-tight camera shots hiding the emptiness beyond the pitch. So now, on top of everything else, the USMNT has to battle the narrative that there is a lack of interest in the national team. It’s unfair to the players to hear Taylor Twellman say that Berhalter’s biggest challenge will be to get fans to care about U.S. soccer again.

Good point by Twellman on the broadcast re: Berhalter’s tough task of reinvigorating the #USMNT & its fanbase. But let’s be real – that stadium is empty, in large part, because of absurdly high ticket prices for the US’ C-team vs Panama. USSF needs to address that. — Pablo Maurer (@MLSist) January 28, 2019

A different venue with cheaper ticket prices and you wouldn’t have had Alexi Lalas claiming that the USMNT doesn’t deserve good crowds until the support is earned back.

The #USMNT doesn’t “deserve” better crowds, attention or respect. That is earned and much of it was lost in 2017. It is up to Gregg Berhalter and this new cycle of players to earn it back. 🇺🇸⚽️ — Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) January 28, 2019

Seriously, all of this could have been avoided. It was unfair to every party involved – including Phoenix.

Phoenix is vying for the final MLS expansion spot, so the city’s soccer fans had every reason to make a strong showing. But who is going to pay $100 to watch what is essentially a USMNT C-team play against a Panama side lacking in any significant star power? Yet a near-empty stadium is the impression the MLS will take away from Phoenix as it works on deciding team No. 28, and many will point at this match if Sacramento or St. Louis get that last spot.

This wasn’t the friendly against Mexico that packed the stadium in 2014.

This wasn’t even the Copa American Centenario third-place game (USMNT vs. Colombia), which drew a small crowd due to obscene ticket prices. This was a game that needed to be played in a smaller venue at a price that casual soccer fans could afford.

There are 1,393 days until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There’s more than enough time to make the USMNT accessible to fans. What we saw in Arizona shouldn’t be laughed at or used to uphold some sort of “nobody likes the USMNT and/or soccer” argument. It should be a wake-up call that the USMNT is rebuilding on multiple fronts.

It’s about time the USSF invites fans to be a part of it.