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The way in which the United States drew to Wales on Monday to kick off World Cup play felt disappointing. It wasn't just because of how well the Americans played in the first half, but also what could have been if one particular player had entered the match. With Walker Zimmerman conceding an uncharacteristic penalty in the 82nd minute that Gareth Bale scored to seal a 1-1 tie, one of the biggest takeaways of the match was the omission of Gio Reyna, who was not called upon by USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter in the second half as a substitute. 

With a chance to win, Berhalter opted not to include the talented teenager out of Borussia Dortmund when the United States pushed for a go-ahead goal to give them three valuable points. A win could've seen them take a big step toward reaching the round of 16, especially with England up next on Friday.

The substitutes introduced into the match were Kellyn Acosta, DeAndre Yedlin, Haji Wright, Jordan Morris and Brenden Aaronson. While the withdrawals of Weston McKennie, Sergino Dest, Yunus Musah, and Josh Sargent made sense as they were fading as the game wore on, taking out goalscorer Tim Weah for Morris didn't seem to add up. 

Christian Pulisic might be one of the United States' most important players, but he was a perfect candidate to be subbed out. He was hacked to the ground by Wales at every chance they had, and felt some pain by the end of the match. He was visibly limping and grimacing each time that he got back up. Having Reyna replace Pulisic against a team that leaves space in the middle could have turned this one around. 

After the match when asked about Reyna, Berhalter said that the team did a check on him due to muscle soreness, but that given the phase of the match, they chose to go with Morris instead. Berhalter also said, "Gio will be available for England."

Reyna himself chimed in after the match, telling Yahoo Sports felt he felt 100% going into the day. He did acknowledge that there was some tightness over the last few days before: "I mean, you never know, you can't say if you're going to or not. But I was definitely excited to play ... It's not my decision."

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Berhalter has reasons to be cautious with Reyna due to his issues with muscular injuries, and it is better to have a healthy Reyna for two full games than for 11 minutes of the opening match, but it's a sub that makes you wonder what could have been. One sub won't always be the difference between winning or losing a match. Berhalter has to find a way to get his best players on the pitch, especially when they are against the ropes and it need of a change. 

Pulisic could've used protection to end the match, so even if the coach was set on Morris, adding him on the left wing could've changed things more than on the right. Reyna, even if he's not 100% match fit, should have been able to play some crosses into the box for Wright. It's a skill set that he is more effective than Morris, who is more of the type to run at goal.

It's a fine balance, but at this stage where the lights shine brightest, the the little adjustments mean more. Berhalter got his starting XI spot on as the United States were all over the Dragons to start the match, but the second half tweaks didn't come quickly enough, and they weren't the right ones. The 45 good minutes of soccer will at best secure a draw and Berhalter will need to push the team and tinker to get a full 90 minutes out of them. The reward for that would be pretty sweet as they seek their first World Cup victory since June of 2014, but being more assertive in his changes is needed.

Next, the United States will play England on Friday at 2 p.m. ET.

USMNT: World Cup schedule

Date
Matchup
Time (ET)StadiumTV
Nov. 21
United States
1-1
Wales
FinalAl-Rayyan
Fox/Telemundo via fuboTV
Nov. 25
England
vs.
United States
2 p.m.Al Bayt
Fox/Telemundo via fuboTV
Nov. 29
Iran
vs.
United States
2 p.m.
Al Bayt
Fox/Telemundo via fuboTV

USMNT: World Cup standings

GROUP BMPW-D-LGDPTS
England
11-0-0+43
Wales
10-1-001
United States
10-1-001
Iran
10-0-1-40