ASN: 5 USMNT questions forward of 2021 opener vs. Trinidad & Tobago in Orlando

America is ready to open a really busy 2021 for U.S. Soccer on Saturday evening in Orlando in opposition to Trinidad & Tobago. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta appears to be like forward to the sport and asks some key questions – the place the solutions might assist form issues transferring foward to the spring and summer season. 

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
January 28, 2021
1:00 PM

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ON SUNDAY NIGHT, the USA nationwide workforce will host Trinidad & Tobago in Orlando and it’ll mark the second straight time U.S. supervisor Gregg Berhalter has been capable of call-up principally domestic-based gamers. This recreation will certainly be one other attention-grabbing studying alternative forward of what guarantees to be a really busy 12 months in American soccer.

Whereas, many of the speak of the U.S. nationwide workforce participant pool facilities across the 5 younger Champions League gamers in Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Giovani Reyna, and Sergino Dest together with John Brooks and Zack Steffen, there are a great deal of questions in how the remaining 16 gamers will floor to fill out a roster of 23. On high of that, there are all the time going to be accidents and, going by historic requirements, the probability of getting even all of these high gamers wholesome at one time isn’t notably excessive.

Outdoors of these seven gamers, there questions surrounding each different participant within the pool and nobody else is known as a lock.

Friendlies, such because the one on Sunday, received’t come near resolving something, however it should assist the set the items up for March (both the total nationwide workforce, or the U-23 workforce) or for the summer season when the U.S. workforce has the Nation’s League and the Gold Cup whereas the U-23 workforce has the Olympics. That can then set the stage for World Cup qualifying.

There are 25 gamers on the present U.S. roster for Trinidad & Tobago, and theoretically anybody might get on the sector and carry out very properly. However there are some questions going into this recreation which might be extra necessary than others by way of how issues might form and type the present depth chart.

Here’s what I’m on the lookout for:

Can Mueller have one other huge recreation?

El Salvador wasn’t nice competitors final month within the December pleasant (and to be honest, neither was Panama in November). Regardless, Chris Mueller was the deserved man of the match in that recreation with two objectives and usually an excellent first half.

On the heels of a 2020 season with Orlando the place he had a really authentic argument to be named to the league’s Finest XI after which had a powerful first cap, a powerful second cap on Sunday will make it onerous to depart off necessary video games – both in March or for the Nations League in June.

The wing positions are removed from settled on the U.S. workforce. Christian Pulisic is clearly a starter and Gio Reyna can play as a wing however likes to chop into the center when he does. He would possibly find yourself as a central attacking mid with the U.S. workforce. Jordan Morris is a lock as properly.

After that? There’s a whole lot of uncertainty. Uly Llanez’s mortgage at Heerenveen has harm his case and Tyler Boyd hasn’t performed in months in Turkey. Konrad de la Fuente is in a difficult surroundings at Barcelona, however isn’t enjoying.

Mueller can actually give himself a powerful resume with one other stable efficiency that it will properly be price seeing him with a first-choice choice of gamers.

The place do Dike and Altidore stand?

The ahead participant pool had modified a lot in 2020. It now not is Jozy Altidore, Josh Sargent, and Gyasi Zardes. These three gamers are nonetheless within the combine, however you now in 2021 you will have robust circumstances being made by Matthew Hoppe, Nicholas Gioacchini, Sebastian Soto, Daryl Dike, Jeremy Ebobisse, Ayo Akinola, Haji Wright, probably Tim Weah relying on the way you play him, Andrija Novakovich, and even Aron Johannsson as veteran participant has resurfaced.

Altidore has had a tough season in 2020. He’s continued to cope with accidents and struggled when he was on the sector. This previous week, nevertheless, Berhalter stated that Altidore has had a extremely robust camp whereas including they needed to dial it again final week (later including they have been going to push him the week earlier than Trinidad & Tobago).

Whereas Atlidore, at any time when he’s wholesome, has been a high U.S. ahead since at the least the 2009 Confederations Cup, it’s apparent issues are altering each in that Altidore is getting older, and the following technology now has a formidable variety of younger forwards rising. The plain query for Altidore is how a lot fuel does he have left within the tank for this workforce? How are his legs? What’s his stage?

For Dike, 20, it is kind of how he compares with Altidore lately? He doesn’t have the expertise however he has two issues Altidore doesn’t have: youth and a powerful 2020. Like Altidore, he’s a giant and powerful ahead however is he able to assume that position for the U.S. workforce?

Is Perea able to make a press release?

Andres Perea, 20, made headlines when he filed his one-time change play for the U.S. workforce after representing Colombia at two youth World Cups. The younger defensive midfielder made a whole lot of progress in 2020 with Orlando underneath Oscar Pareja. Whereas he nonetheless has a methods to go, he’s distinctive in that he can cowl a ton of floor defensively and maybe emerge as a backup to Tyler Adams given his related model. Different backup choices on the No. 6 place are totally different in model to Adams in the meantime, if Perea reveals himself properly, he could possibly be a backup choice that enables the U.S. workforce an opportunity to play the identical method ought to Adams not be obtainable.

Perea nonetheless needs to be extra ahead pondering along with his passes and likewise be extra of an offensive menace, however he’s snug sufficient with the ball and has the defensive vary to be a helpful participant for the U.S. workforce.

Will Turner impress?

This won’t be a query for the Trinidad & Tobago recreation as a result of it stays to be seen how harmful they are going to be on Sunday, however on this camp, will Matt Turner make a case to be a backup on the U.S. workforce? He is without doubt one of the greatest American goalkeepers domestically and that’s really fairly necessary this 12 months as a result of Zack Steffen is a backup and handled damage points earlier this 12 months at Fortuna Dusseldorf. Ethan Horvath continues to not play.

Turner might very properly be one of the best American goalkeeper proper now who performs commonly. Now it is going to be necessary to see how he reacts to the chance of getting his first style of worldwide soccer.

How will Vines and Bello react?

Left again is all the time skinny on the U.S. workforce and in 2021, that’s nonetheless the case. Antonee Robinson deserves extra appears to be like, however what are the choices behind him? One college of thought is to maneuver Sergino Dest to the left however the hole between Dest and the second selection proper again (Yedlin or Cannon) is steep and Dest will not be practically as robust on the left. So as a substitute of placing one of many workforce’s greatest gamers in Dest in a scenario the place he isn’t going to shine, different left backs are needs to be explored.

There’s room for an additional left again with Robinson on the workforce and Sam Vines and George Bello have an opportunity on this camp. Each are U-23 eligible with Bello being newer but additionally with a giant upside.

Vines has performed a couple of instances for the U.S. workforce and has carried out properly, albeit in opposition to decrease competitors. With Colorado, he has been above common and usually competent. If he performs properly in opposition to Trinidad and Tobago, he could possibly be in scenario to be a backup on the first-choice workforce.

Bello has a whole lot of upside and checks a whole lot of containers for a transfer to Europe. He’s thrilling to observe and likewise appears to be one for a vivid future. Like with Vines, there’s a path in entrance of him and the pool will not be crowded on the place.