ASN: Evaluation: breaking down the USMNT roster for the September friendlies

America nationwide staff’s roster for the September friendlies is out and it is vitally revealing by way of the place the participant swimming pools stands two months from the World Cup opener. ASN’s Brian Sciaretta goes over Gregg Berhalter’s decisions and provides up his ideas on key positional battles, who’s in, and who’s out.  

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
September 14, 2022
12:20 PM

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UNITED STATES NATIONAL staff supervisor Gregg Berhalter at the moment introduced his roster for the upcoming September friendlies that the place the staff will face fellow World Cup finalist Japan on Sept. 23 on the Düsseldorf Enviornment in Düsseldorf, Germany (8:26 a.m. ET, ESPN2) after which journey to Murcia, Spain to face Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27 on the Estadio Nueva Condomina (2pm EST, FS1).

The roster incorporates 26 gamers with just a few surprises. Essentially the most notable coming on the striker place. The remainder of the roster is usually predictable and simple to see based mostly on present type an expertise with the staff.

Absent are 4 gamers who’ve been with the staff repeatedly however who are actually lacking instances with their golf equipment as a result of damage: Tim Weah, Zack Steffen, Cristian Roldan, and Antonee Robinson.

Right here is the roster together with ideas on it.

USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION
(CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton City/ENG; 8/0), Sean Johnson (New York Metropolis FC; 10/0), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG; 18/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 27/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 11/0), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan/ITA; 17/2), Aaron Lengthy (New York Purple Bulls; 27/3), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 8/0), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 2/0), Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp/BEL; 8/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 74/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 31/3)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 52/2), Tyler Adams (Leeds United/ENG; 30/1), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 11/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 35/9), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 19/0), Malik Tillman (Rangers/SCO; 2/0)

FORWARDS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 22/6), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; 47/10), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 13/7), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 48/11), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen/NED; 11/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 51/21), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 12/4), Josh Sargent (Norwich Metropolis/ENG; 19/3)

World Cup roster coming into focus
 

If you take the 26 gamers on this roster plus the 4 injured gamers, there’s a good likelihood your complete World Cup staff will draw from these 30 gamers.

Is it attainable {that a} participant exterior of these 30 gamers may make the staff? Sure, however it will take an distinctive run of performances on the membership stage mixed with maybe a wave of accidents.

The strikers
 

Prior to now six weeks, many of the consideration on the participant pool surrounded the type of the strikers. Josh Sargent, Jesus Ferreira, Jordan Pefok, and Haji Wright have all performed with the nationwide staff over the previous yr and all have been in terrific type. Brandon Vazquez was additionally in nice type regardless of by no means having performed with the staff. You then had Ricardo Pepi whose type had light dramatically since final October. In that span he has not scored for FC Dallas, the U.S. staff, after which Augsburg in Germany. Now he’s at Groningen within the Eredivisie.

With this roster, the striker debate will solely intensify.

Bringing again Sargent was anticipated as he was with the staff final fall and was solely dropped when he stopped scoring. Now that he’s off to a torrid begin with Norwich within the Championship (5 targets in his final 5 video games), he’s again. However he has established relationships with the staff and reintegration must be straightforward.

The identical could be stated with Jesus Ferreira who’s a distinct ahead stylistically. At FC Dallas he has 18 targets this season and has an important relationship with the present gamers.

The third ahead taken will get probably the most consideration. Ricardo Pepi was introduced into the staff over Jordan Pefok, Haji Wright, and even Brandon Vazquez who has helped lead FC Cincinnati’s turnaround in 2022. Wright was maybe most anticipated to be left off after he struggled with the U.S. staff in June. However the ice chilly Pepi over Jordan Pefok, who’s a key to a Union Berlin staff that’s atop the Bundesliga after six rounds, is the highest story of the roster.

Earlier this month, Berhalter spoke the media in New York and, with out mentioning the names of gamers, appeared to counsel that the striker picks would yield a shock to these simply analyzing the decide on paper. He emphasised that he was in search of a selected participant profile to match how he desires the staff to play.

“This is something I would love if you guys can appreciate is we are trying to look at the profile of who fits us and what we’re trying to do the best,” Berhalter stated in New York. “It might not be one of the best ahead – what we expect matches our staff and the way we need to play.”

Does this remove Pefok, Wright, or Vazquez from make the World Cup staff? I don’t assume so. If Pepi struggles on this camp after which doesn’t rating a lot or in any respect with Groningen, it may make Berhalter have make a late change.

However I’d say these three ahead picked on this roster are within the driver’s seat.

Type considerations

This World Cup, greater than any earlier World Cup, is about type. There isn’t any month-long runup to the World Cup the place the coach can construct the staff and monitor his type inside the staff. This World Cup is about making an attempt to select the most well liked gamers from a narrowed-down pool and hope they will replicate it. There aren’t any friendlies main as much as the World Cup and solely days separate membership breaking for the match and the opening sport of the match.

This makes the type of a number of gamers extra regarding. These gamers all will need to have robust camps in September or else their ticket to Qatar may very well be jeopardized.

Ricardo Pepi: as talked about above, hasn’t scored for the nationwide staff or now three golf equipment in over a yr. He’s now at a stage within the Eredivisie the place he ought to snap out of it. However there are many good strikers in sizzling pursuit of his ticket.

Luca de la Torre: Whereas de la Torre’s inclusion into this staff was not a shock given how he performed an vital function throughout second half of World Cup qualifying. It’s stunning that Berhalter didn’t take Eryk Williamson, Djordje Mihailovic, or one other midfielder given de la Torre’s powerful membership state of affairs at Celta Vigo the place he isn’t enjoying. If de la Torre struggles on this camp, he’s not going to work out of it at Celta Vigo. What’s the plan if de la Torre struggles? It may make for a tricky state of affairs and there will probably be eyes on de la Torre at this camp and if he doesn’t play nicely, it is going to be a priority.

Chris Richards: making this roster and that could be a testomony to how extremely Berhalter thinks of him. If we’re speaking about present type (which is a key issue for this mid-season World Cup), Richards doesn’t have an important case. He’s performed round 584 minutes of membership soccer in 2022 between Hoffenheim and now Crystal Palace. He hasn’t been with the U.S. staff since January as a result of varied accidents. He additionally was not a part of the U.S. staff for both of the profitable 2021 summer time tournaments. An older participant would possibly be capable of excuse a scant current physique of labor with a a lot total bigger profile. However Richards continues to be a younger participant at 22.

Berhalter clearly believes in Richards, however Richards is a backup at Palace and ready the place you want rhythm, Richards doesn’t have that. He’s on this staff based mostly on uncooked expertise. However he nonetheless must play nicely and there are good central defenders in Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Erik Palmer-Brown, and James Sands who’re knocking on the door.

Malik Tillman: made this roster regardless of a pair of powerful outings for Rangers in opposition to Celtic and Ajax. Together with his physique of labor so small, two video games is lots. He’s very a lot a bubble participant for the World Cup staff however Berhalter likes his uncooked expertise each now and for the way forward for the staff past this World Cup. Tillman goes to have to face out as a way to make this staff.

DeAndre Yedlin: is probably the most skilled participant on the staff and the one participant on the roster to have performed in a World Cup. There are a whole lot of fullbacks knocking on the door. Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson are starters. Sam Vines is enjoying himself into consideration as a back-up left again. Joe Scally can play both aspect. Reggie Cannon and Yedlin have been backups this cycle. Berhalter can not take all of those gamers and Yedlin isn’t in an important state of affairs together with his performances at Inter Miami ranging wildly from okay to subpar. He has the expertise edge, but when his type isn’t extra constant, is it sufficient? He additionally must have a very good camp or else he may fall out of the combination.

Gio Reyna: the Borussia Dortmund playmaker will make the World Cup staff if wholesome, however his type is definitely one to look at. Dortmund is taking their time growing his workload after a missed season. However what sort of function will he be capable of play? Is he only a late-game sub? Will probably be notable to see how Berhalter makes use of Reyna and if he will increase his workload past what Dortmund has proven.

Fullback combine

Berhalter is aware of that in an excellent state of affairs, Sergino Dest is the beginning proper again and Antonee Robinson it the beginning left again. The back-up choices have by no means been clear. George Bello performed is means out of the backup left again function.

Can Sam Vines be that man? Vines has been a man who has performed his means onto the staff admirable with an excellent Royal Antwerp staff.

Joe Scally is ideally a backup proper again to Dest, however can he be the backup left again? Scally additionally has to play his means onto the staff after solely restricted minutes underneath Berhalter up to now.

The Yedlin and Cannon order has additionally various as to who has been the backup. With Scally and Vines elevating their sport, is there room for each Yedlin and Cannon? Only one? Neither?

Leaving this camp, it is going to be an accomplishment for Berhalter to determine a recognized hierarchy of the fullbacks after Dest and Robinson.

 Omissions

Jordan Pefok was the most important title who was left off, by far, and the opposite forwards comparable to Haji Wright, and Brandon Vazquez additionally deserve some consideration.

There are a couple of different names that had been notably left off and whereas the door continues to be open to heading to Qatar, they’re going to want to lift their sport to a different stage in addition to want accidents or a severe dip in type for others.

Djordje Mihailovic: the Montreal attacking midfielder (certain for AZ Alkmaar after this season) most likely misplaced to Tillman and Mihailovic was slated to be on the U.S. roster over the summer time earlier than his damage.

Tim Ream: The Fulham captain, now 34, has had a really robust begin to the Premier League season after guiding Fulham to promotion final yr. Whereas Berhalter prefers central defenders with tempo, Ream has probably the most expertise by way of anybody within the pool and will have been a gradual backup. I don’t assume Ream is out of the image fully. He’s the kind of participant who may most likely rejoin the staff any level while not having time to readjust. If Berhalter is unsure of his central defenders simply earlier than selecting the ultimate roster, Ream may resurface.

Eryk Williamson: was a part of the Gold Cup profitable staff final yr and began the ultimate in opposition to Mexico. He’s returned nicely from his ACL tear and he has sparked Portland’s big climb up the standings this fall.

Erik Palmer-Brown: The Troyes central defender was a part of the U.S. roster over the summer time however appeared to be behind others.

Mark McKenzie: the Genk central defender has solely lately returned to the beginning lineup with Genk however has accomplished nicely.

Johnny Cardoso: The central midfielder has seen his minutes improve at Internacional in Brazil however continues to be very younger and Olympic eligible.

Alejandro Zendejas: The Membership America attacking midfielder/winger has performed very nicely the previous yr and whereas he has performed for Mexico lately after representing the U.S. U-17 World Cup staff in 2015, it was revealed he by no means filed his one-time swap with FIFA.

Josh Cohen: Was an extended shot, however with the goalkeeper so unsettled, this was Cohen’s likelihood of getting referred to as up after serving to information Maccabi Haifa into the Champions League.