In the friendlies against Ecuador and Chile, some U.S. Men’s National Team players stated their respective cases to be consistent members of the squad under head coach Gregg Berhalter.
Conversely, some players who came into the March camp in good form at the club level failed to impress and left their status for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup up in the air.
While the Gold Cup squad is far from finalized, here’s a look at some of the players who improved their stock ahead of this summer’s competition, and some who could be on the outside looking in come June.
Winners
Tyler AdamsÂ
Tyler Adams only appeared in Thursday’s friendly against Ecuador, but he once again put in a solid showing for the USMNT.
Although it’s going to take time for Adams to get used to the inverted right back role, he still made an impact on the field with his relentless work rate and ability to find space when moving forward.
Thursday’s performance was a continuation of the form Adams has been in since joining RB Leipzig in January from the New York Red Bulls.
If he finishes the Bundesliga season in the same form, he’ll be one of the first names written on the USMNT team sheet when the Gold Cup rolls around.
Gyasi Zardes
Gyasi Zardes took advantage of his opportunities against Ecuador and Chile by providing a goal and an assist.
The Columbus Crew forward is far from the No. 1 forward on the USMNT depth chart, but he may have played his way on to the Gold Cup squad.
Zardes wasn’t on the ball much against Ecuador, but he popped up at the right time to score the lone goal of the contest.
Against Chile, Zardes used two touches to control the ball and pick out Christian Pulisic for an early strike.
The starting forward job is still Jozy Altidore’s to lose, and there are likely one or two others between Altidore and Zardes on the depth chart, but it never hurts to have an in-form forward that has familiarity with Berhalter’s system on the Gold Cup roster.
Cristian RoldanÂ
Cristian Roldan showed well in a starting role against Chile, as he was a solid force in midfield.
Even though he was out on the flank of the midfield, he made some interventions in the middle of the park and helped stop some Chilean attacks.
What makes Roldan an intriguing player for Berhalter is the versatility he’s displayed out on the wing since shifting there for the Seattle Sounders last season.
Being able to play different spots in midfield should help Roldan separate himself from the other candidates to fill out the 23-man Gold Cup roster because he can be trusted in a variety of roles.
Losers
Jordan Morris
Jordan Morris’ hot start in Seattle didn’t translate to the international level on Thursday against Ecuador.
Morris was barely a factor on the wing against an Ecuador defense that dared the USMNT to run at it and break it down.
Just because he didn’t have a great game Thursday doesn’t mean Morris is out of the picture, but he might have a harder time gaining minutes this summer if other options stand out in the eyes of Berhalter.
All Morris can do right now is go back to the Sounders and keep up his club form in order to force his way on to the 23-man squad for the summer.
Corey Baird
Perhaps Corey Baird just isn’t ready to take on top international opponents like Chile yet.
The Real Salt Lake forward failed to make an impact on the wing on Tuesday, while other parts of the USMNT attack had some good moments.
Baird should still be on Berhalter’s radar, but he has plenty of work to do to convince the USMNT boss he can thrive against quality opposition on the international stage, which may make him a better option for the Concacaf Nations League in the fall than the Gold Cup.
The March camp did not produce much new insight on the player pool. We lacked the creativity and speed of play to break down a bunker’ed defensive team. And we still can’t maintain possession against a skilled attacking opponent.
On the player side we really didn’t learn anything of value. We already knew that without Pulisic, McKennie, & Adams our midfield would be over-run. We knew that Lovits, Baird,
& Omar, were lacking the skills to really contribute at this level.
The biggest winners of the camp were those who didn’t get called up as it should now be painfully obvious that most of those in camp can be overtaken.
The biggest losers were those fans of the USMNT who paid $$$ to see 2 uninspiring games played by a group of average players.
It is really hard to evaluate too much because the competition and styles in each match were so different. I would say Long, but Ecuador was so bad it is hard to say. It is kind of like crowning Sargent and Weah clear starters because they scored on Bolivia.
Roldan workrate was good, but his passing in midfield, especially to try to get out of pressure, was poor. The only players who consistently look capable of passing out of heavy press from midfield are adams, mckennie, trapp, and bradley… pulisic too of course though ideally he’s further up the pitch.
Bradley had a good game. I’m not sure I’d start him in there over more dynamic players like mckennie and adams, but he is a good player. Him and/or Trapp add a certain amount of calm and tempo which can be useful at certain points in certain games.
Definitely disagree that Roldan played well.
Roldan was awful why do you all over rate him on this site.
I’m sure I’ll get roasted for this comment, but I call it like I see it. My biggest winner was Bradley. He looked sharper and more engaged than I’ve seen in years. His ability to play the long diagonal pass is unmatched in our player pool. No, he won’t run down Vidal in the midfield. And if you’re expecting him to change the game by himself, you’ll be disappointed. But he is clearly responding to having a defined role in the new system. Maybe Adams can play those passes, and is certainly a superior athlete at this time, but if Berharter wants Adams at the RB spot, then Bradley or Trapp is going to start at DCM.
I think the BIGGEST WINNER is Midfield Bradley. How can you do absolutely NOTHING SPECIAL on the field, didn’t control the midfield, be flat footed after Pulisic left with an injury, create nothing offensively or do anything defensively in a central position (except that one ball to Baid), make a whole bunch of lateral passes / back passes to rack up a completion percentage……. and be ranked higher than Zardes by some posts (6.5). Like how??!!!??. Then Roldan / Trapp do almost the exact same thing….float around the midfield doing NOTHING SPECIAL and they all suck???…..I guess when you got it, you just got it, hahahaha?
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Yep, the WINNER goes to MB? !!!!
Biggest winners: McKinney and Pulisic for getting injured quickly and getting the heck back to Europe.
Biggest loser? Easily you.
Whether u r a 14 year old or 40 year old….clearly you.
Well done.
It’s rare that someone can show what they r in such few words and such clarity.
Actually, I was being facetious. Soccer is a game where people pass a ball around for 90 minutes and try to find a way to kick that ball into a net. Whether I’m 14, 40, or 104, soccer will never be religion, ethics, or even politics, and these players aren’t heroes or saints. Sport is about entertainment. I’ve played soccer my entire life for that very reason: I love it. I watch soccer for enjoyment and pleasure. So let’s take a moment to step back; I genuinely think we should laugh at ourselves for finding our own personal significance in the successes and failures of other people who, though unknown to us, simply share our nationality and our love of kicking a ball back and forth. My own daily visitation of this site and other like sites exposes the fact that I, too, am more emotionally invested in the ‘entertainment value’ of these athletes than in my relationship to them as human beings.
Adams was a lock already. And playing him back killed the midfield, even if you think he did well back.
Morris just getting selected was a win, it shows after doing nothing for two years. Injuries and sophomore slump, that he is still in the picture. Agree he didn’t do much with it.
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You are missing the biggest winners. Coach is still well in the camp of Bradley and Trapp and they will almost certainly be starters.
Leaving Pulisic, McKinney, Adams, Acosta, and a few other marginals like Roldan and Arriola ( another winner ) and Weah to battle for spots. It is going to leave good players out. For what?
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Big, big mistake in my opinion. Like the usual Bradley late game turnover with fullbacks caught up field type big.
I’d agree with your point on Adams. Not sure he can be a “winner” of camp when he’s already a lock starter.
I can’t think of a single person I would place in this “winners” category. No one particularly stood out or raised their stock very much.
I thought Trapp and Long had pretty decent games vs Ecuador, but were not challenged enough to place a ton of stock in their performances.
Did you watch the match? He played in the exact location he plays for RBL and roamed all over the field just as he does at Leipzig. Playing him as the 6 in the US formation ties him to the deep role in front of the backline, it would handcuff him.
I hadn’t seen Roldan’s performance as winning.
He got caught with the ball on his foot at times, but the people that love him, see the running and making plays that no one else makes. Saving mistakes, tracking a player who would have been dangerous and still able to go forward affectively.
I am one, I didn’t think this was his best.
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One other thing, put Roldan at right back if you think Yedlin isn’t going to get any better than this, and it appears he isn’t and you want to use a midfielder. He is crazy good there. Not as good an overall soccer player as Adams, but very good at right back too.
Agreed. This site seems to have a big throbbing nevermind for Roldan, but he has looked average at best in his numerous looks over the past 18 months. Yes, he can be good at breaking up opponents flow through midfield. Unfortunately, he is equally adept at breaking up US attacks. Finds his way into blind alleys way too often and rarely plays the right ball when pressed. Not saying we should dump him completely, but he isn’t going to be good enough against top opposition.
Agreed. He is the new Ralson Line.