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Sargent, Dest and the USMNT players who boosted their stock in September (and those who didn’t)

If U.S. Men’s National Team fans were hoping to see some players emerge in September as new lockdown starters for Gregg Berhalter’s team, they came away disappointed.

The loss to Mexico and draw against Uruguay gave Berhalter plenty of information on his player pool, but the matches lacked the type of breakout performance that left any of the pool’s new faces rising above the rest.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t some good showings, and some youngsters who impressed. The biggest positive about the September friendlies was the number of relatively new faces who did well with their opportunities to start.

Conversely, it wasn’t a great September for the veteran contingent, with several players failing to shake question marks about their standing on the USMNT depth chart.

Here is a look at the players who boosted their stock the most in September, along with those who watched their stock take a hit, either because of performance, or other circumstances:

STOCK RISING

Josh Sargent. The Werder Bremen striker came into the September friendlies with plenty of confidence and it showed. He looked sharp in the draw with Uruguay, and also showed more in his cameo against Mexico than Gyasi Zardes showed in his starter minutes.

Playing time at Werder Bremen will ultimately determine how quickly he develops, but even if the minutes are limited in the next month, he should be the number two striker option behind Jozy Altidore for the Nations League.

Sergino Dest. Two starts, one painful nutmeg, and plenty of evidence to support the idea that Dest is a future USMNT starter. He caught flack for being beaten badly on the first goal in the loss to Mexico, but that was the lone scar on an otherwise side first match. He then responded with another good showing against Uruguay. Concerns about his defending are exaggerated.

He still has things to learn, but his attacking qualities are top notch. The big question about Dest is whether the Dutch National Team will make a strong enough play for him to convince the Dutch-born defender to switch national teams.

Jordan Morris. After a lackluster showing in the Gold Cup final, Morris went into the summer looking like someone who could be phased out as a potential starter while players like Tyler Boyd and Paul Arriola moved past him.

Morris responded with a strong cameo against Mexico, and then a Man of the Match-worthy performance against Uruguay. His versatility and growing confidence with the ball is making him a good option, either as a starter or spark off the bench.

Sebastian Lletget. Injuries have been the one thing that has kept Lletget from growing into a much more prominent role in the USMNT setup, but he showed us in September why he remains one of the more exciting attacking options when he’s healthy.

His confidence on the ball, and creativity, is unique in the current player pool, and if he can stay healthy, he should be a candidate to start in the Nations League, which would allow Christian Pulisic to operate on the wing.

Tim Ream. Another player who left the Gold Cup final with a shaky national team future ahead of him, Ream was excellent against Uruguay, and added fuel to the idea that he should be a top centerback option for the immediate future.

Ream’s passing ability and leadership qualities make him the perfect alternative at left centerback for the oft-injured Brooks, at least until some younger options mature enough to replace him.

Reggie Cannon. The FC Dallas defender has gone from late injury addition to the Gold Cup roster, to starting four straight USMNT matches and looking like the lock starter at right back for Nations League.

Cannon had a decent showing in the September friendlies, not lights out, but also not bad enough to cost him the hold he has secured on the position. Gregg Berhalter is clearly a fan, and with DeAndre Yedlin still working his way back from offseason surgery, Cannon is looking like a good bet to start for the USMNT in October.

Miles Robinson. Though he didn’t start in either match, he showed some promise in both appearances, and the struggles of the USMNT centerbacks in those matches only served to make his appearances look better by comparison.

Jackson Yueill. Turned in a tidy showing in a sweltering night in St. Louis against Uruguay. At a time when the USMNT is in need of more technical defensive midfield options, Yueill did well to solidify his standing as an interesting prospect.

STOCK FALLING

Gyasi Zardes. The Columbus Crew striker came into the September friendlies needing to impress to maintain his place on the striker depth chart, but a forgettable showing as a starter against Mexico, coupled with how much better Josh Sargent looked against Uruguay, left Zardes looking like a player who shouldn’t start at striker again any time soon.

Wil Trapp. The Mexico match was Trapp’s opportunity to show why he merits a continued spot in Berhalter’s setup, but he failed to stand out in what was admittedly a very tough matchup against an El Tri side that was set up to make things difficult for him.

Does this mean we’ve seen the last of Trapp with the USMNT? Definitely not, but his place in the setup should be on shaky footing, especially with Tyler Adams expected back for Nations League in October.

Aaron Long. Sometimes club form offers a sneak peak of what to expect during an international window, and in the case of Long, his post-Gold Cup struggles with the New York Red Bulls clearly carried over into some rough outings in the September friendlies.

Has the disappointment of having a potential transfer to England thwarted really put him off his game? It’s entirely possible, but for as much trouble as he had in the recent friendlies, he’s still very much a sure-fire starter in central defense. That said, Berhalter will be hoping to see him sharpen up before the USMNT takes on Canada in October.

Tyler Boyd. When Boyd went from impressing in the early stages of the Gold Cup to failing to appear in the final, there was a lingering mystery about just what had happened to the USMNT newcomer. The September friendlies figured to be his chance to reassert himself as a top wing option, but his overall showing wasn’t nearly as much of a needle-mover as would have been hoped.

Berhalter tried to put a positive spin on Boyd’s September by pointing out his role against Uruguay played more to his strengths than his role against Mexico. While that may be, and you can certainly argue he had some good moments against Uruguay, there is no denying that Jordan Morris had a better September, and therefore put some distance between himself and the Besiktas winger heading into the October Nations League matches.

Nick Lima. The San Jose fullback isn’t on this list because of his on-field performance — he helped set up the equalizer against Uruguay — but rather because the September friendlies reinforced the reality that Lima has slipped down the depth chart, falling behind Reggie Cannon after the two split starts at the Gold Cup.

Could the fact Lima is playing mostly at left back for the Earthquakes be hurting his standing with the USMNT? Could San Jose’s style, and how it showcases (or doesn’t showcase) Lima’s strengths be leading to a slide on Berhalter’s list? It certainly feels that way for a player who showed so much promise at the start of the year, and who still found a way to make things happen in his limited September minutes.

Walker Zimmerman. Much like Long, Zimmerman hasn’t been in his best form in recent months, and the reality is he wouldn’t have started against Mexico if John Brooks hadn’t been injured.

The result was a poor showing that leaves you wondering how centerback prospects like Ventura Alvarado can’t get called up. As things stand, and with Miles Robinson continuing to progress, you have to wonder if we’ll see Zimmerman with the USMNT again in 2019.

Brad Guzan. The Atlanta United goalkeeper’s showing against Uruguay wasn’t a great case for the veteran netminder having a place in Berhalter’s plans going forward. His distribution isn’t great, Sean Johnson remains ahead of him, and with younger options like Tyler Miller and Jesse Gonzalez to integrate, it’s tough to see Guzan returning.

Daniel Lovitz. The Montreal Impact left back is one of the best in MLS, but his USMNT appearances continue to underwhelm, and given the plethora of enticing young prospects in the pipeline at left back, you have to wonder when Berhalter will stop calling him in and start looking at the likes of Antonee Robinson and eventually someone like Chris Gloster.

Comments

  1. This is a good observation piece. However, it would be great to know why player’s stock went up and down. The title should be ‘USMNT players stock boosted in September. . . For no reason whatsoever.’ None of these observations were based on performance.

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  2. I don’t see Lima’s stock falling. I think he is neck and neck with Cannon…two different styles really. Imo, Lima is far better and more intuitive up field. I think it is a wash between the two for defending…maybe a slight edge to Cannon. Cannon is 4 years younger than Lima…maybe the thinking is to go with the younger player if the levels are comparable…potentially a higher ceiling for Cannon. But the competition will elevate both their games. I think who starts depends on what GB wants from the RB in a particular game. If he wants a more defensive vibe he’ll take Cannon. If he wants to open it up he could go with Lima.

    GB could easily play Dest or Lima as flank mids…

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  3. I’m not sure if anyone watched the friendly between Mexico and Argentina on 9/10. El Tri got a taste of its own medicine when Argentina pressed high and scored 4 goals during the first half. Mexico’s defenders and midfielders kept committing silly mistakes playing out from the back exactly like the US did against Mexico the other night. As a matter of fact, I saw similar mistakes, mostly from lesser teams, on highlights of the Euro qualifications last week. In addition, Sergino Dest was not the only victim of Jesus Corona’s good play. Corona showed again that he is really a skillful and speedy winger and left 2 Argentina players in the dust dribbling out of tight spaces from the left side, since Hirving Lozano was starting at right wing against Argentina; however, Corona’s final pass was too hard for Lozano.

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  4. I saw Dest play Dutch league soccer too in prep for hi m getting picked.
    He just isn’t a good defender and has a ways to go overall. If they are picking to lock hi m down, I guess go for it.
    But he didn’t just get nutm egged by Mexico…He was walked around during the Uruguay game just outside the box. It was brutal to watch.

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  5. Wow Ives…. Great to see at least one in the media saying what the fans have been saying loudly about Zardes and Trapp. Will GB ever move past them? I doubt it. Its far to stubborn to admit hes wrong about them and thats why he will never succeed.

    I agree with all you said here

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    • Sorry DON, Will Trapp is the new Michael Bradley of USMNT. He doesn’t have the skill, Talent or abilities for the #6 role, can suck game after game but the coach is going to use him anyway because of his LEADERSHIP QUALITIES. Welcome to my world lol

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    • Bruce Arena valued Zardes highly. Roy Hodgson, former English manager did too, at one time trying to get him to come to the EPL. Jurgen Klinsmann valued him highly. And now Berhalter values him highly. Berhalter and Arena also saw him every day in practice for their club teams, not just with the national team. Either all these coaches are really dunces, or maybe, just maybe, they see something that you and others don’t. BTW, in the last 2 seasons with the Crew, not counting this weekend, he has 31 goals in 58 games. No other American in MLS is close to that over that period of time. However, I maintain that his best position with the national team is at winger.

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      • Hey Gary, I’d love to know just how much value you put on a bunch of goals in MLS, when that clearly doesn’t translate to the international game: See e.g. Wondolowski.

  6. Add Paxton Pomykal to the list. He only got 5 minutes but he is fearless. Been watching him for a couple of years and he has the attitude this team needs. He will fit Pulisic mold of players who are not afraid of Mexico, etc.

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  7. I think Steffen’s stock dipped mightily too, his distribution is horrible and we need to start exploring other options if he can’t improve it (not Guzan, he’s past his prime let’s be honest)

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  8. My 23 for October

    GK: Steffen, Miller, Johnson
    CB: Brooks, Ream, Long, Miazga
    LB: A. Robinson, Lima
    RB: Yedlin (if healthy), Cannon, Dest
    DM: Adams (if healthy), Bradley, Yueill
    CM: McKennie, Morales/Roldan, Pomykal, Lleteget
    W: Arriola, Morris, Weah (if healthy), Boyd, Sabbi
    F: Altidore, Sargent

    any thoughts?

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      • Completely missed pulisic, had him listed as a midfielder and then moved him to the wing, obviously him for sabbi. Also I’m a big Alvarado fan, but I’d still take long, had a rough camp here but lets not forget how good he was in the gold cup.

    • Right now the best mix of shot-stopper and distributer playing at a high(er) level is Horvath., IMO. Maybe Jesse GOnzalez, too. Not sure why Guzan got the start over him. What was that about? We need to see not Steffen and Not Guzan in friendlies.

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      • When Horvath got a chance to play last year, based on goals scored against him, which were few, he did very well. However, he hasn’t been playing this year because his team went out and got Minolet, who has tons of EPL experience, including Liverpool, and 20 Belgian caps. So, he gets lost in the shuffle. Hard to pick a player not playing for his club team.

    • I think you’re pretty close.
      GK – Swap Miller for Horvath
      CB – Swap Ream for Alvarado or CCV
      Backs – Drop Lima unless Yedlin isn’t healhy
      CM – Morales is more a DM (6), Yueill is more a CM (8). I also prefer McKennie @ DM. But your selections are about right. Maybe add Scott to the CM & D. Williams to the DM.
      W – Clearly Pulisic over Sabbi, but otherwise….
      F – Wish there was another name here…but if needed can use Morris.
      .
      People need to remember that we are playing Canada & Cuba. I’m not suggesting that we take them lightly, but I also don’t believe that we “have to have” a significant veteran presence (Bradley & Guzan) to make it through the next 4 games. I have no problem leaving them and others like Fabian with their clubs until we have a more significant challenge in order to give experience to the younger options.

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  9. Personally, I think the basic assumption of the whole article is flawed. Mexico came out with a relentless press that totally stifled the US. Uruguay sat back and let the US do what they wanted until the final third. To judge players on how well they did vs. Mexico compared to players and how well they did against Uruguay is a wonderful case of apples and oranges. Almost no one looked good vs. Mexico and almost no one looked bad vs. Uruguay. So, that makes this analysis basically worthless.

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    • The assumption of the article is simple: USMNT played two games against two opponents; which players played well and which players didn’t? Here’s an idea, Gary… what if you started your own soccer blog to write articles on what you deem worthwhile instead of constantly pissing on someone else’s.

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    • @gary page

      while i’m not going to be a jackass like the two above, i do agree with the principle: make what assessments you can from the minutes played. i’ll concede that not much can be made out of them, but i agreed with ives that dest didn’t look too bad, even in the mexico game, and zardes looked worse than sargent even in the uruguay game.

      i would go even further and say that ream was outstanding in the uruguay game (motm for me). he showed that if teams just let us pass the ball around like uruguay did, he might be the best defender we’ve got for berhalter’s system (if they don’t, well we’re probably screwed no matter who we have back there).

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    • Gary: I get what your saying but at least the majority in the good column were players who played significant minutes in both and did well in both or at least OK against Mexico. Gary you and I have disagreed a lot on GGG but keep doing what you’re doing, your thoughtful opinions are needed here in the land of hyperbole.

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    • My opinion here is based on years of college study as a social scientist, which includes a lot of graduate work and study of statistics and analysis. I also spent 10 years in a job doing various types of analyses. I am currently teaching math part time (I was retired) to pick up some money. In all these fields, you cannot expect to compare like with unlike and get a conclusion that is meaningful. In this particular case, a lot of the conclusions here are based on players who played a lot vs. Mexico vs. players who played a lot vs. Uruguay. Such a comparison is wholly unfair to the players who played against Mexico, but played little vs. Uruguay.. Against Mexico, I think only Pulisic and Morales stood out much and even Pulisic didn’t look all that good all the time. With those people who disagree with me, tell me, am I wrong to say that the game environment for the US players was totally different in the two games? Am I wrong to say that almost no US players looked good against Mexico, while many looked good against Uruguay? Am I wrong to say that Uruguay’s style allowed the US to possess the ball with little pressure while Mexico didn’t allow that? Is there a flaw in my logic? Provide a logical basis for your criticism and it’s worthwhile. I tried to present a logical basis for my original criticism. Thank you Johnny. While we often disagree, I almost always respect your opinion because it is obviously based on knowledge.

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    • Yedlin is still the current starter since it doesn’t look like Chandler is reentering the mix. Yedlin needs to be challenged for this spot though because he’s put in a number of mixed performances in for the USMNT lately.

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      • well, that will come down to Chandler….he hasn’t featured yet this season off the bench I don’t believe, and considering all of the upcoming talent at RB I don’t see the need to bring him back in anytime soon!

    • Yedlin may have trouble getting back in the lineup for Newcastle. Krafth has been starting at RB and was brought in after Steve Bruce’s arrival. They’ve been playing five in the back so that would seem to fit Yedlin.

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    • Allow me to state the obvious. It’s impossible to tell at this stage. Even after he is healthy, it will take him a while to get match fitness. Then, will he get playing time under his new manager?I just don’t see him being ready for the October games, even if he is recovered from injury soon. As to long term, it is also murky. When players have serious injuries, it takes them quite a while to reach prior peak form. I think Morris is a good example of this. I thought Lletget wasn’t good anymore, but the time he spent on the field for these games would seem to indicate that he, like Morris, might have been match fit and starting with his club team, but, only now is returning to his prior form. That also probably means Weah is probably 6 months or more away from being able to contribute well to the national team.

      Reply

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