With the game of soccer currently on hold around the world, it is a good time to take stock of the U.S. Men’s National Team talent pool as we wait for the sport to resume.
SBI is taking a closer look at each position in the USMNT player pool, ranking the top options, based both on recent form, and potential.
Up next is the defensive midfield role, which is in a state of transition as we reach the tail end of the Michael Bradley era. The 32-year-old Toronto FC captain is arguably still Berhalter’s preferred option in the role, but with World Cup qualifying in the fall, the question is when will Berhalter hand the keys over to the next generation?
Complicating that question has been Tyler Adams’ lengthy injury layoff. Adams has long been seen as the natural replacement for Bradley, even if Berhalter’s early experiment with Adams as a right back raised some questions about where the USMNT coach sees Adams long term.
The reality is that, while Berhalter continues to see Weston McKennie as an attacking midfielder, Adams is miles ahead of the pack in the USMNT defensive midfield prospects category. That being said, it remains unclear just where in the midfield Berhalter would deploy Adams, and if he sees him specifically as a six, or if he might be considering deploying Adams further up the field to take advantage of his dynamic qualities.
The position has a very promising generation of young prospects who are probably still a few years away from making a mark on the USMNT. Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders), Edwin Cerillo (FC Dallas), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew) and Bryang Kayo (unattached) are five names to keep in mind when the 2026 World Cup roles around.
It should also be noted that there are players currently listed on other positional charts who could very easily wind up in a defensive midfield role. McKennie is a prime example, but versatile youngsters like James Sands and Owen Otasowie, and veterans like Cristian Roldan and Marky Delgado, are players who could wind up in the conversation, as could Hassani Dotson.
With all that in mind, here are the Top 10 defensive midfield prospects in the USMNT pipeline heading into the 2022 World Cup cycle:
Tyler Adams
Don’t let his stint on the sidelines fool you, Adams is a star in the making, and RB Leipzig’s recent sale of Diego Demme shows how highly they rate him. Adams is a force in the middle of the park, and Berhalter should run, not walk, to install him as his starter when the USMNT returns to action.
Adams can play as a right back, as we saw recently with RB Leipzig, but there is no current USMNT midfielder who can provide the kind of dynamic and imposing presence that Adams can bring to the defensive midfield role. Did we mention he’s also just 21 years old?
Jackson Yueill
Few players saw their stock rise more in 2019 than Yueill, who flourished under Matias Almeyda at the San Jose Earthquakes, developing the qualities needed to emerge as a serious defensive midfield option for the USMNT.
As a result, the 22-year-old has leapfrogged some established figures on the national team depth chart, and he has made a fan out of Berhalter, who has stated publicly how impressed he has been with Yueill’s development.
Alfredo Morales
The 29-year-old wouldn’t have been on this list if he hadn’t made his return to the USMNT in the fall (our rankings exclude older options who aren’t already in the national team picture) but as a regular starter for Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf, Morales has earned his place this high in the rankings.
Morales brings more bite and physicality than most of the other players on this list, which gives him an edge, and while he is on the older side of the coin, he played some of the best soccer of his career in the second half of 2019, which suggests he is improving, rather than fading, so a run at a 2022 World Cup place — when he would be 32 — shouldn’t be written off.
Keaton Parks
American soccer fans didn’t know much about Parks before 2019, other than that he was a prospect who was developing in Portugal. Parks made a very good impression with his successful first season at New York City FC. The loan move to MLS paid dividends as Parks thrived playing in the heart of NYCFC’s strong midfield.
Parks has made the move to NYCFC permanent, and if the 22-year-old can continue to play at a high level in MLS, then a look from Berhalter should come soon.
Wil Trapp
The 27-year-old gradually saw his standing in the USMNT pecking order diminish as he put in a 2019 season with the Columbus Crew that was below his usual high standard. That slide came as other defensive midfield prospects emerged, and now Trapp finds himself fading out of the picture.
A trade to Inter Miami should help give Trapp a chance to thrive in some new surroundings, playing for a manager in Diego Alonso who could help him work his way back into the national team picture.
Chris Durkin
The 19-year-old had a roller coaster 2019. He was a starter at the Under-20 World Cup, though he endured some struggles in that tournament. His fight for minutes at D.C. United continued, and he eventually needed a loan move to Belgium to try and find playing time.
After initially being stuck on the bench at St. Truiden, Durkin rattled off five straight starts to close out 2019, and he has some momentum heading into the new year.
Brandon Servania
A player who really came on strong in the second half of 2019, Servania rode the momentum of a good showing at the Under-20 World Cup into earning a starting role with FC Dallas. He made the most of that opportunity, helping FC Dallas reach the playoffs and showing off the qualities that caught the eye of Gregg Berhalter.
The result was a call for the January camp, though he has stiff competition ahead of him in the current Olympic qualifying midfield pool, and at FC Dallas. The 20-year-old hasn’t come close to reaching his full potential just yet, so don’t rule out another big leap in 2020.
Christian Cappis
The FC Dallas academy product was forced to head to Europe after MLS refused to let him sign with FC Dallas, and his move to Danish side Hobro has been a blessing. He has earned regular playing time, showing off his attacking quality in a more advanced role than he has played with various youth national teams.
Cappis had stints with the U-20 and U-23 national teams in 2019, and started 2020 in the USMNT January camp. The 20-year-old is projecting more as a defensive midfielder, but his effectiveness in attack makes him a well-rounded prospect with a bright future.
Johnny Cardoso
The least well-known of the names on this list, Cardoso was raised in Brazil after being born in New Jersey, and currently plays for Brazilian side Internacional. Contacted by Gregg Berhalter in September, Cardoso accepted a call-up to the U.S. Under-23 national team and earned rave reviews from that camp.
The 18-year-old is age eligible for the next Under-20 cycle, but could play his way into the Olympic picture if he can earn regular minutes at Internacional. That’s a tall order, but whether it happens for him in 2020 or a bit later, Cardoso is a defensive midfield prospect with the profile to climb very high on this list.
Hassani Dotson
One of the best rookies in MLS in 2019, Dotson emerged from relative obscurity to become an intriguing national prospect. He has the versatility to play as a defensive midfielder or right back, but the real challenge for Dotson in 2020 will be earning regular playing time on an improved Minnesota United quad.
The fact Dotson was named to the Olympic qualifying roster bodes will for his standing in the USMNT player pool, but he’ll need to find regular minutes with the Loons if there are going to be any call-ups in his near future.