The U.S. Men’s National Team will be taking the field in Swansea in six days, while several in-form players will not be in the mix.
Gregg Berhalter named his 24-player roster on Tuesday ahead of a pair of November friendlies, the team’s first action since February due to COVID-19. While many familiar faces were included into the roster, several players did not get brought in for matches against Wales and Panama.
Aron Johannsson, Julian Green, and Erik Palmer-Brown are just three players who are currently impressing in Europe, but continue to wait for their latest call ins by Berhalter and his staff.
Here’s a closer look at five players who warranted a call in:
Aron Johannsson
Aron Johannsson may be 29-years-old, but he is currently having his best domestic season in Sweden. Johannsson’s 13 goals, including 10 in the Allsvenskan is currently the most for Hammarby this season and is good for eighth in the Swedish top flight.
Johannsson has not featured for the USMNT since 2015, but his impressive season with Hammarby has put him on the radar
Haji Wright
Haji Wright has wasted little time in getting acclimated at Danish side Sonderjyske, becoming the club’s leading goalscorer in the early stages of the season.
Wright has five league goals in seven appearances this season, a major step forward after struggling for goals in the Eredivisie last campaign. The 22-year-old has worked through the ranks of U.S. Soccer, most recently featuring for the Under-23’s, but looks set to wait for his USMNT debut.
Erik Palmer-Brown
Erik Palmer-Brown is an intriguing prospect who is making the most of his second-consecutive loan to Austria Wien. The Manchester City loanee has gone the distance in five matches this Bundesliga campaign and overall has made 31 combined appearances in the past 18 months.
A former U.S. Under-20 and Under-18 Men’s National Team player, Palmer-Brown is another talented defender who unfortunately has several international teammates to compete with. With a busy 2021 right around the corner, Palmer-Brown could be in consideration if he continues racking up minutes and impressive performances abroad.
Julian Green
Julian Green has continued to develop into a well-rounded central midfielder for 2. Bundesliga side Greuther Furth, and has been in top form in recent weeks.
The 25-year-old has two goals and two assists in seven combined appearances for Furth this season, contributing on the offensive (87% passing completion rate) and defensive sides of the field.
Emmanuel Sabbi
Emmanuel Sabbi has started his new chapter with Odense and has not missed a beat in the Danish club’s attack. Sabbi has three goals and one assist in seven league outings, while playing out wide and even as a false No. 9 at times.
The 22-year-old is also an option for the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team, but could jump up to the senior team if he continues to impress for the Superliagen side. His versatility is a plus and could play in a number of different roles in Berhalter’s system, should he get a chance in 2021.
Answered my own Q.
Zelalem is only 23 and playing for NYFC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gedion_Zelalem
Hyndemann……where is he?
Zelalem played 14 minutes in their first MLS is Back game and has not played since due to a knee injury.
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Hyndman is still with Atlanta, had 2 goals in 2 games in March, has just one assist in 17 matches since the return from Covid shutdown. Has been a regular starter but ATL is a dumpster fire right now.
Gracias chico! Johnnyrazor, you dah man! Zelalem appears made of glass. Then. ‘en! He has a lot of potential, (Arsenal academy clearly thought so!) I thought he needed to develop more upper body strength, 1:1 positional awareness / ball protection / retention judo when he played in the U20s WC, but he does have a refined ball skills, a nice touch, decent pace, and good field vision. Hope he heals up soon and gets back on the war-path. Not as familiar with Hyndman’s play, he strikes me as a similar playmaking midfielder with tidy skills on the ball, good ball distribution, and field vision. Similar issues with body size / body strength, but not as pacey as Zelalem. USMNT is loaded wtih young midfielders and pacey wingers at the moment. At a baseline, stay healthy and get first team minutes would be square one.
What happened to Gedeon Zelalem? Haven’t heard anything about him or Emerson Hyndemann for quite some time.
Henry Wingo RB starting for Molde and was close to being in champions league, 2nd place in norway, was in a 6 game winning streak, and just lost to arsenal yesterday. Still in position to qualify out of group play. Henry Wingo deserves chance over some in this list.
He spent three seasons with Sounders and never played more 200 mins. He wasn’t even that great for Sounders II in USL. He is in a league that is ranked 24th in Europe. He does not deserve a call up for our 4th team let alone this lineup.
Seem’s like this is mainly a Euro based call-up- then how do you not bring in Green who can play the #10, especially when you are considering Reyna as a winger??? Green is a couple years younger than Lleget!!! Being a productive #10 in Bundesliga 2 is nothing to scoff at- a league that might be on par with MLS. How many American players in top 20 Euro leagues have made it as a steady #10 in their pro career??? And I like Llegett too- I think if he is in good form- he should get a shot at the position, but right now doesn’t make sense.
DUANE. HOLMES.
Damn! That’s good problem.
We need form a “B” team for addition friendlies.
Even IF Berhalter has no intention of playing AJ, he still should have been picked. It’s really the first long spell of both fitness and success for AJ since the 2014 World Cup when he got injured. If dinosaurs like Bradley keep getting called, why not AJ. He’s still only 29 and in form. It makes a hell of a lot more sense to call him in as opposed to LLetget.
Bradley was called up?
Cappis????
I like Cappis!! Hobro was relegated to 1st division, which is 2nd tier Danish futbol. Similar to Gooch, he’s in a league that GB doesn’t value. Hopefully, Cappis is able to be released to play for the Olympic squad. I wouldn’t mind having Servania(6), Cappis(8), with Ledezma playing in front them as the 10. Chris Durkin a 6, who plays in Belgium, isn’t on this list, also! This article makes it clear to me. America has reached a point, where a lot of talent is going to be left off.
None of the 3 Denmark based players whom are all Olympic eligible were called. I wonder if Denmark has stricter Covid regulations?