The December U.S. men’s national team camp has kicked off in California in relatively quiet fashion, tucked under the shadow of the looming MLS Cup final and the UEFA Champions League proceedings over in Europe. Concacaf World Cup qualifying doesn’t resume for almost two months, so there’s no sense of urgency surrounding this camp, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some serious questions to be answered.
Gregg Berhalter has called in an interesting mix of talent into the December camp, with the roster ranging from establish veterans, a few regular starters, and a crop of teenagers appear more suited to help the U.S. Under-20 men’s national team than the USMNT.
As young as some of the camp’s more intriguing prospects are, none should be written off considering how many teenagers have broken through with the USMNT in the past year. A year ago, very few would have pegged Ricardo Pepi to be starting at striker for the full-strength team, and one year ago Joe Scally was waiting for his chance to earn first-team minutes and look at him now, a Bundesliga regular.
So what are some of the biggest questions to be answered by this December USMNT camp? Here are some to keep an eye on:
Will Long and Morris be ready for qualifiers?
Aaron Long and Jordan Morris were regular USMNT starters before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and both were sidelined by long-term injuries in the first half of 2021, before they would have been expected to return to their regular roles.
The January/February qualifiers are almost two months away, but a lack of regular playing time in the coming weeks will make their recoveries tougher to complete, at least to the level where they could be viable options to challenge the current players at their positions.
Morris is further along, having returned for the tail end of the MLS season. Long has yet to play a minute of soccer since tearing his Achilles in May, and he is probably a more realistic challenger to try and be part of the March qualifiers.
Berhalter has the luxury of being more patient with Long given the central defender options he has at the moment with Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson stepping up, and John Brooks waiting in the wings for a return. Chris Richards had propelled himself into the conversation, and is a candidate to start in January if he is back to a regular starting role for Hoffenheim.
Morris is a better candidate to break into the January qualifying roster, but he too will be facing some serious competition, especially if Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah are healthy and playing regularly, and Gio Reyna makes a complete recovery from his lengthy layoff. They, along with Brenden Aaronson, give the USMNT some good wing options, but if Morris can make a statement with his form in December, Berhalter might start considering which of the aforementioned wing threats could be better served by a move into a central role.
How good are the young left backs?
The left back position is in need of some depth, with Antonee Robinson the clear first-choice option and a steep drop below him to the likes of Sam Vines and George Bello. A difficult showing in World Cup qualifying dented Bello’s stock after his promising showing at the Gold Cup, making this camp a particularly important one for the Atlanta United fullback to show he is clearly the best of a young crop of options at the position.
Kevin Paredes is coming off a breakout season for D.C. United and while he may be much more developed as an attacker than defender at this point in his career, he has enough quality going forward to make him an intriguing option.
Then you have Jonathan Gomez, a teenage dual national with a looming move to Real Sociedad on the horizon. Gomez is an elite left back prospect, and as much as this camp is his chance to show how he stacks up next to Bello and Paredes, it is also an important camp to show Gomez that he should follow Ricardo Pepi’s lead and choose to play for the United States rather than Mexico.
Can Berhalter find a defensive midfielder?
You never have enough defensive midfield prospects, especially when your top option is Tyler Adams, who has stayed healthy lately but has been known to take knocks that cost him time. Right now Kellyn Acosta is Berhalter’s leading backup to Adams, but there is definitely some room to jump in behind that tandem.
Jackson Yueill has been in that position before, and USMNT fans will remember him being far from impressive in his last go-round with the national team. Berhalter has seen Yueill perform much better than did in the summer, which is why the San Jose Earthquakes midfielder is being given another look. If Yueill doesn’t step up and make the most of this chance, it could be the last one he gets with the USMNT.
Then we have Johnny Cardoso, the Brazilian-based midfielder who has shown some promising flashes in his limited appearances in a USA uniform, both for the USMNT and U.S. Under-23 men’s national team. The 20-year-old is an excellent distributor from the deep-lying role, but he also brings some bite to the position.
Are Clark and Cowell Octagonal wild cards?
There aren’t two more enticing young prospects in the December camp than Caden Clark and Cade Cowell, who have been showing serious promise since the start of the year.
Clark’s season was a bit of a roller-coaster ride, as he was sidelined in the middle of the season and lost his starting place before earning it back late in the year. Clark is set to join RB Leipzig in January, a move sealed back at the start of the year when his stock was at its peak. Now, with Jesse Marsch out as RB Leipzig manager, Clark’s status at the Bundesliga side is in question.
The December camp should give Clark a chance to not only sharpen his game before heading to Germany, but also a chance to show Berhalter he is someone to consider in his plans down the road. Berhalter’s increased emphasis on the pressing game in his setup bodes well for Clark, and if the youngster can find his footing at Leipzig and secure a first-team place, then a USMNT return could come sooner than later.
Cowell’s 2021 got off to a red-hot start, and through the season he kept showing the potential to be a dangerous goal threat. He could theoretically play anywhere along the front three, though his hold-up play would need some work to really challenge in the lead striker role.
Cowell is also eligible to play for Mexico, and while he hasn’t been as vocal about weighing his options as some other prospects have been, you have to think his dual-national status is being factored into the equation when it comes to his current USMNT involvement.
Consistency was the big issue for both youngsters in 2021, but that’s normal for young players. The good news for both is that Berhalter won’t be rushing them along and they should have the time to settle in and impress, and even if they can’t break through into full USMNT roles soon, they should both have parts to play in the important Under-20 setup in 2022.
Can Lennon and Reynolds challenge at RB?
Right back is a position with a fair number of options for the USMNT at the moment, from Sergiño Dest to DeAndre Yedlin, Reggie Cannon to Shaq Moore, but you can never have enough options and there are some dynamic ones who should earn a longer look in this camp.
Bryan Reynolds has been in with the USMNT before, and there is no denying the potential the former FC Dallas fullback has. He isn’t earning much playing time at AS Roma, which shouldn’t really be a surprise, but a likely loan move in January will hopefully help him start earning some consistent minutes to continue his development.
Lennon is a converted winger who has settled into a fullback/wingback role in recent years. Atlanta United has gotten in the way of him joining some USMNT camps in the past, but this camp should offer him a great chance to show Berhalter he can serve as a sort of hybrid fullback/winger option. Originally a winger, Lennon has worked on improving the defensive side of his game and this camp will show he far that part of his game has come. There aren’t many pure wingers on the December camp roster either, so Lennon could also see some time there.
As usual, you ignore Henry Kessler. He starts for the Revs, is tall and very good and yet he gets no press here. Once he gets on the field though, he shows what he brings. Wake up!
The question of “How good are the young left backs?” is a loaded question.
A. Robinson is currently the starter at LB, but he has had his share of questionable performances for the USMNT. He gets the nod right now due to the significant gap between him and the rest of the LB’s that have been tested to date (Vines, Bello, Ream). It’s also why Gomez has a real shot at making a case for being the back-up.
That said, since Scally & Dest can both play LB (and have at club level) it begs the question do we add a 3rd RB to our regular roster (Yedlin or Cannon) and use Scally/Dest as the back-up LB in order to avoid bringing an inferior player? Right now I’d go with a 3rd RB rather than relying on Bello.
Reynolds may be able to challenge the RB’s, but in order to do so he’ll need to find a transfer/loan to a club where he’ll see consistent minutes. Even then it’s a long shot for 2022. Lennon has NO shot unless there are multiple injuries among our RBs. I’d actually prefer trying Arriola at RB before going with Lennon.
The question “Can Berhalter find a defensive midfielder?” is one of the most urgently needed answers. I don’t think Yueill is the answer….he failed to impress with the U-23s, and he’s failed to impress in his 15 caps to date. Expecting him to magically become the answer is asking a lot. Cardoso has the raw talent but he lacks the consistency and experience. Acosta is still likely our best option as a back-up….but any further down the depth chart and our options become very sketchy. I’d eventually like to see Durkin given a shot…I’m not saying he’s the answer, but he is one of the few guys who actually plays the CDM position who hasn’t been tried.
Never really cared for Long, but with him being one of Gregg’s guys he could easily get back in the picture even if we have options who’ve proven to be equal or better than Long was pre-injury.
Morris on the other hand has a decent shot if he’s back healthy….but he’d still be a 3rd stringer when everyone is healthy. Pulisic, Reyna, Weah, & Aaronson are our top 4 wide attackers. Konrad is also in the picture. Jordan’s advantage is that he could also be used as a CF….where we still don’t have a clear cut pecking order.
Cowell & Clark are more likely options for 2026 cycle. Yes, they could be dark horses for 2022….but again there would have to be numerous injuries for them to crack the top 23.
While it would be tough for either Morris or Long to start for a full strength team I think it’s fair to say they each bring qualities that are valuable to the team assuming (a significant if) they both come back 100%. Morris is strong, powerful and very fast who in the last 2 year has gone through a major upgrade in his technical play. Morris can provide that verticality and the ability to get behind defenses that GGG has been talking about recently. Morris’s combination and hold up play have also improved to a point where he can also play as a number 9.
As for Long prior to the injury Long was the presumed partner to Brooks; Long complemented Brooks very effectively with his speed, strength and man on man defending. GGG also rates Long very highly so I can see Long making a case for the team and even starting.
The team has really changed in two years, kinda hard to imagine Morris and Long being much more than depth options with a full strength squad, especially so soon after getting back from major injuries. A match fit Morris would probably be an upgrade over Arriola, but not Pulisic, Weah or Aaronson. Even tougher for Long, who has more competition and isn’t suited as well for Berhalter’s system. Wish them well in any case. I haven’t been able to catch many MLS matches this year so interested to see the young players.
While it would be tough for either Morris or Long to start for a full strength team I think it’s fair to say they each bring qualities that are valuable to the team assuming (a significant if) they both come back 100%. Morris is strong, powerful and very fast who in the last 2 year has gone through a major upgrade in his technical play. Morris can provide that verticality and the ability to get behind defenses that GGG has been talking about recently. Morris’s combination and hold up play have also improved to a point where he can also play as a number 9.
As for Long prior to the injury Long was the presumed partner to Brooks; Long complemented Brooks very effectively with his speed, strength and man on man defending. GGG also rates Long very highly so I can see Long making a case for the team and even starting.
I think Morris will be looked at as a CF as much as a wing. For qualifying, a front trio of Pulisic, Weah and Morris would have the speed to put fear into defending backs who would have to play a bit deeper. In would also allow for Reyna, Musah, Aaronson, or Busio to play as attacking mids. The down side might be that many of the qualifying games will be played with the opponents sitting deep to take away the speed advantage. It would then come down to either quick passing in tight spaces, brilliant dribbles or a well played cross to unlock the defense.
With the Robinsons, Dest, Yedlin and Richards in the back the US has the speed to handle counters more effectively than in the past. I look at Zimmerman, Long and Brooks as competing for spots in games where the US will not have the majority of possession and will be forced to defend deeper. I suspect the choice of the last 3 will be based not on what they do best (defending when the opponents are in front of them), but how well they can recover when things get a bit out of hand.
I haven’t seen Cardoza play much. Is he a possible defensive midfielder?
Cardoso is a CDM for his club. The USMNT U-23s pushed him into a more # 8 role and used Yueill as the 6. And since he didn’t perform well & the U-23s were such a huge disappointment he hasn’t gotten much love. At the club level he’s displayed the passing range of Yueill, the athleticism of Acosta…what he’s lacked is consistency on the defensive side.
Outside maintaining fitness levels for the regular Sr. players, Gomez, and Morris & Long have an outside chance of working their way into qualifying games…but only as depth.
The rest of the name in camp are either project players for the 2026 cycle (Cowell, Clark, Che, Cardoso, Booth), or fillers/rewards for performance in the 2021 MLS Season.
Something of note though is Johnny Soccer plays in a generally a 4-2-3-1 so he’s always got another DM next to him. I’ve only watched a couple times this season but he played more of the box to box of the two. The games I saw he appeared more a Wes backup than Tyler. But definitely not a Musah role like Kreis used him as.
With Parades and Lennon in camp, might we see GB experiment with a 3-5-2 with them in the Wing Back roles they play at the club level? It’s a big switch from the 4-3-3 GB has been committed to, but it would be nice for the USMNT to have a wild card formation to throw at opponents, particularly in the later stages of WC Qualifying when we’re seeing teams for the second time, and in many cases, the 5th or 6th time in 2 years.
GB has experimented with a couple formations, most commonly the 3-4-3, but nearly every time he’s tried we’ve been shredded. I’d much rather he try out a 4-2-3-1 with the main squad, as I think it best suits our player pool.
—————————-Pepi———————–
—Pulisic————Reyna————–Weah—
———–McKennie———-Adams————-
-Robinson—-Brooks—–Robinson——Dest-
———————-Steffen————————–
Bench: CF-TBD, Aaronson, Musah, Acosta, Scally, Yedlin, Richards, Zimmerman, Turner, GK-TBD……2 free options.
CF – Sargent, Pefok, Dike, Morris,
GK – Horvath, Johnson
2 Free = Luca, Busio, Konrad, Hoppe, Tessmann