We are just days away from the final three World Cup qualifiers for the U.S. men’s national team to secure its place at the 2022 World Cup, and Gregg Berhalter is facing some difficult challenges as he prepares for the crucial clashes in Mexico, against Panama, and in Costa Rica.
Weston McKennie’s broken foot has left the USMNT without arguably its best player for the most important matches the Americans have played in five years, but adversity is nothing new for a team that has not had the luxury of fielding a full-strength team at any point in the Octagonal.
Replacing McKennie is only one of the areas of concern for the U.S. team heading into the final qualifying window. The team’s striker pool is an unsettled bunch, with Ricardo Pepi in the midst of a goal drought, but with Josh Sargent and Jordan Pefok gaining momentum as they push to regain their places on the USMNT.
Goalkeeper has suddenly become an area of concern, with both Zack Steffen and Matt Turner currently dealing with injury issues. Neither has been ruled out for qualifiers just yet, but the uncertainty surrounding their injury situations will have USMNT understandably nervous.
Plenty can still change in the next two weeks, before the USMNT squad convenes ahead of the trip to Mexico on March 24, but for now it is time to take stock of where the current player pool stands, and to consider the options most likely to make Berhalter’s squad for these all-important matches.
We put together a projected 26-player roster at the start of March, but plenty has happened since then, so it’s time to take a revised look at what the USMNT roster could look like for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers:
Projected USMNT World Cup Qualifying Roster
Goalkeepers
Zack Steffen, Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath
There are some serious question marks surrounding the goalkeeper position due to injury issues being faced by the top two options in the pool. Matt Turner and Zack Steffen have both missed matches in recent weeks, and with the first March qualifier against Mexico just a week away, Gregg Berhalter finds himself facing some tough decisions.
Turner is dealing with a foot injury which he may have picked up during the USMNT’s qualifying win against Honduras in early February, while Steffen is battling a shoulder injury. Steffen has reportedly returned to training for Manchester City, while Turner has yet to return to action for the Revs.
The good news in the goalkeeper department is that Ethan Horvath has taken over as the starter for Nottingham Forest, taking advantage of a suspension to Brice Samba to make the job his own. Horvath is unbeaten in five straight starts and is in confident form heading into the international window.
The memories of Horvath’s Nations League heroics against Mexico last summer are still fresh, and having him start at the Azteca would be a fitting assignment considering his success against El Tri last year. That said, Sean Johnson remains a good candidate to start at some point in the qualifiers.
If Steffen is not recovered enough to take part in USMNT camp, and Berhalter is without both Steffen and Turner when the team convenes in Houston next week, then young Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina could earn the call-up after his impressive start to the MLS season.
Missed the Cut: Matt Turner, Gabriel Slonina, Bill Hamid
Defenders
Sergiño Dest, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Antonee Robinson, Reggie Cannon, Aaron Long, John Brooks, Erik Palmer-Brown, DeAndre Yedlin
The big question here is whether Berhalter is ready to bring back Brooks, and the reality is there is no good reason not to call him back for the March qualifiers. Mark McKenzie has been the preferred choice over Brooks in recent windows, but McKenzie’s playing time has disappeared with Genk while Brooks is playing at a consistently good level for Wolfsburg these days.
There is also the fact Chris Richards has been sidelined by injury for the past six weeks and hasn’t been in action since his start for the USMNT against Canada. With Richards unlikely to be an option, Brooks should earn his return. All that said, if Richards and McKenzie are ultimately left out and Brooks still can’t earn a call, then it is time to seriously consider the possibility that Berhalter will never call him back again.
One player who has worked his way back into the conversation is Aaron Long, who has recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered last year, and has begun the new MLS season in good form. With three starts under his belt, Long could very well wind up being one of Berhalter’s four or five central defenders in camp.
Erik Palmer-Brown is another player who could benefit from a John Brooks omission, and could also be an option if Berhalter brings in five central defenders. Palmer-Brown has made eight straight starts for Ligue 1 side Troyes, helping the team climb out of the relegation zone. He is the type of sharp-passing central defender who can do well in Berhalter’s system, but he hasn’t been part of the Octagonal and it could be risky tossing him in given he hasn’t been a recent part of the set-up.
At fullback, Sergiño Dest has hit an excellent run of form, and has been one of the most in-form American player in Europe at the moment. If Berhalter brings two other right backs along with Dest like he did for the January-February qualifiers then we could see a Reggie Cannon-DeAndre Yedlin tandem again, with Dest joining Antonee Robinson as the left back options.
George Bello earned his first start for Arminia Bielefeld last weekend and has earned regular appearances so he could have edged past Sam Vines in the left back pecking order if Berhalter decides to bring a second natural left back rather than just having Dest deputize in the role when needed.
One player who had fallen out of the picture, but is making a late push, is Joe Scally, who had lost his starting spot with Borussia Moenchengladbach before starting the team’s two most recent matches. The teenager hadn’t started in six weeks, but the two recent starts could at least earn him a look from Berhalter.
Missed the Cut: Mark McKenzie, Matt Miazga, Tim Ream, Sam Vines, James Sands Joe Scally, Brooks Lennon, Shaq Moore, Cameron Carter-Vickers, George Bello, DeJuan Jones
Midfielders
Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Luca De La Torre, Sebastian Lletget, Gianluca Busio, Cristian Roldan, Kellyn Acosta
Weston McKennie’s absence due to injury leaves a huge hole in the USMNT midfield, and Berhalter will to call on multiple players to help him fill that void. Luca De La Torre’s stock is soaring after his strong showing against Honduras, and his continued good form with Heracles. Whether he gets the starting nod or not could depend on whether he can hold off Gianluca Busio, who should return to the fold after missing the January-February qualifiers due to Covid-19.
Berhalter could also be tempted to shift Brenden Aaronson into a central midfield role, where he plays regularly on the club level. Aaronson has been used mostly as a winger for the USMNT, but given McKennie’s absence, turning to the Red Bull Salzburg midfielder, who is in excellent form, could be the answer.
Kellyn Acosta is another option to start, particularly against Mexico, which he has faced multiple times, including in qualifying at the Azteca in 2017.
Cristian Roldan’s form for Seattle has been outstanding and should earn him a call back, while Lletget should also return to the fold.
Missed the Cut: Weston McKennie (injured), Djordje Mihailovic, Tanner Tessmann, Christian Cappis, Frankie Amaya,
Forwards
Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, Ricardo Pepi, Paul Arriola, Tim Weah, Jesus Ferreira, Gio Reyna
The USMNT striker situation is a bit of a worrisome one, with Ricardo Pepi having gone five months since his last goal for club or country (his two-goal effort against Jamaica in October being the last goals he scored). His acclimation to Augsburg hasn’t been the easiest, and his contributions in recent qualifiers have been a shadow of what they were earlier in the Octagonal.
All that said, Pepi should be one of the two strikers, with Jesus Ferreira a good bet to be the other option. Ferreira has earned regular starts as a striker in FC Dallas’ system to start the MLS season and showed well in that role in the Octagonal win against El Salvador in January.
Berhalter’s growing admiration for Ferreira could be bad news for Josh Sargent’s chances of a call. Sargent has fought to earn a starting role for Norwich City, but the goals haven’t flowed for the Norwich City attacker, who has been used almost exçlusively in a wide role by the Canaries, which could also work against him.
Jordan Pefok is another player Berhalter has to at least consider given his club form with Young Boys. He has scored six goals in his past seven matches, but even that run isn’t likely to get him past Pepi, Sargent and Ferreira, though he shouldn’t be that far from a call.
On the wings, Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah give Berhalter a trio of good options, with Gio Reyna someone Berhalter can consider now that he has returned from his latest injury setback.
Reyna made a 28-minute appearance last weekend after missing two matches with a hamstring issue, (UPDATED) and registered the winning assist for Dortmund on Wednesday in another sub’s appearance. Given the stakes in qualifying, with the March matches ultimately deciding if the USMNT qualifies for the World Cup, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Berhalter brought Reyna in for a closer look. After Wednesday’s assist, we are including Reyna in this projection.
Missed the Cut: Jordan Pefok, Gyasi Zardes, Daryl Dike, Jordan Morris, Matthew Hoppe, Konrad De La Fuente, Nicholas Gioacchini
What do you think of this group? Who made the cut that you were happy to see included? Who missed out that you feel should have made the team?
Share your thoughts below.
For those who didn’t see it, Dest was injured today in the Europa League game vs. Galatasaray. He made a good sliding tackle to stop a player going in on goal along the end line. On replay it didn’t look bad, but he was down quite a while and limped off.
Johnny Razor – Pefok has only 2 starts in 8 matches for the USA. N. Ireland & Canada @ home WCQ. He had a back heel to CP in the box. Created a shot for CP. In WCQ, he bodied up Doniel Henry for 83’. Was part of the build up that lead to the goal. That’s off of memory. Imperative has brought up the back heel pass on several articles. It was so good, CP wasn’t ready for it. I’ve posted about him being extremely physical with every opposing CB, he’s up against. His hold up play is above average. There is a 6 or 7 category analytical breakdown of the US 9’s on the net, look it up! GB’s vision of having a pressing 9 has turned Sargent into a midfielder. (Zardes is athletic, but he’s the only 1 that’s decent, w/ Pepi 2nd). When fans describe Sargent now, it’s as if they are talking about Arriola. He works hard. He hustles. He technically sound. He’s playing well. I liked it better when he was scoring. At least, the sac hugging was justified. The USA doesn’t have the formation structure under GB to fit the 4-3-3, where we can get similar, or identical 9’s to play the same way. Next alternative, for me is putting quick twitch, short area quickness type of athletes around Pefok. Example- CP on his left, BA on the right, with Ferreira & Musah behind them.
Wait…GB has turned Sargent unto a midfielder? Norwich don’t play him as a nine either. They use him as a winger for all the qualities you listed that make you think GB (the coach he’s hardly even been around) has turned him into a midfielder. I get that coaches aren’t beyond criticism and it’s ok to think they aren’t right in their decisions but the mental gymnastics people use to hate on GB is just hard to believe.
I think OK is saying because he drops in from the 9 position that he has responsibilities more like a MF than a striker. I’d say it’s a little hyperbolic but I don’t think he’s saying Gregg literally played him as a MF.
Doesn’t matter now roster dropping shortly. Appreciate your assessment based on actual play not based on the continent he plays on. Hope you’re enjoying Brandon Servania as an 8 for FCD 😁
“most of the teams in the league are on the Cincinnati and Charlotte level”
So tell me, which teams in the Octagon are better than Cincinnati or Charlotte? More to the point, which teams in the Octagon would contend in MLS? Qualifiers are a beast but it’s not because of the talent level required. It’s because they are mostly brutal bloodbaths.
The idea that a player with MLS level talent can’t compete in the qualifiers is BS.
People say Pefok needs service?
So Pepi, Ferreira, Sargent, Dike and Zardes don’t need service to score?
Just finished watching the revs lose to pumas. Sebastian was again less than acceptable. Missing the frame on his pk just capped off his performance.
However, jones and Jedi could be our left backs for the cup.
I thought Sebastian looked good, oh you meant Lleget not Saucedo. It’s almost like replacing Tajon Buchanan with Lleget wasn’t a like for like switch.
– With Richards out, and Long just getting into form, Brooks is the only other experienced CB besides Ream who is playing well and can fill the void, and Ream lacks pace.
– With McKennie out and Reyna just getting minutes, Aaronson plays CB for Salzburg, so it makes sense to position him in the MF in an attacking role as well as up front. Acosta will likely start in McKennie’s spot, with Aaronson or Reyna as strategic subs.
– GB watched Sargent at Norwich, so there’s a hint. Sargent plays the two-way game GB wants, transition well and solid in hold-up play, and has earned a lot of quality minutes for a dismal Norwich team. I think he gets his chance, and he’s earned it.
– While Turner will be missed, the gap between the top 3 keepers is not substantial. We are fortunate Horvath is getting starts at just the right time. We’ll earn about Steffan’s form in practice reps.
– A Morris call up is not unlikely over Arriola. A healthy and in-form Morris brings more to the table than Arriola.
– Pefok is not the answer. His game is inside the goalie box, as he cannot effectively create chances and requires service. When Dike is back and getting minutes in the Championship, Pefok’s stock will slide. He needs a transfer to a club that will expand his game.
Who’s idea was it to release the lineup on SportsCenter the first day of March Madness? Talk about burying your story. Even not knowing how CP, Weah, and Gio would play Wednesday put it out Wednesday you’d a little more pub than on Thursday. Next to SuperBowl Thursday of March Madness is the day most Americans are singularly focused on one sport.
JohnnyR – maybe that is the plan …
Right but then just put it out on Twitter at 9:00am, why go through the theater of Sportscenter?
– Given Richards absence, and Long just coming into form, Brooks is a logical call up. McKenzie has slipped down the pecking order. Outside of Ream, there is no other experienced back in the pool who can slide in and be effective, and Ream just lacks pace.
– Given McKennie’s injury, and Reyna unlikely to play heavy minutes, the idea of moving Aaronson to more of an attacking midfield role this break makes sense, as it is the position he plays for Salzburg. That leaves a gap on the wing.
– GB watched Sargent at Norwich, so he is on the radar. While his team is dismal, Sargent has played well, plays the two-way transition game GB wants, hustles all game, and earned his minutes. I’d expect a call up to fill the wing.
– Pefok is not the answer. His game is poaching in the box and tends to require service. Pefok needs a transfer this summer to expand his game, Once Dike gets into form, his stock will drop.
– Is the gap between Turner, Steffan, and Horvath that big? No. Perhaps Horvath in Mexico so Steffan can get practice reps for the last two games.
– A Morris call up also would not be a surprise. He looks back in form and in many ways is an upgrade over Arriola.
Ives, why do you keep putting Hamid as missed the cut? Poor guy has stood on his head for DC and hasn’t had more than a sniff from Berhalter. Ochoa was ahead of him AND Johnson and now Slonina is probably ahead of him. I bet Guzan would get a call before him. I can see Bill sitting there reading SBI and seeing his name thinking “I still got a shot!” Cut the guy loose already.
Missed the cut is for players who are either playing well enough to deserve consideration, or who could be called due to their standing in Berhalter’s pecking order. Hamid is very much someone who is on the radar, but yes, there are others ahead of him so he’s not likely to earn a call soon.
I was just feeling sorry for him. I’ve always rated him ahead of Johnson. I’m glad to hear he “is very much” on the radar. Poor guy 🙂
Gary, I heard a recent interview with a national team coach, not GGG, explaining player selections. He essentially said he selects players that meet his vision of how he wants his team to play and that inevitably good players don’t get called in if their strengths don’t align with his vision. While neither of us probably are on board with GGG’s vision, players like Pefok, CCV, and Brooks don’t really fit what I think his vision is. I agree with you on this window that it is do or die and he should leverage all players by telling them if they want a chance to compete for Qatar, the US first has to make it. I still think some european players don’t accept call ups when they aren’t really part of any game plan and GGG doesn’t share that info, but I have no inside knowledge just what I think.
I suppose that is what GB is doing but it doesn’t really seem like a good strategy for the USA. I am sure Germany, France, Brazil, Italy etc. have so many good players that a coach will have no problem finding talent to fulfil his vision. I don’t think Berhalter can execute his vision without calling in players that are objectively inferior to those that were left off.
I suspect you are correct. With Berhalter there is no Plan B. If his Plan A isn’t working, well, the team is just SOL. This is not what I consider to be good planning or good coaching.
Gary – as best I can tell, his vision is press as a team, win the ball back quickly, maintain possesion, play fast, and attack wide with wingbacks in a 4-3-3. However, to me, his vision has consequences and a vision should not include a formation because it is too limiting. IMO some of the consequences of his vision are susceptability to counter attacks, difficulty attacking against teams that bunker (Canada), and inability to evaluate players based club performances. For instance, Brooks being in good form as a left centerback doesnt translate to how he would play as a centerback in the GGG 4-3-3 and becuase he is not fast, not quick, and has bad recovery speed he really doesnt fit. That vision is too limiting IMO. While, McKenzie is faster, quicker, and has better recovery speed than Brooks, Brooks is far superior in almost every other aspect of the game like positioning, tackling, air duels, intensity, distribution, etc. But we have all seen what happens when Brooks gets left isolated against even CONCACAF level fwds; people go right by him. So in essence, his vision is causing him to select players on a very limited set of skills which seems very flawed to me. For Pefok, he isnt very good at pressing but to say my team has to press all the time and I cant use you if you cant press is also too limiting IMO, but if you want to press and you put Pefok at the 9, I think you are doomed to fail because you have to press as a team to be effective. I get his player selections; I dont get his vision.
What I saw was Johnny was in the running but probably out but no other names mentioned just “new blood”. I’d highly doubt Duane but who knows.
I def know whatcha mean. I watched a soccer U tube channel recently that mentioned Hoppe being called in. …Or their source was planting a rumor. It’s still interesting that he is still high on many fans roster. One thing for sure, GB is gonna GB.
I loved the idea that Berhalter was bringing in Jesus Ferreira to play and continue to develop a partnership with Ricardo Pepi, but if that’s not the case I see no reason why anyone of them should start over Jordan Pefok.
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We want goals up top, who in that forward group is delivering? Who is scoring goals at all? Brenden Aaronson is a midfielder (AM at best), why is he listed as a forward? who is he making space for in the midfield? Then we drop the only striker in double digits (who was able to scored against Manchester United)??? And Josh Sargent….he may not be scoring goals in THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE (though he’s no serious threat in front of goal for Norwich to be honest)…….but Pepi is not scoring goals in BUNDESLIGA either…..or Ferreira is not making buckets IN MLS!!!….Tim Weah is not shaking the net in LIGUE 1
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Belhather is winning games so he’s evidently doing the right thing but sometimes I wonder about he’s selection process
Pefok plays in a league fairly on par with MLS but according to your league rankings that’s based almost all on Young Boys value and most of the teams in the league are on the Cincinnati and Charlotte level. So would Pepi or Ferreira have 17 g against a season of that quality? As for the ManU goal he was literally walking back and the ManU guy kicked it right to him. Bizzy, I’d give you a 50/50 at making a shot alone with the keeper from 15 yards. He also had been very pedestrian the week before for the NT against ES and Canada. Won’t be mad if he’s on but it’s hardly open and shut.
I would give myself 10% chance. I’m pretty slow. Arriola would have hit the post, bounced on the line to the other post, then hit the crossbar and then spun out for a goal kick but it would have been exciting. Canada would have had it bounce off the cross bar into the back of the goalies head and into the goal and it would have counted as 3 points.
First off young boys is not on par with any team in MLS. They are far more superior AND ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE. They have gone toe to toe with the likes of Manchester United, Atalanta, Bayen Leverkusen etc….and not only is he starting on this team but he has scored in double digits on this team.
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you diminish his goal but young boys beat Bayern Leverkusen twice, have tie with Atalanta (scoring 3 goals in the process), beat Manchester United then tied with them in the rematch.
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Pepi or Ferreira have 17 g against a season of that quality??? First you have to be good enough to be wanted on a team like young boys TO SCORE FOR YOUNG BOYS against other teams in the swiss league AND PLAY IN THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
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Lets see what Pepi does for Augsburg because as of right now he has WAYS to go. As far as SCORING GOALS, Ferreira needs to at least be able to score like Gyazi Zardes IN MLS (who was displaced in Columbus by no-name Miguel Berry) to be worth anything before you compare him to any of our strikers overseas. As far as I’m concern, he is not on the team to score goals….but to be a utilitarian up front and provide the necessary assists.
Bizzy, you misunderstood, what I’m saying is the Swiss league is incredibly top heavy. Young Boys and most years Basel would probably win MLS Supporters Shield but the rest of their league wouldn’t come close to making MLS playoffs. So if 7 out of 10 matches he’s playing FC Cincinnati or Miami United so yes he puts up gaudy numbers. That also helps in Euro competitions because they can rotate players on the weekend. I’m not sure about your argument that Pepi can’t score in Bundesliga since Pefok is in Switzerland because he couldn’t score in France. Finally Pefok is with Young Boys because he has a better passport. If he had stayed in US and grown up here he’d be in MLS.
Your defense of Berhalter by dissing Pefok’s team and competition is really poor. I, for one, am not saying we bring in Pefok and start him. But to not even bring a scorer leading his league to even check him out or have as a backup, is indefensible. What is the harm in bringing him, even if you don’t use him? What if you find yourself where the best way to score is to have a large striker who can head the ball? We don’t have another like Pefok and you and Berhalter are being very shortsighted.
Gary, to play Pefok you have to completely change our entire approach. It’s not just put in Pefok for Pepi. Everything changes because he cannot counter press. Can anyone tell me a time he looked good for the US? Even against Honduras in NL he only looked good for 5 secs. I think he probably gets brought in, he probably deserves it but he’s a slightly taller and less mobile Zardes. If we are launching hopeful balls into the box to Pefok we probably aren’t going to the World Cup. Why does he look good for Young Boys because most nights he’s playing terrible teams. Bizzy quoted global football rankings early this week saying Swiss league was better than MLS. However when you looked at their team rankings 6 of 10 were ranked 22nd or below in a combined MLS\Swiss league. The last place team would even be ranked 7th in USL. You can’t say call this guy he scored in Europe without saying what’s his league like. They just tied last place Lusane (the one ranked below Louisville City and San Antonio) with 15 shots to 5, 55% possession and 10-0 corners. Those numbers are pretty on par every match, they dominate the possession and the chances.
“most of the teams in the league are on the Cincinnati and Charlotte level”
So tell me, which teams in the Octagon are better than Cincinnati or Charlotte? More to the point, which teams in the Octagon would contend in MLS? Qualifiers are a beast but it’s not because of the talent level required. It’s because they are mostly brutal bloodbaths.
The idea that a player with MLS level talent can’t compete in the qualifiers is BS.
People say Pefok needs service?
So Pepi, Ferreira, Sargent, Dike and Zardes don’t need service to score?
JonnyR – I think you and I are the only posters on the site that think you can’t just swap anybody in because you think they are better or play in a better league, but I think you and I probably differ pretty drastically about our opinion on the GGG vision of how he wants the team to play. I am personally not a fan and think it is incredibly limiting. I wrote a response to Gary somewhere in here if you care to see what I don’t like about it. I still root for the team though whether I am a fan of the coach or not. I hope he makes some changes to his vision and he may but we will probably know when we see his roster. I am pretty worried about Qatar and his 4-3-3 with all the injuries and or people just coming off of injury in the midfield. Yikes!!
Tele: it’s like trying to use an option quarterback when everyone else is set up for 5 wide passing offense. Or maybe better the Warriors using Dreymond Green as their Center. If you drop a post up center in for him that guy might score more but it takes away from Steph and Klay. I’m not saying Jordan couldn’t be useful, but getting him on the pitch could hinder guys like Pulisic and Aaronson.
Johnny, I’m struggling to see your point.
Jozy Altidore racked up goals on the minnows of CONCACAF….did that stop him from being our top striker (until we finally got the point)? NO. So what if you play against teams that are at the bottom of the swiss league (that is top heavy)……when you more than make up for it by scoring on the likes of Bayern Leverkusen, Manchester United AND Atalanta. What team worth mentioning has Zardes, Pepi or Ferreira scored on?
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LB Châteauroux (2016 – 2017 , loan)
French Championnat National (Third Tier)
16 appearances / 11 goals / 0 assists
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Stade Rennais FC (2018 – 2020)
French Ligue 1
44 appearances / 8 goals / 2 assists
(Weah has scored 3 goals in 52 appearances for Lille!!!)
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BSC Young Boys (2020 – 2022)
Swiss Super League (First Tier)
75 appearances / 33 goals / 6 assists
The man scores goals
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Young Boys play around with 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations on a regular, they are Champions in a league better than MLS (not somewhere in the middle or bottom), they have beaten top teams in UEFA (not CONCACAF) and you are trying to tell me a US player that is key on that team should be selected behind the likes of Pepi (promising, but has done nothing), Ferreira (excellent utilitarian, not a prolific goal scorer, Zardes (not worth mentioning, Miguel Berry took his spot)? It makes absolutely no sense
“They just tied last place Lusane (the one ranked below Louisville City and San Antonio) with 15 shots to 5, 55% possession and 10-0 corners.”
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Hmmm lets see, according to your logic how is it that:
Middlesbrough (English Championship) beat Tottenham (EPL)
Middlesbrough (English Championship) beat Manchester United (EPL)
Nottingham Forest (English Championship) beat Leicester City (EPL)
Nottingham Forest (English Championship) beat Arsenal (EPL)
Stoke City (English Championship) beat Watford (EPL)
Watford beat and tied with Man U
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So with that being said, a Bottom Team can beat a Top team or better yet, a team in a bottom tier league can beat a Premier league team……that’s the beauty of “the game”
Why do managers leave forwards off that are scoring? Seems very short-sighted to leave the likes of Pefok and Sargent off. I mean, Sargent is busting his butt playing for Norwich City. He still has quality and his touches are 10x better than most players on the US Roster.
Paul, I expect you will see Sargent as GGG went to a recent game to watch him. It seems unlikely he would do that if he weren’t planning to bring him in, but predicting GGG os pretty hard. I don’t think he considers Pefok’s game to fit his vision of how he wanys the team to play so I dont think you will see him.
I would add CCV to the CB’s. I have a real problem with the projections for striker. Morris is much better than Arriola and looks to be back to his old form. To leave out Pefok in favor of players who haven’t scored in ages borders on criminal negligence IMHO. What does it hurt to bring in Reyna? Are we limited to how many players will fit on a plane? So what if you only use him for 20 minutes at a time? His ability is such that he could make a difference. Better to have more players than you need than to not bring enough players who could help.
Would’ve like to have seen Alan Sonora (LM), Joe Scally (RB), Chris Durkin(6/DM), Nico (LW), Dike (9/CF) at some point of these qualifiers. When they were hot, or playing regularly. I can’t complain now. Is it lame for me, to hope to see, Djordje over Busio, and Vines at backup LB? 3-4 RBs w/ Jedi playing 270 minutes wasn’t a great idea in the previous window. I noticed there are 2 players missing for the projected 27, so Pefok & Gio get my vote. I also would replace Morris over Arriola. So much talk & anxiety, w/ Captain Adams being on a yellow, rightly so, but no mention of Weah. Similar to Dest last window, he’s coming into this window with the disappointment of not playing regularly for club. The chances are high, he has a good window like Dest last 2 matches for the US. I was listening to a podcast, over the weekend and the sentiment was that players who play vs El Tri will be gassed for the match vs Panama. I 100% agree. I just have no confidence in GB that he will deploy his players accordingly. Example-(Defensive trios)-Horvath, w/ Miles & Zimm vs El Tri, and Steffen, w/ Brooks, & Long vs Panama. (SMH moment if Acosta is an 8 vs El Tri) This is the last roster, for the last window, for ‘22 WCQ. If this isn’t the most difficult qualifying cycle ever, then it’s surely has the most coverage.
Sonora is still starting regularly and scored against Boca Juniors, his problem like Ferreira and Aaronson is do you play him as a wing or an 8 because we don’t use a 10. He’s just early in his season it is too bad he wasn’t released in December. I’d take Jonathan Gomez over Vines but I don’t think he’s ready to commit although I feel better about his commitment than I ever did Araujo. The Busio Djordje debate I don’t think fits because they’d play different positions for the NT Busio 8, Mihailovic W. If I had to replace Busio I’d say Pomykal. I think Gio is definitely in even if it’s just to take set pieces.
Djordje hasn’t played the LM for GB yet…Anyone playing a 10 or 2nd striker, at their club, is capable of playing the LM in a 4-3-3. Example- Reyna, De la Torre, Ferreira, Sonora, Mihailovic, Williamson, Busio, Tessman, Lleget, Taylor Booth could all drop back cover for LB. Be the fulcrum from LW to LB. And link up play between defensive 1/3 to offensive 1/3. While also being a threat to attack and/or pass. I know this isn’t GB’s depth chart, it’s mine. I noticed Del Bosque’s 8’s played the 10’s, through out their club careers, so it’s not an original idea. My RM- McKennie, Musah, Roldan, Pomykal, K.Parks, Sabbi, (who’s been playing mid), BA, Sargent, (now versatile, enough to play RM), Cappis, Green. Give that more defensive work rate, late run into the box skills. 2 per 23 gives us an A, B, C, D, E squad! At the end of the day, just like you, I want the US to qualify!
Rumors going around that there will be some “new players” on the roster not sure who that will be or if it’s even true. I am sure whomever is chosen there will be outrage over the final three spots on the roster that won’t play anyway.
I’d be ok with Florian Balogun or Malik Tillman
not possible atm….neither have filed(as least from what I know)a one time switch to play for the USMNT. Malik played in the US set up for the U-15’s years ago, but since has represented Germany, so He’d have to file a switch from what I know about dual nats!
Is Duane Holmes in these rumors?