FIFA hinted at the possibility of national teams being allowed to have 26 players on their roster for the upcoming World Cup and that possibility became a reality on Thursday.
26-player rosters for the 2022 World Cup has been approved, FIFA announced Thursday, extending the rosters from 23 to 26 players. UEFA allowed for 26-player rosters at the 2021 European Championships and due to possible COVID-19 outbreaks in Qatar, FIFA has followed suit.
There were 28-player rosters also approved for the 2021 Copa America tournament in South America and at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in January. The roster size change will now send a total of 96 extra players to Qatar for the World Cup, which runs from November 21 to December 18.
European domestic seasons will pause by November 13 to allow international players to arrive in Qatar in due time for the start of group stage play. The MLS regular season will conclude on October 9 while MLS Cup is slated for November 5.
For many national team coaches, the adjustment to 26-player rosters will help many players work their way into consideration for World Cup involvement. The U.S. men’s national team is continuing to finalize its options for Qatar with only two international matches remaining before November’s group stage opener.
The USMNT faces Wales, England, and Iran in group stage play this November, which will be the Americans first World Cup involvement since 2014.
Does anyone know what the selection process will look like? In the last didn’t they call in 30, then cut the roster to 23.
Will it be the same with GB?
Bring in freaking SABBI and PEFOK
Tillman still intrigues me, even for Qatar ’22…but there’s gotta be a plan and the plan has to be “ramp it up quick.” His upside is obvious. You look at his speed, his athleticism, his burst – he just pulls away from guys that first 2-3 steps like they’re standing still in comparison – his close control, how smooth and natural he is on the ball…yeah, I remain extremely excited about the long-term potential of Malik Tillman. But I’d like to have him be useful in Qatar.
And the PROBLEM with that is, you could also definitely see Tillman was playing in a third division. His speed of thought, his processing of information, how easily he was able to insert himself into the game and keep up with it…that just wasn’t there yet, and the more he struggled to keep up, the more his confidence obviously faltered, and he’s going to have to scale up his pace of play significantly before he’s ready for the group. That part, I always discovered when coaching top youth groups, is just like an old arcade game like Frogger or Miss Pac Man and you just sort of have to get the player used to the faster levels.
(As an aside, I have noticed some players just max out at a certain point too and when the game gets too fast for them they just don’t do well. “Max pace of play” seems to be an inherent quality as well and some guys just don’t have brains that run well at fast speeds…and will always struggle when the game gets too fast and intense. I’ve always thought that’s why some guys really struggle in the Bundesliga and especially the Prem but do really well in the slightly-slower La Liga or Serie A…because they get that extra half-second on the ball and it makes all the difference to them.)
So the question to me with Tillman would be: how fast can he dial it up, and how FAR can he dial it up to? As you mentioned, a loan move would behoove him because he isn’t nearly B1 level yet, but where’s a good level for him right now? Honestly I might even eye MLS. I know the guy’s 20 but he’s effectively 18 because he lost better than a year and a half due to an ACL tear…and for an 18-year-old I think MLS is probably a better level than Europe unless he can get a loan with a Dutch or Portuguese side that has an intention of playing him.
What MLS teams might be able to use him until November? I know MLS loan moves are supposed to be “with an option to buy” but you get around that just by making the price tag on a buy move ridiculous.
(sorry, this was supposed to be a reply to Lost n Space below. apologies.)
Completely agree with your assessment. In particular your comments regarding “Max pace of play”. This is the very reason I think some players can perform so well for their club side, yet fail to transition that form to their National teams. They either cannot adapt to the players around them when not practicing with them day in day out for months….or the speed of play/thought is beyond them.
There are signs that tend to point to if a player has hit their “Max pace of play”, if its a familiarity issue, if it’s a confidence issue, or if it’s an issue of lacking experience.
The last 2 can be overcome….the first 2 represent that the player has reached the extent of their talent level.
Pepi, Ferreira, & Sargent IMO are examples of players who lack confidence/experience. They get into good positions and have had opportunities to score. But they’ve either rushed or overthought the situation at the last moment…failing to convert the opportunity. Conversely Wondo was lighting it up for his club, but could never find opportunities against international opponents. He either couldn’t find the space he needed, or made the wrong run. A more current representation of who hit ther “pace of play” are Lletget & Roldan. Both are capable of maintaining possession and moving the ball forward at their clubs but are constantly stripped of possession or backpass at the first sign of an opponent closing on them when with the USMNT. It’s why they are essentially dead ends and incapable of contributing on the field for the USMNT.
Hopefully Gregg will be smart about who he includes in the final roster. With the number of injury concerns we’ve had among the player pool he has to be pragmatic about his selections, even with the expanded roster (3 players)…
1) Everyone on the roster needs to be able to contribute on the field. We’ve had injuries in the WC that have hurt us because we had some players who were locker room guys but not able to actually contribute on the field.
2) Versatility is going to be important considering the injuries we’ve had. This should give an edge to some who can play multiple positions. The injury issues may prevent the inclusion of a specialist or development player like has been taken with the 23rd slot in past WCs.
If it were me I’d select the first 23 as if we weren’t allowed the 3 extra players (3 Keepers, 4 CBs, 4 Backs, 6 Mids, 6 Attackers). Than take an extra Striker (3rd), another CB (5th), and use the last extra slot for whichever fringe player is in the best form and/or most versatile.
All that being said I still don’t think Gregg will include Brooks and I fully expect Roldan to make the roster.
Mr. Space,
“ Everyone on the roster needs to be able to contribute on the field. We’ve had injuries in the WC that have hurt us because we had some players who were locker room guys but not able to actually contribute on the field.”
In the 23 man squad era, World Cup teams have only rarely used all 23 players.
Can you point out to me a USMNT player who was brought to any of our recent World Cups because he was a good locker room guy but he couldn’t actually contribute on the field?
I can’t think of one.
The single most obvious spot for that would be the third keeper. But Nick Rimando, for example, was a penalty stopping specialist.
And the third keeper better be able to play because , if you’re going to need him, you’re already in big trouble.
There were guys who were injured when they came but the manager was hoping against hope they could recover enough to contribute something ( Holden, Stuart), (Onyewu, Gooch).
Clay Goodson, Timmy Chandler, Mix Diskerud didn’t play a second in their World Cups but they weren’t brought because they were great in the locker room. And there were players who played a few minutes but did nothing worthy of note ( Findley, Robbie).
I don’t know if Berhalter thinks Ariolla, Roldan and Long are good locker room guys.
But even if he thinks that, that’s not why he’s taking them.
Some of you may not agree with him but he’s taking them because he thinks they can contribute to his system, not because they are the infamous “good locker room guy”.
“2) Versatility is going to be important considering the injuries we’ve had. This should give an edge to some who can play multiple positions. The injury issues may prevent the inclusion of a specialist or development player like has been taken with the 23rd slot in past WCs.”
Before 2022 the World Cup was played in the summer after a long hard season. Most squads had players carrying some form of injury already. Or they were quite worn out and thus susceptible to injury. Games came spaced together closely and were always brutal physical affairs of great intensity.
This was a recipe for subpar play from worn out players or injury of said players. An injury or two, a card or two and a team was very quickly looking at it’s depth.
Versatility has always been absolutely critical.
With Qatar coming only a month or so after European season ends it may be that the Euros will be comparatively fresh and in early season form while MLS guys will be at the end of their season and worn out. That will be interesting to keep an eye on.
The point is perhaps injuries will be less of an issue and the extra three players may not be needed as much as we feared.
Tactically, teams are subbing out more regularly than they have in the past and giving them a 26 man roster can influence their thinking in that regard.
I don’t see Berhalter bringing any more strikers than he planned to.
If you’re not in form and not scoring why would he want you anyway? Where the extra three helps is if several of our striker candidates are banging them in and he has the luxury of choosing between two or three stylistically different strikers.
Vacqui –
“Can you point out to me a USMNT player who was brought to any of our recent World Cups because he was a good locker room guy but he couldn’t actually contribute on the field?”
Historically @ WC’s: Wondo. Buddle, Findley, Davis, Spector,
In Gregg’s tenure: Ream, Roldan, Arriola, Morris (since returning from injury), Long (in camps after injury before playing a single game for his club), Moore….these have either been “Locker Room” decisions or pure favoritism by Gregg. Neither are acceptable reasons to call players who have failed to contribute or can’t contribute when there are other options that could/should have been called but weren’t.
–
“But even if he thinks that, that’s not why he’s taking them.
… he’s taking them because he thinks they can contribute to his system, not because they are the infamous “good locker room guy”.”
It’s been reported (more than once) when asked about Roldan’s inclusion in camps Gregg has made statements referencing the “Vibes” Roldan brings to the group….and that Roldan is how other new players are measured against. Considering he no longer sees the field as often since his benching in the Gold Cup (thankfully IMO) while others (Busio, Luca, etc…) have, I hold out hope that we’ve finally seen the last of him during a FIFA Windows. Unfortunately I’ve been disappointed each camp roster announcement because Roldan continues to get called.
If Gregg’s intent is to include them because they give the ball away to the opposition, kill possession through poor passing, or rash challenges….than great they’re doing exactly what Gregg wants them to do. That does not mean that they are actually contributing to the team….regardless of what Gregg may think. Gregg is suppose to be a believer in analytics, but the tape on Roldan & Arriola show that they have more negative moments than positives. I can’t understand how he, or anyone, can possible believe they are contributing positively to the team on the field.
Yes injuries, card accumulation, etc…. has always been a factor in a WC. And in the past the USMNT has been hit harder than many of the other national teams by these things. Predominantly because there was such a drastic drop in level from our starters to their back-ups. We could never realistically rotate guys without massive implications. This is the same reason in the past managers have brought guys like (Gooch, Holden, etc…) in the hopes that they’d recover in time to contribute instead of selecting someone else who is fully healthy. Currently we have some very talented depth players so we should be in a better position to rotate some guys between games which in turn should help protect against cards, and limit injuries due to being worn down/out.
–
Gregg hasn’t often deviated from his preferred 4-3-3 formation, or even changed tactics much within the formation (with the exception of Ferreira as a false 9). So I expect him to use the extra 3 players where he lacks certainty of who his best option(s) are. I pointed to the CB because since Robinson’s injury there is no clear pairing…..and if he ever does try a 3 back formation (like he said he wanted to experiment with) he’ll need more depth at that position. I pointed to CF due to the revolving door we’ve had at the position since the Gold Cup. It’s past the point where we could reliably change the tactics/formation to better suit the players we have…..so we’re stuck hoping for the best.
–
If we fan’s allow the coach/USSF to make poor decisions and not hold them accountable or voice our displeasure, than the USMNT will never take the next step in the sport. With the talent we’re starting to produce we need to expect better of the Federation, the Manager, and the players. When they make mistakes they need to be held accountable. When they routinely repeat the same mistake(s) we have to question WTH they’re doing. If they can’t/won’t change than we the fans have to press for them to be removed.
Mr. Space,
“Can you point out to me a USMNT player who was brought to any of our recent World Cups because he was a good locker room guy but he couldn’t actually contribute on the field?”
“Historically @ WC’s: Wondo. Buddle, Findley, Davis, Spector,”
Sorry but not even close.
Neither you nor I can prove these guys were good locker room guys or not.
Those guys did not contribute as much as everyone had hoped they would but there is no evidence that the manager brought them for their locker room goodness or because of the kind of bald faced favoritism that Berhalter is often accused of.
The evidence suggests that they were brought because the manager, right or wrong, thought they could play.
JK, right or wrong, thought Wondo would come good in the World Cup. He wasn’t brought for his “good locker room guy-ness”.
Wondo was getting lots of compliments for his “movement”. Landon, in the World Cup camp and before he got cut said Wondo was the best guy in camp. The great John Terry was also impressed.
“Wondolowski is maybe in the same category as a player like England’s Gary Lineker, one of those classic goal poachers. But what Wondo doesn’t get enough credit for is his movement off the ball and constant running. It’s something John Terry witnessed first hand and complimented Wondolowski on when Chelsea faced off against the MLS All-Star team about a year ago:”
I read a lot from people here commenting on Ferreira in the same way. The thing is, those people aren’t John Terry, who should know about evaluating offensive players.
Ferreira is going to Qatar. Hopefully, he doesn’t remind us of Wondo in a bad way.
Buddle and Findley (and Herc) were brought to South Africa because of the panic over the loss of car crashed CD9’s productivity.
Findley was speedy and it was thought he could stretch defenses like Chuckie did. He started the England game and was replaced by Buddle in the 77th minute. He started the Slovenia game was replaced at the half by Benny. Same with the Ghana game. The chances given to him suggest Bob thought he just might be a viable CD9 replacement, but it didn’t work out.
Buddle was red hot for the Galaxy scoring 9 goals in the run up to roster selection day in June. Herc was similarly hot in Mexico. Both of them had their minutes in South Africa.
Desperation? Maybe. But locker room good guys, favoritism or corruption as the reason for their inclusion?
Not likely.
Brad Davis was included by JK because he was seen as a dead ball specialist, something Berhalter could use.
https://www.dynamotheory.com/2014/6/9/5793326/world-cup-2014-brad-davis-usmnt
I’ve seen Davis’ free kicks and at his best, its hard to disagree with that opinion.
It didn’t work out against Germany because he was sick but a starring role as the “good guy in the locker room”? Davis was the outsider in that 2014 mix so expecting him to contribute as a “good guy in the locker room” would have been asking for a lot.
Spector had been and still was a regular in the EPL for 4 years before he went to South Africa. I’m not sure but I think he might have been leading that squad in terms of most minutes in EPL games played up to that point. He was also Bradley’s starting right back in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa the year before. At the time he was arguably also the most versatile player on that roster capable of playing right and left back center back, midfield and center forward. His overall quality and his versatility were reason enough to bring him. He would have been on the 2006 roster as well except for a shoulder injury.
I have no idea what Spector was like in the locker room.
“In Gregg’s tenure:“….Locker Room” decisions or pure favoritism by Gregg.–…Neither are acceptable reasons to call players who have failed to contribute or can’t contribute when there are other options that could/should have been called but weren’t.”
I’m on record as saying Ariolla gives the opponents another defender. Paul kills our offense very well. He’s where the ball goes to die. I’ve also said Christian Roldan may not be the best Roldan. I get your point and I agree with you.
And you’re probably right but not yet.
We don’t know who he’s bringing because he hasn’t announced his roster. You’re jumping the gun.
“Yes injuries, card accumulation, etc…. has always been a factor in a WC. And in the past the USMNT has been hit harder than many of the other national teams by these things.
That’s untrue.
Lots of other national teams have little to no depth like us.
The difference with the USMNT is we almost always make the World Cup anyway because of crap opposition we have to beat up in the cupcake WC qualifying for CONCACAF. So, when we get to the World Cup and Charlie Davies is car crashed beforehand, Stu Holden is leg broken, Gooch is ACL’ed or Jozy is hamstrung our weaknesses quickly get exposed.
Those other depthless national teams?
They get weeded out before the World Cup.
“Gregg hasn’t often deviated from his preferred 4-3-3 formation, or even changed tactics much within the formation (with the exception of Ferreira as a false 9). So, I expect him to use the extra 3 players where he lacks certainty of who his best option(s) are. I pointed to the CB because since Robinson’s injury there is no clear pairing……and if he ever does try a 3 back formation (like he said he wanted to experiment with) he’ll need more depth at that position. I pointed to CF due to the revolving door we’ve had at the position since the Gold Cup. It’s past the point where we could reliably change the tactics/formation to better suit the players we have……so we’re stuck hoping for the best.”
Even now, I think a good coach could come in and make a few tweaks and get a better performance at Qatar than what it looks like we’re going to get.
That manager might even be Berhalter if he suddenly has a religious experience and gets converted to the church of “make use of your players best assets and play sensible attractive attacking soccer.”
You never know and I’m not holding my breath.
I’m just saying there’s still time for Berhalter or someone else to make something of this group.
“If we fan’s allow the coach/USSF to make poor decisions and not hold them accountable or voice our displeasure, than the USMNT will never take the next step in the sport. With the talent we’re starting to produce we need to expect better of the Federation, the Manager, and the players. When they make mistakes they need to be held accountable. When they routinely repeat the same mistake(s) we have to question WTH they’re doing. If they can’t/won’t change than we the fans have to press for them to be removed. The USSF has proven time and again that they do not give shit what the fans will “allow”.
The USSF has proven time and again and again that they do not give a shit what the fans will “allow”.
Did we fans “allow” Jackson Yueill a run of 16 games to prove he was shit? I had nothing to do with that.
After the worst disaster in US soccer, the USSF followed that by putting rebuilding the program in the hands of a man who not only had zero experience as an international manager but wasn’t particularly noteworthy as a club manager and who was the brother of their CEO.
They put the rebuild the hands of a man who was learning on the job.
In principle I don’t have a problem with giving someone new a chance but it’s been obvious for a long time that Berhalter is making it up as he goes along. It shows.
But he still has time to make it right.
Vacquia and Lost – GGG has changed his tactics in the last 4 games from qualifying and IMO for the better. There are still 7 to 8 spots open. If he was happy with how qualifying went, he wouldn’t still be auditioning players. While the June camp showed a lot, it was mostly in a negative light as the players he brought in to show they could contribute and improve the team mostly showed the opposite so he is still looking for players. The players you say are his favorites will only be on the team if other players don’t step up. Most of the auditioning for the last 7 to 8 spots will be done by club performances so people playing 2nd division in Italy, Spain, and Germany are probably out of the picture. I would expect England 2nd division players would still be given consideration.
“Most of the auditioning for the last 7 to 8 spots will be done by club performances so people playing 2nd division in Italy, Spain, and Germany are probably out of the picture. I would expect England 2nd division players would still be given consideration.”
Maybe. But drawing such a hard line on where players play in terms of evaluating them does not make sense for a team as lacking in depth as the USMNT.
A case by case basis makes more sense.
If Josh and Pepi both come out of the gate on fire does that mean Josh is in and Pepi is out?
Had he not transferred to Leeds(Salzburg were not looking to sell him) would Aaronson not have been on the team because the Austrian BL is crap?
Switzerland #14 has a UEFA coefficient ranked below Scotland. Where does that leave Pefok?
Scotland is ranked #9 , four spots above Belgium.
That means take CCV and not EPB?
Portugal is ranked #6 while Turkey is #20.
Good for Cannon and thumbs down for Yedlin and Hadji?
No matter where they play, Berhalter isn’t drowning in so much productive talent that he can afford to ignore anyone who is hot and in form in the months and weeks leading up to selection day, especially anyone who has a previous history with the USMNT or plays a position of need.
Everyone had Jordan dead and buried until that last minute goal. Now he has a chance.
There’s still time left in that regard.
Vacqui- I dont know. Most of the players you mentioned as examples aren’t playing in the leagues I mentioned. Pepi didn’t get relegated, Cannon plays in Portugal, etc. The three leagues I mentioned are leagues that are lower quality in MLS. How can someone show they can compete against WC caliber competition playing in those leagues? Because of Nations League, the last two friendlies are against teams worse than any team in the US group so not too much can be learned about someone’s ability to contribute against the expected competition at the WC there either. The specific players I was referring to are Bello, Moore, JGomez (although looks like he has decided to play for Mexico), Busio, and Tessman. While Scally was probably the worst player on the field for 90 minutes against Uruguay and 45 minutes against Morocco, he still probably has a better chance of making the WC than Bello because he has the ability to show he can play against WC level talent for his club team and Bello doesn’t. If Gregg has to pick between Roldan and another player he doesn’t think can contribute on the field at the WC, he would probably take Roldan (Busio for instance), but I agree with you he is not taking a player he doesn’t think can contribute over one he thinks can. Same for Arriolla. To me it seems pretty clear that Gregg does not think Roldan can contribute on the field at the WC because he didn’t play him in either friendly and it is hard to imagine him coming away with any other opinion that that for Arriola as well.
I suspect we will see 3 strikers now. Will be interesting to see what players play themselves into contention before the WC.
Ferreira is probably in at this point even if he goes ice-cold over the second half of the season just because he’s a known quantity. We know his movement’s good. We know he links up and connects with most of the other key players well.
As for the other two? My horse sense: I think Berhalter decides, hey, I’ve got a young group, I built them to hustle and chase and press, and I’m going to double down on that. Ferreira’s a good pressing striker. I think Berhalter ultimately goes for a target guy…and another pressing striker. And even though he can’t find the back of the net to save his own life, it wouldn’t shock me if that ended up being Josh Sargent. Sargent does everything else well except score goals and he’s well-versed in Berhalter’s system.
Our target man is probably between Pepi and Wright and maybe Dike. Bringing two of them seems extraneous and probably unlikely. I don’t see it being Pefok…and unless Dike is just setting the world aflame and neither Pepi nor Wright is doing anything, I’d say Dike’s got some ground to make up.
Agree Ferreira is most likely a roster lock at this point. After him I think it will come down to how the Euro guys start the new season, and the confidence of the players. Both Pepi & Sargent clubs were relegated to the 2nd divisions. If they start the new season quick and regain their confidence/nose for goal I’d say they’re the 2 that get selected due to their familiarity with the players, their ability to combine well with the rest of the attackers (Pulisic, Weah, Reyna, Aaronson), and their movements off the ball. Sargent in particular is a tireless worker on the press which fits what Gregg wants. A dark horse is Malik Tillman….Gregg used him in the midfield, but his Club & Germany were using him as a striker. If that continues and he gets minutes (loaned) I could see him making the roster.
Dike & Pefok on the other hand are too direct and are too lethargic on the press for Gregg’s desired strategies/style. I don’t see them making up enough ground unless both Pepi & Sargent are still starving for goals in the 2nd division.
Lastly an MLS longshot could be Vázquez. He appears to be making some headway and if he gets an audition in Sept. and gels I could see him sneak in.