Gregg Berhalter pulled a few surprises with the final choices for his U.S. men’s national team World Cup roster, but he largely stuck with a collection of players he knows very well to represent the USMNT in Qatar.
Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna headline the 26-player roster for the World Cup, joining Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest and Tim Weah in making up the nucleus of the American squad.
The biggest surprises among the omissions include goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who was left out while Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath and Sean Johnson made up the goalkeeper selections.
Haji Wright beat out Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok among striker options for Berhalter, who selected the Antalyaspor striker to join Jesus Ferreira and Josh Sargent on the roster.
Defensively, Tim Ream and Shaq Moore were among the surprise inclusions, while Mark McKenzie and Reggie Cannon were among the defenders who missed out, along with injured central defender Chris Richards.
DeAndre Yedlin is the only player on the roster with prior World Cup experience, having played on the USMNT squad in the 2014 World Cup.
Here is the full 26-man USMNT roster that will compete in the World Cup, starting with the opening match against Wales (Nov. 21), followed by group-stage matches against England (Nov. 25) and Iran (Nov. 29).
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town/ENG; 8/0; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 10/0; Lilburn, Ga.), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG; 20/0; Park Ridge, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 11/0; Southend-on-Sea, England), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan/ITA; 19/2; Almere, Netherlands), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 29/3; Oak Hills, Calif.), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 15/1; Powder Springs, Ga.), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 46/1; St. Louis, Mo.), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 29/2; Liverpool, England), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 3/0; Lake Grove, N.Y.), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF; 75/0; Seattle, Wash.), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 33/3; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 24/6; Medford, N.J.), Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 53/2; Plano, Texas), Tyler Adams (Leeds United/ENG; 32/1; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 12/0; San Diego, Calif.), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 37/9; Little Elm, Texas), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 19/0; London, England), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 32/0; Pico Rivera, Calif.)
FORWARDS (7): Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 15/7; McKinney, Texas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 49/11; Mercer Island, Wash.), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 52/21; Hershey, Pa.), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 14/4; Bedford, N.Y.), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 20/5; O’Fallon, Mo.), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 25/3; Rosedale, N.Y.), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor/TUR; 3/1; Los Angeles, Calif.)
Anybody know where the team is meeting up before going to Qatar (Europe?) and when they plan to go to Qatar?
MLS guys appear to have flown in to Qatar today.
The fact that some are complaining about players 21-26 is pretty hilarious, considering that our best players Pulisic, Weah, Reyna, Aaronson, Adams, Musah, McKennie, Sargent, Dest(muscle tightness is all), Jedi and Turner are all healthy and together for the first time EVER, but don’t let that big tidbit get in the way in favor of rants about Ferreira, Roldan and Long. 17/9 ratio of Euros/MLSers is a good one, but somehow some seem to think we have the depth of the England’s and Brazil’s of the world, news flash, we don’t, so this is about as good as we could have hoped for sans Miles Robinson and Chris Richards
agreed…
Roldan is asked to play a role of super sub, like it or not he played that role well last summer…Long hasn’t been playing well but in watching him play it looked more like fatigue….first season after his injury…helps create chances, yes he needs to finish but he is useful..
My concern with this roster is that they will most likely need to rely on many players. Dest has not been playing recently. De La Torre has been injured (not in lineup again today) and has hardly played many minutes. McKennie recently injured and just back training (not in lineup today). Reyna has finally come back from injury but has yet to put in a full 90. Weah has recently come back from injury and finally played 90. Sargent was out some for an injury. Pulisic is usually good for 1 or 2 games before injury bug hits. Turner finally back from injury but yet to play since coming back. Not sure we can expect a large number of players to play big minutes in 3 straight games. I think we have a very strong starting 11, but how often can we put those 11 out there for big minutes.
no doubt about it, player rotations huge, right up there with tactics that fit the equation game to game and within the games (re. our layers, the opponents strengths/weaknesses, etc.)
Locker room attitude and belief the number 1 piece of any USMNT successful recipe imo
*re. our Players
CP (and all) directing his feelings into awesome expression on the field and in the locker room, you know, with something to prove, even a chip on the shoulder as long as it doesn’t lead to stupid rash expressions (from anyone) but instead focused soccer awesomeness and belief from all together
from there anything is possible
So Jedi Ream Zimmerman Dest vs. England
with Tyler above them and Turner behind
in that game, I expect CP to play the most inspired game of his career for many reasons, with Yunus Weston Gio and Brendan filling it all out
but first
Wales
does GB go with the 4 3 3 pressure in this one, with Long/Ferreira in the 11? maybe
I think the bigger question is what is he going to do with Aaronson. I don’t see how you keep that guy off the field. I read an article earlier (I think it was Matt Doyle but now I can’t find it) and it said Aaronson is in the 94th percentile in some stat like dangerous chances created or something to that effect.
Now that both Reyna and Weah are healthy and he’s listed BA as a mid, I’m wondering if starting him over Weston vs Wales is a possibility, then the opposite vs England..
I know the saying that these are champagne problems (quoting Lalas quoting Tata I think)…
I’m guessing I’m in the minority….
As far as your questions, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Long vs Wales, but Ream vs England because I expect they will have more possession.
Then again, GB is full of head scratchers so who knows
Bac, great stuff always from you, appreaciated
squad rotations…nice champagne probem. GB has some cards to deal
so let’s see
Bizzy, Where are you? You got both Haji Wright and Tim Ream.
I sure did!!!!! Just gonna sit back and enjoy the show from here…..lol
Have a feeling Pepi will be with the U20’s this summer. If that’s the case then the U20 team is going to very, very good at the U20 WC.
No Pepi, Pefok, or Tillman over Roldan and Ferreira. Fire this 🤡 after the cup wow. He also has put our players in awful positions for venue. Muddy El salvador game . That cold game in Minnesota against Honduras was asinine and players got injured from that weather. GGG also does not like players who first language is not English. I want a coach that is accepting and patient with everyone. Another example look at how he talked badly about Haji in that press conference for no reason when he was not trying to get injured in that muddy El Salvador game.
Ummm you know Gregg didn’t pick the venue in El Salvador right? What was he supposed to do forfeit? And no one got hurt in Minnesota (please don’t try Turner, Matt himself debunked that one). Not sure about your language rant, Sergino Dest and Jesus Ferreira seem to counter that argument. If Berhalter doesn’t like non native English speakers why did he recruit Pefok and Pepi in the first place?
Everytime you respond, you miss my point and respond with a non rational sharp response lol, its baffling and hilarious at the same time. Pepi is a native English speaker! I was talking about Pefok and Tillman. It dont matter if he recruited them, he didnt pick them and they are the better options that are in form. Also everyone in Holland and the Dutch Antilles speak English my ex girlfriend was from curacao and she was part Native Indigenous Venezuelan and spoke English, Dutch, Spanish, and Papmento. Again you miss my point and everyone else’s, it was not a rant its facts!
“Berhalter doesn’t like players whose first language isn’t English”. Dest’s first language isn’t English. Well that doesn’t count because his second language is English. Guess who also speaks English? Germans and French. Do you know who also speaks Dutch, Spanish, and German? Gregg Berhalter!
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Why wouldn’t Berhalter pick them? Instead of looking for nonsensical conspiracy theories, let’s look at the facts. Pefok 1g for the NT in 10 appearances (against Honduras last place team in Ocho). Last 10 matches for Union 0g 1a not at all in good form. Since Jordan’s last goal Haji has scored 4 times. Berhalter said they were looking to bring one strong post up forward. Haji is in good form Jordan is not. It has nothing to do with his language or cultural background. Berhalter said Wright is also more versatile because he can finish with his head and both feet, has more pace, and can go one v one as well as be physical which Jordan does. As for Tillman as I mentioned below he’s not an 8 and he’s definitely not a 6, so he’s not versatile. Musah, McKennie, and Luca all drop deep next Adams at times to defend then help move the ball forward. Roldan isn’t going to be great at the progression part but he can defend. The only position Malik can play is the same one as Pulisic, Reyna, and Aaronson.
“He also has put our players in awful position for venue. Muddy El Salvador game”. What point were you trying to make?
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“That cold game in Minnesota was asinine and players got injured?” Who? What were the injuries?
GB explained his decision to pick Wright, whom I didn’t even think was being considered. He wanted a strong, physical, athletic presence for what appears to be late game subs. He has 9 goals this year, while Pefok hasn’t scored in several weeks, and hasn’t looked good recently.
As for Minneapolis, I say it was about time. The home team picks the time and venue in WCQ, and how many times do we go to CA and play at midday stifling heat in a subpar venue. Next cycle, book games in Alaska until the CA teams get the memo.
You know jack $hit about soccer, every time you comment on here you sound dumber each time.
Striker91 is learning that a large percentage of the morons who post here are drunk a$$hats shitposting random thoughts as if they’re the second coming of Sir Alex and then coming back to nitpick others. It’s a fan site guys. You’re bringing Ives’ numbers down by picking on the new guys, but ok, have your fun. 😀
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Striker: I enjoy your reactions… even if I don’t always agree with them.
If people want to argue this player vs that player that’s fair. Below I tried to give Striker and others an explanation even if I didn’t particularly agree with Berhalter. But when you throw out just plain misinformation about Berhalter not picking guys because of their language you open yourself to being blasted. That somehow Gregg recruited Malik just 6 months ago and then suddenly realized “oh you speak German I don’t like German speakers, no cup for you!” is ridiculous.
Striker: Pefok has a little nagging injury that he has been playing through but that’s not the reason why GB did not select him. The reason he did not select him is because he just does not rate him. It would have not mattered if Pekof had 8-10 goals in the Bundesliga or anywhere else, he would have not chosen him. Instead of saying that he is not in form at the moment, he would have just reverted back to saying that he doesn’t fit the system. This is just how GB rolls. GB never had any intentions of choosing Pefok. Pefok is starting for a top Bundesliga team not the Turkish or the Dutch league that are more striker friendly leagues. The Bundesliga is not the easiest league to score a lot of goals, period. Well, I wish the US the best with their selected striker pool.
have ever watched a Turkish league game?…pretty physical…the defense in Dutch league isn’t the best….(there’s a reason jozy altidore scored the most goals of his career there)….
it seems that GB rated Pefok and Wright as similar players and he chose the speed factor and 1v1 ability of Wright…FWIW
Haji may only show up in the 2nd half in the last 15…similar to what Pefok had been doing …
GGG picking Roldan over Tillman is an awful decision. Tillman has been in better form and has not had any injury issues. GGG gotta go after this cycle we need new life.
Depends if we’re inverting the triangle to a 4-2-3-1. If that’s the case you can’t play Tillman as a 6 underneath Reyna or Aaronson as the 10. I never understood why Gregg tried playing Malik as an 8 anyway he hasn’t really done that for Bayern or Rangers. He’s a second striker or tucked in winger. I do think the reason Roldan is there is because he’s a good dude and really helps the other CMs get things figured out. I know the “hire him as an assistant” idea but I don’t think that’s realistic and might not even be allowed under collective bargaining agreement.
Roldan most likely doesn’t get off the bench in Qatar. He is a spare part. Tillman is still a raw talent. Give him another year or two, and he will become a mainstay on the team.
I agree.
Tillman still has a ways to go before he can be a consistent player for the NT, and he wouldn’t have played much just like Roldan won’t play, because they are considered bottom of the roster guys. Haji can operate and score goals in multiple ways, unlike Pefok who is more of a poacher and scores more readily from headers. Given some of these decisions, what’s clear to me is we will look to counter attack more than we did in wcq, which suits us better at a tourney like the WC where we will not be dominating the ball except for the Wales game as such Haji and the other ST’s make more sense! All of this other garbage about not speaking english, etc is just that, garbage
Ronnie – if US needs to kill off a game, don’t be surprised if Roldan plays. Roldan wasn’t selected over Tillman or anybody people are complaining about. He is a 2 way midfielder; essentially 1 of 5 on the roster with 2 coming back from injury, one with a history of injuries and fatigue, and one who is not a very good defender. He made the roster ahead of Johnny. Not sure if there were really any other options.
Hearing Pepi might have some type of injury issue.
It seems like he had a mandate to include as many MLS players as he could. Ferreirra, Roldan and Morris are just not intl quality. There are simply better players.
Morris is.
Yes. If he is back from injury. Is he?
Some of our best runs in the tournament came with a lot of MLS players on the team. (2002)
Every country has a lot of domestic based players. We have what maybe only 1/3rd the roster. So 2/3rds play in Europe. I think this is a great mix. Just because someone plays in MLS doesn’t mean they are trash. With some exception lol
I don’t think anyone has a problem with picking MLS players.
I think people have a problem with picking so so players if better ones are available.
I don’t care where Roldan plays. It’s hard to imagine that there isn’t a better player than him on this planet.
His USMNT career his been distinguished by outstanding anonymity and exceptional mediocrity. I hear he’s fantastic in the locker room. Great. Then bring him as an assistant coach, you love him so much.
Pepi>Morris Pefok>Morris Tilman>Roldan Mijalovic>Roldan Busio>Roldan Trusty>Long Erik Palmer Brown>Long Brooks>Long I dont even thin most of these are really up for debate.
-Morris isn’t playing CF so the Pefok or Pepi comparison is irrelevant.
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-Mihailovic isn’t a box to box guy so the comparison of him to Roldan is irrelevant. If you want Djordje you have to compare him to the tucked in Wingers-Reyna, Pulisic, Aaronson. Busio 0g 0a had a couple minor injuries only played 7 of 12 matches for 19th place team in Serie B. Global Football Rankings has Venezia ranked worse than all MLS teams except Houston and DC United. I thought we’d see Tillman above Roldan, I would guess it’s because he’s not a natural 8 and if we’re inverting the triangle to a 4-2-3–1 he can’t play that 6 role much the same as Mihailovic and Aaronson or Wes are going to be the 10 spot in that formation.
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Trusty has been in 2 camps and never played. So they saw him 12 months ago and didn’t see him above Henry Kessler. He was fairly average in Colorado. Suddenly goes to England and finds lightning in a bottle in a 3 back system. His ceiling at this point in his career is way higher than Long at this point. However to drop him into his first cap in the WC with only a few months of success in the Championship that seems like a much deeper floor and setting the guy up for failure. EPB has been in 4 camps for Berhalter and played two times for a total of 55 minutes. 10 as an emergency RB and 45 sketchy minutes against Uruguay.
Brooks has played 1 minute of first team football this year and 120 minutes against a Portuguese 4th division team. We don’t have any idea if current Brooks can still play or not.
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I wouldn’t take Roldan, Morris, or Long but the replacements are hardly no brainers. You either play guys out of position or play guys with just as many questions. I probably would have taken Williamson over Roldan, I guess I’d leave Morris as a desperation Bull in a China shop need a goal from sheer will, Long replaced by McKenzie but purely for the Orange Slices content.
what Johnny Razor said
Vacquia – while you may not have a problem with MLS players, there is a lot of evidence that many people who post on this site and other sites do.
Yawn. Didn‘t you get the message. The US is getting fed up with conspiracy nuts…..finally.
Isn’t LDLT injured pretty badly? I get a gamble with Mckennie injury status bc he is so essential but seems like a spot wasted for de la torre, who isn’t even that good when healthy.
GB can still make changes with respect to injuries until the 20th, I beleive.
Ah ok thanks for clarifying! So we could see a couple changes.
believe
up to 24hrs before the first game actually, so yeah the 20th LOL
He is back in I believe full training with Celta.
Gregg said in presser “Luca was at 95%. That he likely wouldn’t be fit to go 90 in opener vs Wales.” Let’s be honest he wasn’t likely to go 90 vs Wales before the injury.
LDLT inured with one leg, blindfolded and arms tied behind his back > Roldan
The roster is out and it is what it is. However, the two players, Ferreira and Long, who will start for the U.S., should not even be on the team. Ferreira has only scored against Grenada and Panama and that’s it. He is a pretty good MLS player but struggles at the international level. Long was pretty good before his injury, but now he struggles playing against MLS teams. He’s the biggest liability in the back.
Now, every time GB speaks, s – – comes out of his mouth. He stated that his decision for not to bring in Pefok was based on form; but when he was tearing it up, it was because he didn’t fit the system. If he is going to pick players based on form, how does Morris get selected over Pepi? And I do not know how Roldan makes it over Tillman but nobody is surprised. The only good thing is that Roldan will rot on the bench. The only way I see Roldan actually playing is if the US loses its first two games and it losing 2-0 to Iran.
I rather have seen Pepi, Pefok in and Ferreira and Morris out. Strikers: Sargent, Wright, Pepi, Pefok.
Once the WC begins, I will support the US 100%. I still have that funny feeling that they just might make it out of the group. Ferreira and Long starting is just too scary. Go USA and fire GB after the WC, ASAP.
Thoughts on:
Johnson over Steffen
Moore over Cannon
Long over Sands
Roldan over Tillman
Morris over Arriola; &
Ferreira &/or Wright over Pepi &/or Pefok?
These decisions are never easy, but just makes me wonder about depth choices. Your insight is appreciated. Thank you!
Jonson over Steffen – Was a flip of the coin, but I kind of get this. Steffen has been pretty bad as of late making a number of errors for club & country and is injury prone. Johnson is what he is (a decent shot stopper) but has been relatively healthy and may be a better locker-room guy due to his age. Neither should see the field, so I don’t really care.
Moore over Cannon – Another one I can kind of understand. Cannon’s club has mostly been using him as a RCB in a back 3, so he’s not as keyed to what GGG wants from his fullbacks. Moore (after transfer to MLS) was playing well as an attacking RB and kind of better fits Gregg’s tactics.
Long over Sands – personally wouldn’t have taken either of them. If I’d been forced to select one or the other I’d have gone w/ Sands as he can play in a 3 back system and also provide depth at CDM if needed. Long’s inclusion is 100% Gregg’s favoritism. He should have been out of the USMNT picture a while ago based on form alone….but Gregg will do anything to protect “His Guys”.
Morris over Arriola – apparently Arriola has a nock of some kind. It must have been worse than reported is the only think I can think of. I don’t care for either one, and wouldn’t have included either, so not overly concerned with this selection.
Roldan over Tillman – Another bit of favoritism by Gregg. Tillman as a depth piece could have provided cover at CM, RM, or CM. Roldan can do absolutely nothing. If the intent was Roldan as back-up to Luca (injury)….than I’m even more disappointed as that implies that Roldan could actually see the field. And that scares the F**K out of me while also proving that Gregg has no business as a National Team coach…..EVER.
Ferreira over ? – I kind of get Jesus’s inclusion as he can play in multiple positions (CF, ACM, RW)…but I don’t think he should be a starter. Unfortunately Gregg will start him at least 2x.
Wright over Pepi/Pefok – I personally don’t get. Wright may currently have the most goals of US players in Europe, but it’s in one of the weakest leagues. Pepi (after a long cold spell) is finally started to show his raw talent and is getting goals & assists while doing a lot of the dirty work that Gregg’s system requires of a CF. Pefok has cooled off, but he gives you a different look/style of play than any of the other CF’s in our pool. But since Gregg will never change tactics Pefok was always going to be a long shot.
“Wright over Pepi/Pefok – I personally don’t get.” I don’t get it either.
Gregg did not mention an injury in his presser. Said with all the other wingers available (for first time in a long time) Arriola wasn’t good enough. If there was an injury Gregg would have used it to cover for player he has always shown great appreciation for.
“Wait Gregg always protects his guys?” – signed Zach Steffen, Wil Trapp, Sebi Lleget, Jackson Yueill, Daniel Lovitz, Reggie Cannon, Gyasi Zardes, Jonathan Lewis, and George Bello.
One thing I’ll say – I personally had Wright as our #3 striker…ahead of Pepi at the moment. I like Pepi, I like his nose for goal, I like those instincts he has you really can’t teach…against top competition he vanishes. He needs to fill out a little and refine his game in several areas, IMHO…Pepi at 23 may be a starter for us, Pepi at 19 isn’t quite ready for the World Cup, IMHO. I think Wright probably tops out as a banger for a Championship side or as a DP for an MLS team but that ain’t nothin’ to sneer at, either. Me, personally…I probably would have brought Pepi as well – I think a fourth striker would be potentially more useful than a third right back – but it is what it is.
Tillman’s another one whose potential for 2026 is manifest and he could well be one of our top 2-3 guys by then…but again, he’s a hot-and-cold sometimes-starter for Rangers right now, kind of right on the border of being useful to us. I’d have definitely taken him over Roldan or Morris, though. Again, it is what it is.
Other than those minor quibbles…I’d say Gregg did almost entirely what I would have done. I too would have gone with Horvath and Johnson over Steffen, who frankly just has not looked great to me at any point over the last two years…and it’s obvious Johnson is a vastly more likeable guy and more positive locker-room presence than the perpetually dour Steffen.
From the looks of things, it looks like the last guy at each position – Johnson, Ream, Shaq Moore (and Yedlin to some extent), Roldan, Morris, and Haji Wright – were all taken with the idea of how they’d help the locker room and overall squad chemistry almost more than how they’d contribute on the field. Which as a coach I definitely understand as well. Having a tightknit group that likes each other and grooves well genuinely MATTERS in a grueling tournament, you don’t just build a group like you’re playing EA Sports FIFA Soccer.
I’ve never been so down about the US’ prospects before. I mean we’re not playing Grenada here… Iran is one of the top teams in Asia/ME. He wanted the top American scorer in Turkey but not the top American striker in the BUNDESLIGA? smdh
What Mike Rk said…
Hasn’t scored in last 10 matches with only 1 assist during that time. Word is he’s still battling nagging injuries.
You are absolutely correct about those nagging injuries.
I agree.
Greg obviously values teammates knowing each other since there is a lack of time for preparation or games which brings the question how the fuck did Mexico lineup a Friendly tonight? You’re telling me Greg couldn’t have figured out the nine MLS players he was going to take and see if he could squeeze two or three Europeans for an early release and lineup a game for safe Friday night somewhere on the East Coast against someone from central America just to get them some familiar already together and give them some type of small cohesion? Like has been said he’s got too cute with this lineup there were other lineups I would’ve chosen about 5 real surprises
Mr. 69,
“You’re telling me Greg couldn’t have figured out the nine MLS players he was going to take and see if he could squeeze two or three Europeans for an early release and lineup a game for safe Friday night”
Overall a bad idea.
You weigh how much extra “values teammates knowing each other” you can get from a game like that ( probably won’t get any of our core players) vs. the risk of getting our guys hurt or disrupting their rehabilitation schedules.
The risks far outweigh any so called benefits to players who in the case of the MLS guys already know each other very well. I don’t know which Euro guys you had in mind but at this point Gregg already has as much data he needs.
No matter what he does he’s going to piss someone off.
90 extra minutes in your proposed made up game isn’t going to change anything and is just grasping at straws.
What you have to do now is pray for an injury so your guy or guys have a shot.
Mexico’s final roster will have at least half roster in Liga Mx or MLS. This US roster has largely been playing together since NL in 2021 one friendly using mostly guys who won’t be on the roster wouldn’t help build “togetherness”.
I get your thinking…but…no
I see the reasoning here. All of the attackers have athleticism and speed. He knows that that is needed. We are going to sit back a bit more and counter and then pick and choose when to press and force the opposing team to cough up the ball and hit fast on the break. So yea these selections make a lot of sense.
Excited to see the team play.
That is the best explanation. Switching it up at the last minute is not an encouraging sign. Still…. USA! USA!
The player selection is over. Who starts where is still open, but my support for the team is there no matter.
To the tune of “The Gambler”
You don’t whine about players when they’re playin’ on the squad
There’ll be time enough for whining when the playin’s done.
– Biggest surprise to me is Haji Wright over Pepi and Pefok. GB stating Wright in good form and short prep time. Did anyone really have him in the top 3?
– Never envisioned Steffan out of the top 3. But thinking Turner & Horvath are top 2.
– GB listed Reyna listed at striker and Aaronson as MF, hinting at tactics.
Otherwise, the 2nd youngest and definitely the strongest we’ve ever sent to the WC.
Super surprised about Pepi. I have the sneaking suspicion that GGG picked a lot of these guys for vibes only, as if to say, “we aren’t going to win it, so let’s bring a bunch of guys who like each other.”
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Not sure why people are upset by Morris though. He’s giddy just to be there.
Mr. Otis,
What makes you think the USMNT leadership “mean girls” dislike Pepi?
Vacqui:
Huh?
Mr. Otis,
You wrote:
“I have the sneaking suspicion that GGG picked a lot of these guys for vibes only, as if to say, “we aren’t going to win it, so let’s bring a bunch of guys who like each other.”
You’re implying that the ones who were left out , like Pepi,
were not liked by the ones who made it.
… Huh?
“Like each other” doesn’t mean they don’t like guys who were left off. And it’s the coach making the decision.
…
Mr.Otis,
Okay right, sure, whatever you say.
Someone had a bad day lol. Lay off the sauce and take a nap 😀
Watched GB’s press conference and some good commentary from a few analysts, and can see Steffan’s exclusion shouldn’t have been such a big shock. Steffan has been up and down, while these three are consistent and in good form. Wright and Pefok were compared head to head, and Pefok’s form has dropped in the last several weeks, while Wright is now excelling. All stated the importance of string, physical presence up front, and competing in physical games every week, and Sargent is favored over Pepi for that reason. So, the rationale makes more sense after more reflection.
Have to like this group. Outside of some untimely injuries at CB, it is pretty solid.
Present
Think Behalter got to cute. Terrible choices Ferreira Morris and Wright over Pepi? Shaq Moore? At least I don’t have to plan around a second round game. I don’t see this lineup getting more than 1 tie and 2 losses.
Iran will be UP for that last game. Not seeing us getting out of the group.
Mr. Rk,
In this World Cup it will be about the first 16 players, 11 plus the five subs.
Which means there are possibly 10 players who may see little to 0 playing time.
A lot depends on how much rotation the USMNT can do and still keep a cohesive unit on the field.
I expect 3 steel cage death matches in this group but the Wales game will tell you right way what their chances are for advancing.
Lose and they will definitely need to beat both England and Iran to advance.
Draw and they will still probably need to beat both England and Iran to be safe.
Win and they “only” will need to take 4 points from England and Iran to insure advancement.
V – I think prob more like 18 field players. Subs will be different depending on if the game is tied, US is winning, or US is losing. For instance if US is winning, Acosta, roldan, and Moore would be likely substitutes as opposed to LDLT and Reyna (if reyna is on the bench) whereas the opposite if US losing. I think Roldan will play if US is winning so I am hoping to see Roldan on the field.