The U.S. men’s national team left two points on the table in its Concacaf Gold Cup opener on Saturday and will now hope for a more convincing performance on Wednesday against Saint Kitts and Nevis.
B.J. Callaghan’s squad needed an 88th minute equalizer from Brandon Vazquez to tie Jamaica at Soldier Field, overcoming a first-half deficit against the Reggae Boyz. Now, Saint Kitts and Nevis faces off with the USMNT in St. Louis, with both teams fighting for their first three points of the competition.
Rotation could be key in the USMNT starting lineup after several players logged 90+ minutes on Saturday including James Sands, Jesus Ferreira, DeAndre Yedlin, and Matt Miazga. Both Vazquez and Cade Cowell delivered positive performances off the bench while Gianluca Busio, DeJuan Jones, and Miles Robinson will all be pushing for starts of their own.,
Here is the starting lineup we could see the USMNT deploy against Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday, as well as the lineup we would deploy if we were making the final lineup decisions:
GOALKEEPER
Who will start: Matt Turner
Who should start: Gabriel Slonina
Matt Turner’s penalty-kick save against Jamaica proved crucial in the USMNT avoiding a two-goal deficit heading into halftime. The Arsenal shot-stopper brings valuable leadership on the backend and will remain the No. 1 option throughout the Gold Cup.
Gabriel Slonina is more than capable of coming in and starting against Saint Kitts and Nevis, but Callaghan might ride his No. 1 option as long as he has the option to do so.
DEFENDERS
Who will start: Bryan Reynolds, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, DeJuan Jones
Who should start: Bryan Reynolds, Miles Robinson, Jalen Neal, DeJuan Jones
The USMNT will be heavy favorites going into Wednesday’s match, so some rotation should be expected to get some fresh legs into the starting lineup.
DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Miazga both excelled against Jamaica, but could be given a rest in order to save them for the final group stage matchup against Trinidad & Tobago. Bryan Reynolds can easily slot in at right back for Yedlin, while Miles Robinson or Jalen Neal could get the nod over Miazga.
Aaron Long endured some rough moments against Jamaica, meaning that Robinson or Neal is a likely candidate to start in the backline as well.
John Tolkin logged 82 minutes in his first USMNT start and again might be rested for the later matches. DeJuan Jones will be fighting to start at left back and should get the opportunity against a Saint Kitts and Nevis squad who conceded three goals against T&T.
MIDFIELDERS
Who will start: James Sands, Djordje Mihailovic, Cristian Roldan
Who should start: James Sands, Djordje Mihailovic, Gianluca Busio
James Sands was one of the top performers against Jamaica and should reclaim his spot in the heart of the USMNT midfield.
Sands won 12/16 duels, completed four tackles, and drew four fouls, providing a strong work rate in front of the USMNT backline. Aidan Morris struggled at times and could be dropped to the bench, allowing Callaghan to go with a more attacking look against Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Alan Sonora was ineffective at the No. 10 role, but Djordje Mihailovic is a player that will be itching for the opportunity to start. Mihailovic created one offensive opportunity off the bench and is deserving of a start in the No. 10 role.
Gianluca Busio is another player we could see alongside Mihailovic after he did not feature against Jamaica. Jordan Morris’ status is unknown for the match, opening the door for either Busio or Cristian Roldan to start in a three-midfielder set up.
FORWARDS
Who will start: Alex Zendejas, Brandon Vazquez, Cade Cowell
Who should start: Julian Gressel, Brandon Vazquez, Cade Cowell
Brandon Vazquez’s impact off the bench should be more than enough for him to start against Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Not only is Vazquez a more physical option than Jesus Ferreira, he is a better threat on set pieces and corner kicks. Ferreira’s behind-the-line running could see him paired alongside Vazquez, but Julian Gressel is fresh and ready to go after not dressing for the Jamaica match.
Gressel’s versatility and distribution makes him a better candidate on the right wing than using Ferreira all around the field.
Cade Cowell was effective off the bench against Jamaica, winning four duels and creating one key offensive opportunity for the USMNT. The 19-year-old will fight with Jordan Morris for a spot on the left wing, and might get the nod to allow Morris a rest before the third and final group stage match.
That’s not to say we won’t see Ferreira this tournament, but he could be used differently against Trinidad & Tobago.
Alex Zendejas is also an option in the starting lineup once again, but I’d expect Callaghan to use him off the bench if needed.
What do you think of our projected lineups? Which would you start? Who are you most excited to see play?
Share your thoughts below.
Jamaica running all over TnT right now. Going to need a lot of goals to win the group.
JR: you can swap out a player before knockouts but you have to go in front of a committee with a doctor’s note and show it’s serious enough they’d miss 15 days of soccer. it might then look bad if he pops up for atlanta playing games in the next 2 weeks. which he might want to do for transfer purposes. now strictly speaking you would have had to make a similar argument for a pre-tournament switch but the rules don’t say how lasting an injury it has to be at that stage. “yes, concacaf, painful hangnail.”
Interesting, Miles has been practicing all week. JMorris is the guy who is questionable hasn’t worked out since the match Saturday.
IV: basically if you look at his analytics Miami’s defense gives up a lot of shots in good locations and he saves more of them than someone should. Horvath is the opposite great HAS and clean sheet numbers but Luton was one of the best teams at limiting good chances. Horvath actually have up more goals than were expected based on the shots that were taken. So I won’t be surprised if Luton does not try to bring Ethan back.
Autocorrect, ugh! “Great GAA” not has.
get down to it i find it frighteningly abstracted calling the keeper for the worst team in the league without some prior proof of concept. and he while likely facing a ton of shots has not just a higher GAA — perhaps his team’s fault somewhat — but also a lower save % — which i see as more his problem — than his competition. i might be cooler with this if it’s like he’s saving 80% amazingly behind a crap defense giving up endless shots.
to be fair gaga’s chicago often stunk but IMO he also has consistency issues.
Yeah I knew you wouldn’t like the answer. There’s a whole set of metrics that show he’s not as bad as it might look, like for example PSxG shows he faces shots that are much more likely to go in than other keepers. Aka his team’s defense is terrible. I’m still not really sure though because other guys have worse metrics and get called or better metrics and don’t get called. So you’d probably need someone with more than a basic understanding of goal keeping technique and positioning to fully explain it.
i thought zendejas looked good before playing central running at people. and on ferreira he’s a multitalented player who likes to combine which works as false 9, second striker, and AM/10. which are all basically slapping a different label on how deep he plays. FCD used to play him more as AM than striker. they may even have followed GB a little bit on emphasizing striker.
you put that together with djordje who can play inside or out, and that frees up some slots where we do have some talent which is wide, cowell, gressel, etc.
Ferreira started as FCDs striker in 2019 (before Gregg called him up also for Tulsa in 2018) then when Pepi came along they slid Ferreira underneath him. Once Pepi left, Ferreira was so much better than Franco Jara he went back to striker.
FCD needed a striker and he was better than the other choice. not sure how that rules him out as an AM when he played that well. he wasn’t moved as punishment or because he couldn’t hack it. he was moved to suit team needs. well this team needs more MF and skill. his tool kit fits anywhere front 4. but we need AM. heck, we need competent MF period. so move back.
to me if you just run this team out as designed, 2 defensive mids, bunch of redundant Fs who only play up top, undercooked central backfield, we are not long for this tournament. the offense needs to look more like the second half the other night, more technical, and the defense we need to make some clever changes. like i was saying sands goes back, or reynolds comes in, or something where it’s not neal and miazga in knockouts.
and i even realize sands looked good at DM. bank that away as useful knowledge. but what this team needs to win games and advance is some different CBs to patch the problem area.
Sorry you had theorized FCD had followed Gregg’s lead. That wasn’t the case. Dallas often drops Ferreira into the midfield and brings on another forward if they are chasing a goal. The problem as you and most everyone pointed out is there are only 2 strikers on the roster so how to keep your strikers rested if they both have to play all the time.
JR – If we’re going to move Ferreira to his best spot – and we should – then obviously we need a replacement…fortunately Jordan Morris is a better striker than winger anyhow so essentially swapping them is probably the best answer.
Q: I don’t think that is really true about Morris. If you look at his club numbers he scores a goal every 2.73 matches as a LW and a goal every 2.8 matches as a CF. Basically the same. I think NT it’s 5 g as a CF and 6 as a W from pretty similar number of matches at each position. I feel a lot of those CF numbers for both came in two striker systems where he could run off of the hold up player but that’s just pure “feeling” no research done on that. I know he was effective this spring as the CF for Sounders. I don’t really have a problem with Jmo playing CF during the GC just don’t see how it is going to make him anymore or less productive. He hasn’t trained since Saturday with a knee injury so I don’t think it matters for tonight.
personally i thought 2 strikers were a bit thin, as were 2 AM. i wondered to myself as i read the list pre-tournament if morris was his emergency striker and ferreira the 3rd AM option. otherwise it’s undercooked.
morris has played at least 56 club games at CF with 20G and 4A. my back of the envelope math has it about 30% of his appearances. 56/160-ish. he used to be used a fair amount as NT CF, including a lot in GC 17 where he had 3 goals as CF INCLUDING THE FREAKING TOURNAMENT WINNER. his switch to wide player occurred at the end of 2018 cycle when sarachan took over. this can be undone or he can serve 2 slots. whether he is capable as a rotational option is a fake debate. like i said, i half assumed the roster had that premise. yes, people have come to think of him as a wing. but are people kidding me.
re ferreira, he has played at least 50g with 13G and 10A as AM in club. he played a more withdrawn role with vazquez also starting in april 2023 vs. mexico. notably, that game underlines he could be moved around as a game progressed and score an equalizer from striker. he has also played wide and the last game wasn’t the first time.
yedlin has played some F before. think he even did it in a world cup. reynolds has played some wing mid and to me looks on paper like he could be a serviceable CB contingency, tall, can defend. sands can play DM and CB and i even assumed he was being “double counted” when neal was called. ie that we wouldn’t let it come to that if we could help it.
some of the wides could play central. zendejas has played 17g at AM with 6G 1A. djordje has played F and M in club, wide and center, with his best positions AM and LF, and has played both for the US. personally i’d not move a decent AM out of the position when what he needs is help as opposed to being moved himself.
but anyhow my point is we have some versatility we can call upon to get more better players on the field at one time to make this more competitive. you can argue all you want that “more often” x plays y slot and it’s probably true but also besides the point unless you just want to go down with everyone in their conventional spot.
side point: one of the ripostes i have seen is we shouldn’t slap together some lineup of performer players just to win games. my response, i thought y’all were the folks who elevate winning as our big goal, even above system. ok, then, if we’re trying to win, some cute re-tooling is how to do it. otherwise i don’t think this wins GC based on the jamaica game.
conversely, if we are instead “system” or “slot” purists, over pragmatism or winning, then why does the B team seem populated and playing different than the A squad? we should be calling baby weahs and reynas and such. this roster read like we wanted to play some other way perhaps on the notion that was this team’s chance to win. ok, if we’re pragmatists again, i have a better practical option for you.
IV: we’re playing the exact same system, the GC team is just super slow of thought and execution and probably belief. Not unlike Oct 2021, when the offensive was dangerous and generated many chances in the 2-0 and 2-1 victories over Jamaica and CR, sandwiched in between was a 0-1 loss at Panama when the offense was anemic because every build was slow and got bogged down by Acosta, Lleget, Bello and Moore. If only we had some “baby Weah and Reynas”. We’re likely to look a lot better tonight and play faster due to some rotation, familiarization, and a weaker opponent.
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Typically if you have a team playing slow switching guys around to positions they aren’t familiar with isn’t going to make it better. Think about at Honduras, Adams RB, Sands DM, Sargent RW, down 0-1 at half. Put everybody back where they normally play and boom 4-1 win. Yedlin is horrible at crossing and no longer has the speed to get by, if he can’t play RB there is no reason to play.
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Reynolds is not a good defender, he’s in the Dest, Jedi offense is a good defense mode. He’s taller and stronger than Dest so he won’t get bullied and will win more aerial duals but he’s not a CB (without a lot of practice).
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Two things on the 2017 GC Final. One Morris’s goal was very similar to Vazquez’s on Saturday. Forward playing as a wing in Zardes whips in a cross Jamaican defender weakly tries to clear leaving it in front of goal and it’s blasted home. When Dempsey was brought on Morris moved to LW/LM with Clint and Jozy as the strikers in a 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-3-1 if Clint dropped into the 10 role. So not exactly proof of concept, but I’m sure there are goals where he starts as W and scored later when moves inside. Jmo would be fine in either position but if you move Jordan to CF then someone needs to rotate with Cade at LW. Jesus generally plays on the right or central so it’s not necessarily like for like.
Ferreira as a 10 is an idea, since he had some really nice touches around the 18. Ferreira really doesn’t not fit as a striker against organized physical defenders. Plus, the US needs a forward who can hold the ball and be an outlet for the midfielders. US midfield really lacked any unlocking chance creators until Mihailović came on. There were opportunities but slow play withpoorly weighted passes, and weak shots hurt the offense. Should be a great opportunity for Busio to make an impact? Would be great for Cowell to get a 75 minute run
Interesting to see what MilesRob situation is? His left leg froze up on him in his last match and he immediately reached for his calf. Curious if it was his left Achilles that was repaired ?
if it was his achilles they’d have publicly ruled him out and sent him back to atlanta. my guess would be some mix of a contact-knock, cramps, or strain/pull of a calf. i pulled a calf once and it was hard to run with and took as long as a hammy to get over.
if they had a brain he would have been left off to heal up. they were allowed an injury replacement up to a day before the first game, from the original provo list. you don’t mess with the meal ticket.
if you have to use him, i would be in no hurry to start him, give him a couple weeks’ rest and save him for knockouts. i don’t like the people he called but they will get you through st. kitts and tnt. worst comes to worst retask a “DM” or wingback, sands actually plays some CB. reynolds is tall and plays defense.
Apparently this time you can replace with someone off the provisional list for injury after the group stage as well. If any of the other 3 CBs can’t stop SKN we’re in trouble rest Miles.
JR: i forget what tournament it was a few years ago they had adams in hurt. i thought it was silly. you don’t risk a dollar on a dime tournament. this is not new. standard operation is we don’t risk hurt players, for decades. maybe the world cup but not this stuff. if atlanta wanted it’s even one of the few excuses for yanking a player back though we probably went past “no-return” when they let him continue camp. and i get you’re saying we could still swap but that’s our call and not atlanta’s anymore.
my thing is it wasn’t like he got tackled hard and needed to ice a bone bruise or dead leg or something. he pulled up lame like “muscle.” and not like we’re playing outside in 90F with humidity cramps, as it was indoors in vegas.
i feel like the good sense of the brain trust has regressed decades. this is a no-brainer before this even starts. i know it knocks the team down a peg but he’s back from a bigger injury and last thing we need is a redo or another long term issue. which is more important. i know he may want to shop window a transfer but i also feel like the brain trust sometimes needs to be the “adult in the room.” “you will thank me later.”
we need functioning healthy CBs. it’s either move someone or perhaps this group round swap you mention.
How did Yeldin or Miazga excel against Jamaica?
Ferreira at the 10 please. He will play that position well. And would potentially be a legit backup to Reyna at that position. Even though I think Malik Tillman will be a legit contender as well.
Would like (will)
GK: Gaga (Turner)
Def: Reynolds, Miazga (Miles), Neal, Jones
Mid: Sands, Busio (Roldan), Djordje
For: Cowell, Vazquez, Gressel (Zendajas)
I’d rather rest Miles a couple more days to recover and we shouldn’t need him against SKN. JMorris took a knock against Jamaica so not sure his availability.
Any doubt whatsoever Miles should sit. No reason at all- little to gain in this competition/situation to merit risking something long term- especially with his recent history. Seems an easy decision to let Neal build on what he started.
the goofy thing to me is he should see it in his own interest as transfer asset. he gets hurt close enough to window time and he’s actually popped his own balloon. this is why many club teams put their wannabe transfers in bubble wrap.
Play Slonina against SKN. Even though he has committed to us it will cap tie him.
Apparently Gressel’s wife gave birth on Monday to their 2nd child so I don’t think he’s playing Wednesday at least not starting.
This, to me, should be the most important lineup decision. No point in playing Turner in this one and SJ doesn’t need the caps.
The draw with Jamaica means the US will likely want to score as many goals as possible to build up their Goal Differential.
Expect BJ to go for goal early so that maybe, if they have a nice goal cushion in the second half he can give time to those who could use it.
i am not sure how much rotation we get game 2. GB and co. seem to like to play the lineup over and over and rotate like game 3 of the group if ever.
if we do rotate i kind of expect for it to be seanjohn. as with turner/yedlin i don’t think this type player gets called to sit. we love our regulars and our pecking order and will justify it as needing experience in an important tournament game –having defined them all as important, basically. to me the US used to be better able to calibrate what “st. kitts” required and could use these kind of games to experiment. we have shifted into “bug squash mode” where winning is everything. so i think seanjohn is there to play games and gaga is there “in case” and to take in the atmosphere. we do not “rush” to cap tie players. they make the team when the coaches think they are ready. as such we won’t make a special case, my guess. gaga is the 3rd keeper. he won’t get to skip line even if it serves bigger purposes and even if it risks losing a potential 2030+ asset.
anyhow, i agree with “we don’t need more turner,” injury risk, known quantity. and IMO seanjohn will be borderline to age out or start to performance fade during the cycle. so i think they are a waste of time. i too would prefer gaga, in part because i have seen some prior inconsistency and want to see how he responds.
i personally wanted to see celentano or cohen instead who i thought were more proven adult players as opposed to just picking the next shiny object off the age group conveyor belt. and i know gaga can make spectacular saves but it’s a 90′ thing. his 90′ numbers in MLS were mediocre. but anyhow, i think the purpose of these games is finding and preparing a 2026 backup. not just playing games trying to win. gaga is the age appropriate choice whose performance isn’t already blinding obvious.
In 2021 GC, only 3 people started game 2 that started game 1. Turner, Miles, and Zim. March NL saw only Pulisic, Reyna, Wes, and Turner started game 2 after starting game 1. I’m not sure there’s really pattern that says they will or won’t rotate.
I’d go as young as possible…and tinker with Ferreira as a 10. These are the sort of games you experiment some with and get young guys experience in, while saving the legs of your starters as much as possible. I’d want to see if Zendejas, Ferreira, Vasquez, and Mihailovic can build some synergy, but I’d also plan on getting them off after 55 or so and save their legs for T&T.
Cowell-Vasquez-Zendejas
Mihailovic-Ferreira-Busio
Jones-Miazga-Neal-Reynolds
Slonina
I like that, Ferreira is more of a 10 anyways
I want Callender to start. Rest Matt Howard Turner and.
– #ave him rested for tgrashing of TT for revenge 2018 WC still hurts😡😖
Callendar isn’t on this roster.
I thought he was 1 of the 3 keepers.
Callender is on the roster don’t discount me 😂
striker: callender was in the provo list and maybe even an initial tournament roster but we may have had extra then cut down to 23. like i think cohen was in camp for NL but didn’t make the tournament roster. anyhow, he’s definitely not in the 23.
can someone explain to me the callender affection? he plays for the worst team in the league and ships 1.5 GAA consistently over a few years. that’s average MLS keeping. celentano saves 5% more shots and this year has a GAA of about 1.
Was on Nations League roster not GC.
JR: to me what makes sense for a call sheet would have been NL 1 2 prospect GC 234/prospect or 345/prospect. maybe the 2 starts the NL semi, then the 1 the NL final. they both then give way to the 345 prospect for GC. as it stands we used the 1 both NL games. and you should know ahead of time you will be using the 1 as many NL games as possible. ok, the GC roster should be 234. 2 held over from NL. 2 sees lead game time. 34 prospect compete for a rotational game or two, playing it by ear. the GC schedule with st kitts and tnt actually provides a harmless way to do this.
in even the most generous scenario here, you get down to maybe 3rd keeper and we’re not tossing scrubs out there. gaga, celentano, cohen, callender, whoever. but this way a few people actually see the field and we can make game comparisons.
i don’t get wasting a decent prospect on NL as 3rd keeper, with someone else as GC 3rd choice, as there is next to no way they either see the field. this is why sometimes historically the 3rd keeper slot would be used on someone like cervi, a “throwaway” choice. you then call the actual 3rd for GC. because if 1 is sent home after NL — as he should have been — the 3 can actually play some games.
i know NT coaches sometimes bring in players as either trial balloons or camp fodder but camp fodder is usually guys you have no desire to play at all. you save the trip for ones who might see the field. you set up the roster and progression to give a few that chance. i mean, so far, who do we know any “game” stuff about besides turner?? i don’t believe in knowing anything definitive from practice. i believe in games.
we have enough recent history with sure thing starters hurting themselves where building this sort of depth chart study into the design is common sense. if not 1, who is 2? 3? 4? the idea is really not to play 20 games a year and not have an answer when an injury comes in a few years.
IV: no one rotates their GK in a semi and final. So that premise that the #2 should have started against Mexico is silly. As for GC, well 2 and 3 are hurt so really the 2 is I guess Johnson who is really 3 or 4 and then Slonina I guess would be 5 so he has to be the 3 as the U20/23 keeper. The likelihood to need to get to 6,7,8 Celantano, Callendar, or Cohen are pretty low. At that skill level really you kid just draw American MLS keepers out of a hat and get about the same production. If we go into to 2026 and Turner, Steffen, Horvath, Johnson, Celentano, and Slonina are all hurt I don’t care if you call Willis or Clark or Pulskamp or Brady they are what we have at that point. When you’re talking the 7th GK the equivalent is like the 15th CM. When have we ever needed the 15th CM? Personally I would have played two keepers in January or El Cashico in April but Hudson didn’t so I’m not going to cry over spilled milk. Not making those GK switches let us get looks at more field players so it is what it is.
in 21 horvath came on for an injury during the NL final. if you have picked well it’s not that scary. my personal experience it’s a risky but rewarding approach to rotate players in semis.
more to the point the idea is to actually get guys in games, and in NL you have literally 2 games. i get we’re obsessed with winning. i also get we often have no plan B and panic like U-14s when their star select player gets hurt.
worse, GC seems ripe with plenty of early low risk games where i don’t even think it’s close to accurate our success rides on turner being here. at least pick some sort of paired strategy. if turner gets the whole NL, duh, he sits. thanks, that was plenty, make room for the others. at least get to 234 this time. ok, 2 plays most of the games, 3 plays one or two. and for these purposes — or really on age any purposes — seanjohn should not be 2.
the idea here is if turner gets clattered and has to go out, we have other proven options. we have guys out hurt we need to test other options than steffen or horvath. ok, your turn. i think seanjohn is a bad choice because the backup jobs should be picked with an eye on 2026 and not just tonight. you don’t have proof of concept on anyone if you invest heavily in turner and seanjohn, and turner gets hurt, and seanjohn ages out. please plan better than that. this is like GB trialing guzan last cycle. better sense, please.
IV: but I wouldn’t be scared if Turner is out and Horvath, Steffen, Johnson, Slonina, even Cellentano, Stuver, Willis, Clark or Stefan Frei had to come in. Because I see what they do every week. Might we someday need the 6th GK but at that point I’m crossing my fingers anyway.