The U.S. men’s national team cruised to back-to-back group stage victories at the Concacaf Gold Cup, helping solidify its quest for top spot in Group A, but Sunday’s quarterfinal showdown with Canada will provide a much tougher test.
B.J. Callaghan’s squad rebounded from an opening night draw with Jamaica by blitzing Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago for a combined 12 goals. Jesus Ferreira led the way with six goals himself over those two victories while Djordje Mihailovic and Gianluca Busio also shined in the squad.
After having one week off in between matches, Callaghan should have a well rested squad coming into Sunday’s second showdown with Canada in recent weeks. Canada tied its first two group stage matches in Group D before using a 4-2 victory over Cuba on Tuesday to snatch the runners-up place.
Jackson Yueill replaced Alan Sonora in the USMNT squad this week, giving Callaghan a new player to call on if needed.
Here is the starting lineup we could see the USMNT deploy against Canada on Sunday, 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: Matt Turner
It remains Matt Turner’s job to lose in the USMNT goalkeeping ranks.
Turner has made five saves over his two Gold Cup appearances this summer, including registering a three-save clean sheet against the Soca Warriors on Sunday. The veteran shot-stopper will remain to man the goalposts in the competition.
DEFENDERS
Who will start: Bryan Reynolds, Jalen Neal, Miles Robinson, DeJuan Jones
Who should start: Bryan Reynolds, Jalen Neal, Miles Robinson, DeJuan Jones
The USMNT’s backline has been one of the key strengths so far in the competition.
Callaghan could go plenty of different ways with his lineup, but expect plenty of the standout stars from the group stage to remain in the fold. Jalen Neal and Miles Robinson were strong together against the Soca Warriors on Sunday and should remain alongside one another for the Canada match.
Neal has been one of the bright spots among all players, showing his physicality and aggressiveness to win possession back for the USMNT.
Bryan Reynolds and DeAndre Yedlin could both start against Canada, but it might be Reynolds’ job to lose for the remainder of the tournament. The AS Roma fullback has been lively on both sides of the field, making dangerous runs in-and-around the box while also showing the versatility to track back and defend.
Julian Gressel could also feature at right back if needed, but might be a key option off the bench if the USMNT is needing some added creativity in the final third.
After not featuring against Jamaica, DeJuan Jones has delivered back-to-back positive performances against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago. The 26-year-old has been strong in one-on-one defending while also linking up nicely with his attacking teammates.
Jones has the slight edge over John Tolkin heading into the match.
MIDFIELDERS
Who will start: James Sands, Djordje Mihailovic, Gianluca Busio
Who should start: James Sands, Djordje Mihailovic, Gianluca Busio
The trio of James Sands, Djordje Mihailovic, and Gianluca Busio have started in each of the last two matches and should not be adjusted for this weekend’s match.
Sands’ defensive work rate is crucial in allowing both Busio and Mihailovic to get forward and create chances in the final third. Although Aidan Morris and Jackson Yueill could also come in for Sands, the NYCFC midfielder has been one of the top performers in the tournament so far.
Busio scored his first USMNT goal against Trinidad & Tobago while Mihailovic is only two matches removed from his best USMNT performance so far. The creativity and strong work rate from both players will remain a necessity for the Americans to get the job done against a Canada squad itching for revenge.
Cristian Roldan is also an option in midfield, but I don’t see Callaghan changing too much from what has worked over the last two matches.
FORWARDS
Who will start: Jesus Ferreira, Brandon Vazquez, Cade Cowell
Who should start: Julian Gressel, Jesus Ferreira, Cade Cowell
Jesus Ferreira is a lock right now in the USMNT Gold Cup squad, but who will Callaghan partner with him to get a result against Canada?
Gressel’s versatility could see him used at right wing over Alex Zendejas, who has left a lot of scoring opportunities on the table. The Vancouver Whitecaps winger/fullback assisted once off the bench against T&T and will be eager to follow that up with his first start of the tournament.
Cade Cowell scored once and assisted once off the bench against T&T, allowing the San Jose Earthquakes man to breathe a sigh of relief. After missing key chances against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Jamaica, Cowell made an impact off the bench and will be pushing to deliver more in a knockout match.
Brandon Vazquez also scored off the bench against the Soca Warriors and is returning to his home stadium in Cincinnati. Vazquez also scored the tying goal against Jamaica on Matchday 1 and might be used alongside Ferreira to provide more attacking threats against the Canadians.
Vazquez could be used at the No. 9 position while Ferreira is given more freedom to float around and cause mis-matches against the Canada backline.
Alex Zendejas, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan are all options in the final third, but will be better served as options off the bench.
What do you think of our projected lineups? Which would you start? Who are you most excited to see play?
Share your thoughts below.
More than likely, BJ could set his lineup similar to SBI’s. Here’s who I would like to see v Canada. Based off what we’ve have in personnel and what I’ve seen from the group stage.
4-3-3- Busio, Ferreira, Gressel
Mihailovic, Sands, Roldan
Tolkin, Miles, Miazga, Reynolds
Turner
Subs – Cowell, Vasquez, Zendejas (Tres Amigos!) in the ‘60 no matter what. (Busio, Gressel, Roldan). Let the connecting, passing types start the game, then bring in the firing squad. Ferreira slides to LM, while Djordje slides to RM. Those 2 can facilitate to the front 3. Once Laryea has gotten use to defending possession play; he’ll need to bring his track shoes for the Tres Amigos!! If Tolkin is fatigued in the ‘70, Jones is in. (I like Jones athleticism against Jamaica. I’d use Tolkin as much as possible v Canada). If we are up in the ‘60, by 2 goals, then I’d go with Neal for Miazga, as my last sub in the ‘70 also. If we are down, I’m bringing J Mo as the last sub. As someone mentioned, A Mo back in camp is a positive.
Haven’t seen anything official but it looked Aidan was back training this morning from the video posted on USMNT Twitter.
ok then they overreacted and we now have 5 defensive types and 1 attacker at mid.
at GK i would like to see seanjohn or gaga. the team at this point is afraid of its own shadow to get proof of concept on any other non-turner options. i kind of want to know if any of the other keepers could hack a decent opponent if they had to. to find that out they have to be played in games posing some risk. you make a hedged bet your 2nd string is well chosen. i find it particularly dangerous to have seanjohn around as an ageing backup who never has to play anyone any good to show he still has it and can handle this level.
to me there is an odd paradox where people defending seanjohn’s choice act like he is the sure thing #2 but then also seemed nervous to use him in a game where he actually has to work. this is not how keller-friedel worked, at least between world cups. playing the other one would not have been seen as risky. if you see it as risky then maybe it’s not quite friedel-keller at the second string spot, is it? anyhow, if seanjohn is so reliable i deserve the shouting down i get when i question his 3-year horizon role as a 33 year old, then run him out and let’s see it.
IV – I don’t think anyone believes that Sean Johnson is the “Sure thing # 2”. In fact I’m willing to bet that 99.9% of the fan base see this Gold Cup as his Curtin Call and the only reason he was even included in this squad was due to injuries to both Steffen and Horvath. Gaga is likely the current 4th choice keeper, but isn’t seasoned enough to be the # 2 to Turner so was brought in to gain experience.
first off, seanjohn doesn’t have enough caps or stature where he merits the equivalent of a testimonial. if he’s done he just gets dropped. second, he was the 2 behind turner last fall with horvath as 3 and steffen off, both being healthy. so i don’t buy what you’re implying, that the 3rd string and cut keeper last fall are now obviously 2 and 3 in their absence. third, steffen and horvath have both struggled with form, consistency, and injuries. the normal response to horvath and steffen being out YET AGAIN, and seanjohn ageing out, would be AUDITION NEW BACKUPS. or is the idea we hand the sort of job horvath has fumbled and steffen been unable to stay healthy for, right back to them, and run through this same cycle of hot-cold some more? to me i should be watching gaga, celentano, cohen, or others fight for the job right now. their competition is hurt and inconsistent. steffen couldn’t even make qatar. open it up. horvath and steffen can always come back later and make their own case but i don’t think hurt inconsistent players should get their spots saved.
and to me the bigger deal is we don’t know squat on how most? all? of the backups would handle a tough opponent. or on steffen and horvath they have known glitches when they have gotten chances. to me no one has stood on their head to win the backup jobs. i think it’s just as important they have to actually prove themselves as that the 1 earns the job. because history says our 2 and perhaps 3 might see the field.
Mr. IV,
“i find it particularly dangerous to have seanjohn around as an ageing backup who never has to play anyone any good to show he still has it and can handle this level.”
If you’re really that scared and do not believe in Sean here’s what you do.
Don’t put him on the fucking roster.
The basic rule, if you can’t play you don’t play.
Don’t ever pick him to be backup again.
Zach and Ethan have proven they can handle the role which is defined as ” a backup is capable of adequately replacing the starter should anything unforeseen happen to the starter.”
What about that do you not understand?
Maybe you don’t trust Sean but I’m guessing BJ has seen enough to him to believe he can trust his job to Sean.
“this is not how keller-friedel worked,”
I prefer Kasey but those two were about the width of a razor blade apart.
Matt is far and away demonstrably better than Sean. The USMNT is Matt’s team now. You don’t fuck with that if you want to win. And I’m pretty sure BJ wants to win this Gold Cup.
If Sean wants to get as good as Matt then it’s up to him , not the USMNT, to do whatever he needs to do to get as good as Matt.
When you pick your Gold Cup roster, it’s not “Let’s find out if Sean has gotten good enough to challenge Matt”.
The thought process is:
Matt’s #1 , Sean is the backup and Gaga is the ejection seat, as in you use him only if you’re going down in flames.
You don’t use the USMNT to develop players.
That happens between tournaments. Before the Gold Cup, I saw nothing from Sean to make me want to try him out and see if he has made up any ground on Matt. Did you?
I certainly saw nothing like that from Gaga either. If there is to be a challenge to Matt it will come from one of the other guys playing his ass off at his club and then hoping it’s impressive enough to convince someone to give them a run of games with the USMNT.
Now if either Sean or Gaga come into a Gold Cup camp and blow Matt away in training that’s something else. Can you verify if anything like that happened?
If not then Sean and Gaga , barring the unexpected, do not play a minute, unless BJ feels like we have another high school team like St.Kitts to victimize.
That is not a waste of time either because the manager gets to see how Sean and Gaga get to react to adversity.
Just like we’re learning a lot about Zendejas’ character.
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re F, if we were using our noodle we share out the group round time among 3 strikers and then pick the quarter guy based on a mix of matchup and form. what seemed to work on canada NL was wide speed then finish the square ball tap-in when we got around the flank. that’s not vazquez, that’s ferreira. i feel like the obsession with “oh he scored a hat trick on st. kitts” takes such games too seriously and ignores these decisions should be tactically driven. that and ferreira still hasn’t proven he’s a giant killer.
so ferreira but for a different reason and at striker. cowell and either a healthier jordan morris or zendejas to try and get around the flanks. vazquez and gressel off the bench to try crossing for goals second half if we can’t get in behind. i think trying to whack crosses into vazquez would be a long afternoon and not fit with cowell and ferreira’s games. i think ferreira could hit that ball he did occasionally. i wouldn’t game plan it.
Like you, I think the style of Gressel and Vazquez match pretty well; if one is in the other should be as well. Also Zendejas, Cowell and Ferreira have the ability to get at Canada’s back line and get them turned; they work well together.
It is almost certain Ferreira starts the other 2 forwards come down to. a choice that should be based on which style will best get at Canada.
i think canada would be quite happy to sit back and defend half court keepaway. i think the gold cup 21 goal we had plus the recent games suggest wing speed — and maybe throw the wingbacks forward (moore got some joy last time) some.
if we show up with roldan wide again we will struggle. so your list + gressel. put balls behind their D and make them actually chase and mark someone. if we’re gonna loft something in make it precise.
people may see me as contradicting myself on sending wingbacks, which i am generally not a fan of as daily strategy, but i think without their star they have less ability to punish risktaking on the counter. to me if davies is playing cheating high is asking for trouble. but he’s not.
People keep mentioning “Giant Killers”, but who in our pool has proven theyre that whether we’re talking the A, B, or C team? Nobody has is the answer, so why keep focusing on ONE player that everybody swears hasn’t proven it, as opposed to the general principle that no one has?
at MF i would say those are the 3 who have played well from the bunch. my concerns are more with the useless yeuill swap which may affect their ability to sub or rotate where they don’t have to play the same 3 several games straight. people nitpicked whether ledezma was an AM — he is this year — or if others are — as though they never played 10 anywhere — but the issue is if djordje ever needs rest or to come off or picks up cards. people seem to have forgotten what this looked like vs. jamaica with djordje sat to start. people seem overeager to rule out AM candidates when it’s all hands on deck. we don’t need 4-5 DM for 3 games. we do need 2 AM.
side point but when i hear what i consider “nagbe numbers” people are exaggerating the value of an 8. that someone has an end to end reputation doesn’t mean much comes of it. when stu holden paired with a 10 he wasn’t like a disguised DM. he was a productive player who could serve as a workable 10 on his own. i think the position has been watered down. people basically justifying 6 stats for an 8. you need some setup types otherwise to me you’re really just running out DMs who nominally move upfield and crash the box on kicks.
I share your concern regarding who will replace the AMs should one get injured or suspended. Roldan has not looked up to the task. I do have some concern regarding Busio. He lost the ball in a couple bad positions when the team was in attack mode, only poor plays by T&T kept those from becoming good chances or goals.
re defense, tolkin looked poor which was disappointing after prior performance (akin to those snowed by zendejas’ second game). the backs then got redone as we progressed. in terms of evaluating the defense, the last two games were barely contested. expect the rest to be more like jamaica. you know the game swept under the rug by now despite nearly losing. so it’s time to sing for your supper. i’ll buy who has stepped up when they have to stop someone good. and i say that as a reynolds fan.
Yes, it is hard, impossible maybe, to judge the quality of a defender when the opposition’s attackers are not strong. The games should get harder for the defense and we will see if Jones, Neil and Reynolds looked good only because they were not facing good attackers or if they are really all that. Jamaica had some good EPL forwards and despite the gaffe by Miazga and the supposed shortcomings of Tolken and Yedlin, they kept Jamaica at bay (but for that gaffe). At least Jamaica was strong enough that the backs did get tested. That did not happen often in the other 2 games. In fairness Neil subbed in against Jaimaca and did well.
i thought yedlin looked ok in his game, semi sloppy but better than tolkin. on him by beef is more selection, as with seanjohn i don’t see how this helps the roster progress long term. a “zardes” type pick now is wasting valuable evaluation and growth time for age appropriate players we need 3 years from now. to me it’s a bit cynical or closed-loop. like no one new could possibly hack it. then reynolds or scally comes in and looks alright.
i feel like the program has regressed in terms of big picture sensibility, faith in the pool, and ability to calibrate risk. big picture to me is sorting 25-30 guys we can rely on to populate a 23 man and not just hyping the stars. big picture is anyone who didn’t dominate qatar (or is getting old) should be fending off competition this year. big picture is such things should be decided on the field and not in practice or off stats. is gaga better than seanjohn? who knows in a NT uniform. we know turner is fine but that’s not news and we take 2 more. ferreira couldn’t consistently outdo pepi and sargent but now the red sea parts? he is outplaying vazquez but it should be a trio. they aren’t even the same type.
I’d start Ferreira as the 9, with Zendajas and Cowell at the wings. That leaves the Vazquez “Firepower” to come off the bench. Ferreira is used to dropping into the 10 spot at the end of games to get a goal. That’s usually how Estevez does it at FCD. They way Larry has it I’m not sure who you bring on that can change a game.
Yueill?
He’s got more MLS goals than Cade Cowell the last two seasons so sure why not.
Zendejas has been very poor. I’d play Vazquez, Morris or even Roldan ahead of him.
I think Roldan was worse than Zendejas. Players sometimes have bad patches and Zendejas is having one now, Roldan is pretty much playing to my expectations.
Dennis I’d say against TnT Roldan was worse. He actually wasn’t bad off the bench, he wasn’t great but at least he was sharing the ball and getting the balls to guys who could do something.
I like it, but I think Ferreira will continue at striker. And I could see J. No returning on the right if he is healthy enough. Yes I would start Cowell on the left in order to make Lareya have to defend.
Should be interesting with Neal starting. Could be a test, especially if he gets pulled out of position defending a bigger stronger player. The whole backline could get tested including Sands in front of them. Even the lesser competition had break outs where a high percentage scoring chance was there!
On offense how do you not start Ferreira? Can Ferreira find all that space in and around the 6 yard box? I am sure Canada will try and mark him out of the match. Busio and Mihailovic need to be the offensive engine with chance creation and finishing plays with accurate passes and shots.
I think Zendejas should start and will perform if he plays more within himself and flow of the game. Also, so far Reynolds has a lot to offer going forward. Reynolds needs way more club minutes!
Like many have said Cowell game is more suited as a sub. The thing is the kids is not going to give up! However, if Morris is healthy he should start.
My own lineup would look a lot like Ives’, except that I’d start Jesus Ferreira on the left, keep Zendejas in the lineup – I think he’ll do better against better teams, and his movement and ability to drag defenders inside opens things up on the far right channel for Reynolds even if he is misfiring at the moment – and bring Cowell in off the bench at some point.
As the game opens up later on, I’d pull Vazquez after 60 or so – whenever he starts looking gassed – bump Ferreira back to central striker because he does far better in open games and he never seems tired, and that’s when I’d bring in Cade, and on the left side.