The U.S. men’s national team will want to get back on track this summer and winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup would be the best way to do so.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad are back in action this June for a pair of home friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland before kicking off play in the summer tournament. After a poor showing in the Nations League Final Four last March, the USMNT will want to make the most of their final competitive action before the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Pochettino will have plenty of key roster decisions to make ahead of the group stage, especially with Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna all unavailable due to their Club World Cup involvement.
Several players will be eager to force their way into Pochettino’s summer plans including Alex Zendejas, Damion Downs, and Diego Kochen.
Here is a closer look at SBI’s selections for Pochettino’s 26-player Gold Cup roster:
Goalkeepers
Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte.
Missed the Cut: Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Diego Kochen.
The USMNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper job remains up for grabs heading into the Gold Cup.
Matt Turner is the most likely candidate due to his past involvement in between the sticks, but a lack of consistent playing time could hurt his chances of remaining the No. 1.
Zack Steffen and Patrick Schulte will also fight for opportunities and could get the nod over Turner due to their respective club roles in MLS. Steffen has forced his way back into the picture since returning to MLS and also brings veteran experience to the mix.
Schulte is a young option, but also has played ample minutes in 2025, something that Turner hasn’t.
Defenders
Chris Richards, Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Sergino Dest, Joe Scally, Antonee Robinson, Caleb Wiley.
Missed the Cut: Tristian Blackmon, George Campbell, Marlon Fossey, Alex Freeman, Nathan Harriel, DeJuan Jones, Kristoffer Lund, Shaq Moore, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson, John Tolkin, Walker Zimmerman.
The USMNT’s defensive corps is flying high heading into the international window.
Chris Richards should be Pochettino’s No. 1 center back option heading into the Gold Cup, especially given his second half of the season for Crystal Palace. Richards helped the Eagles lift the FA Cup and overall has rode a strong run of individual form over the past four months.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both delivered strong seasons with Scottish Premiership winners Celtic, with Carter-Vickers holding the edge in overall appearances. Both defenders remain important to the USMNT’s defensive set up and should be considered as a starting option alongside Richards.
Mark McKenzie enjoyed a positive first campaign in Ligue 1 with Toulouse, helping the club finish 10th in the table. McKenzie has been in-and-out of the USMNT XI over the past two years, but remains a younger option for Pochettino to consider.
Antonee Robinson remains the USMNT’s No. 1 left back after delivering his best season yet in Fulham colors. However, Pochettino will have a key decision to make in regard to his No. 2 left back option.
John Tolkin and Caleb Wiley are both rising talents, but I’d expect Wiley to get the nod over Tolkin due to his added versatility on the wing.
At right back, Sergino Dest should be back in the squad after fighting to play a key role in PSV’s repeat as Eredivisie winners. Will Dest be the USMNT’s starter when the Gold Cup begins? We will see, but expect him and Joe Scally to fight for that spot.
Although Tim Ream is still playing at a high level with Charlotte FC, I’d expect Pochettino to go with his younger center back options. The same goes with Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman.
Midfielders
Yunus Musah, Brenden Aaronson, Aidan Morris, Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessmann, Diego Luna.
Missed the Cut: Paxten Aaronson, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Gianluca Busio, Caden Clark, Luca De La Torre, Maximilian Dietz, Eneka Eneli, Richie Ledezma, Jack McGlynn, Djordje Mihailovic, Matko Miljevic, Timothy Tillman, Sean Zawadzki.
Weston McKennie’s absence from the USMNT squad will be a big one, but there still remains ample talent in the group.
A healthy Tyler Adams will be key for the Americans, who can build around Adams in the heart of their formation. Adams enjoyed a stellar campaign with Bournemouth, staying healthy for majority of the campaign.
Johnny Cardoso and Yunus Musah will also fight for minutes after their busy campaigns in Spain and Italy respectively. Cardoso could use the Gold Cup as a springboard into a club move after previously garnering interest from Atletico Madrid and Tottenham.
Tanner Tessmann quickly adjusted to life in France, playing a large role in Lyon’s squad. Tessmann featured in multiple competitions, helping the French club qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Brenden Aaronson helped Leeds United earn Premier League promotion this spring and overall his work rate should earn him a spot on this roster.
Joining Aaronson in the fight for minutes should be Diego Luna, who impressed under Pochettino during the March window. Luna brings similar attributes to the table as Aaronson, but might have the leg up when it comes to final-third distribution and finishing.
Aidan Morris was durable for Middlesbrough during the EFL Championship season and I think did more than enough to get back into the USMNT picture. His aggressiveness and strong engine is something the USMNT definitely needs this summer and I expect Morris to fight for his opportunity.
Gianluca Busio, Paxten Aaronson, and Jack McGlynn are all on the cusp for me, but overall I see them just missing out.
Forwards
Christian Pulisic, Haji Wright, Damion Downs, Josh Sargent, Malik Tillman, Griffin Yow, Folarin Balogun, Alex Zendejas.
Missed the Cut: Patrick Agyemang, Brian Gutierrez, Brian White, Brandon Vazquez.
Picking the offensive players might be the toughest decision for Pochettino this summer.
Christian Pulisic is a shoe-in to make the roster, bearing anything happens to him in AC Milan’s final match of the season. Pulisic was one of the better performers in the Rossoneri squad, registering double-digit goals and assists in all competitions.
Malik Tillman was one of the key attacking players in the Eredivisie this season and now the 22-year-old will aim to translate that success over to the international level. Tillman has yet to truly make an impact with the USMNT, but here’s hoping he can this time around. Expect to see him out wide, or even as an extra midfielder at times.
Josh Sargent and Haji Wright both registering double-digit goalscoring seasons in England’s second-tier and likely will have their chances once again. Sargent mainly featured as a No. 9 for Norwich City while Wright featured as a striker and winger for Coventry City.
Folarin Balogun is another striker fighting to get back into the mix after missing time with Monaco through injury. Balogun returned to action this month and scored, but ended up back on the sidelines afterwards.
With Ricardo Pepi out of action, I expect Balogun to fight with Sargent and Wright for No. 9 opportunities.
Griffin Yow is a deserving call-up, especially given his run of form for Belgian side Westerlo. Yow has tallied eight goals this season and overall looks to be ready for the jump to the international level.
Tim Weah’s absence opens the door to additional winger help and that is where Alex Zendejas could help. Zendejas has been one of Club America’s best players this season, helping them to one league title and moving closer to a second.
Similar to Tillman, Zendejas has found it tough to deliver with the USMNT, but right now it’s hard to rule him out.
One new face to the fold will be Damion Downs. Downs, a dual-national forward, helped Cologne gain promotion back to the German Bundesliga for next season.
Downs scored 10 goals in the 2. Bundesliga this past season and overall has featured three times for the USMNT U-23’s. Getting the 20-year-old forward included this summer could be a major positive heading into 2026.
What do you think of our projected roster? Who made the cut that you are hoping is included? Who did we leave out that you think deserves to be part of the June squad?
Share your thoughts below.
Glad Puli is taking gold cup off to rest, it’s just the right move for him, and ultimately for the US. Guys just can’t train and play at that level indefinitely, they need a break both physically and mentally. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t understand this level of sport well. Maybe it was different in past USMNT teams because those guys were not playing as much high level soccer, not a knock just stating the reality that we didn’t have many players playing for big clubs in Europe then. It’s also good for the USMNT to learn which backup or new players can step on the field and help us win, the chances one or more of our stars gets injured for next summer is, unfortunately, fairly high.
And the perception this new generation is weak continues with Pulisic and Misah opting out. The best players ever didn’t treat their national teams like a side job. They wanted nothing more than to always put on the national team shirt.
But I do think it’s good Pulisic is out. If the US team plays really well and wins the tournament without him then it speaks volumes that he doesn’t need to be a starter all.of the time.
With that being said this my 26 man roster:
GK: Turner, Schulte, Steffen
D: Dest, Scally, Jedi,
Wiley, Richards, Trusty, Mckenzie, Blackmon
CM: Cardoso, Tessman, Adams, Musah, Paxten,
AM: Tillman, Luna
FWDS: Downs, Wright, Balo, Quinn Sullivan, Yow, Brendo, Sargent, Zendejas
If Zendejas isn’t available due to CWC then add Brian Gutierrez.
“They wanted nothing more than to always put on the national team shirt.”
That is an exaggeration.
Back in the day, many of our Euros opted out of various stages of the Gold Cup if not the whole tournament. Basically, back then it boiled down to one game, El Tri vs the USMNT. Every El Tri game was always a home game for them regardless of where it was played. In fact, the most interesting games have been Mexico routing the USMNT in 2009 and 2011.
The Gold Cup has always been problematic for our euros because by the time it started the euros had been off and were out of their mid season fitness. And of course, a competitive tournament is not the same thing as a preseason camp designed to prep you for the upcoming season. So our euros often opted out of the Gold Cup which was seen as predisposing you to injury.
Clint Dempsey played in the Gold Cup the same year he first signed for Fulham. After that he did not play in the Gold Cup again until 2015 when he was back in MLS. Back then people questioned his selfish attitude and patriotism. As you might imagine Deuce did not give a fuck what they thought. I guess you would find him weak.
I never minded them opting out because for me the Gold Cup was largely composed of awful, unwatchable intramural games.
This Gold Cup will be interesting because of the alleged, made up drama around it, featuring some players who are new and might actually make the WC squad. Otherwise I expect the quality of the soccer to be as low grade as possible.
My great hope for this tournament is that the USMNT doesn’t sustain any serious injuries. I’m superstitious enough that if I was the manager I would not have called up Tyler or Gio. That is why I was happy to see CP and Antonee, who has serious overuse issues, left at home.,
No McKennie, no Weah, no Pulisic and no Musah……. absolutely amazing.
We saw how flat this team is without A. Robinson (and Dest), now let’s see what we look like as a team, what we can do offensively (and defensively) and who we have that can actually substitute for our so call “A-listers” without disrupting the rhythm of our game.
This is the perfect opportunity to deeply evaluate our depth and for Pochettino look at what we have to find a bunch of “diamonds in the rough” without the immense pressure of playing / starting “A-listers”.
Who will step-up and be the next Diego Luna?!!! Let’s goooooo!!!!!
Well. Obviously some absentees. It happens. You have to move on. Let’s stop bickering about the fringe call-ins, and talk about who the starting XI who wins the Gold Cup is. Who you got?
far be it from me to point out inconsistencies but are we going to “defensive work rate” purge the offense while leaving in actual defenders who couldn’t mark their grandmother in a wheelchair? the carpet should match the drapes.
if you want a mauling defense, it needs to be 11 bad dudes. and normally teams that want to work teams to death usually start with backs who can mark. and perhaps play a defensive formation and/or run counter-tactics where all oars are rowing in the same direction. where the wingbacks aren’t way upfield cheating high, and the center backs useless, while everyone else is ordered to run around and tackle anything that moves. think catenaccio.
that being said, if our goal is attacking, getting more technical, then call fewer tryhards, more technicians or speedsters, and try to win 3-2.
If it is a B roster I think we might see this. If Pulisic and Musah have opted out I think most other top league guys will as well or at least Poch and Crocker won’t put them in that position.
F: Downs, Wright, Agyemang, Yow, B. Aaronson, Ledezma, Arfsten
MF: P. Aaronson, Matko, Luna, McGlynn, Dietz, Eneli, Berhalter
Def: Zawadzki, Miles, Zimm (Ream if Walker not healthy) Blackmon (not sure he’ll except if he thinks there’s a chance he could be Canada eligible next year), Lund, Tolkin, Freeman, Fossey
GK: Schulte, Turner, Kochen
Poch is supposed to speak to the press Thursday.
so the key players are in effect asking for the summer break people were criticizing me for suggesting. they looked like tired crap in march. they should get their break. they rest and we see if we can replace them. thunderdome the performers in september.
you then don’t burn 4, 5, 6 provo roster slots on guys who want a break, or a further handful on guys who if we had any clue or performance expectations should never be called again. or we’re calling hurt people hoping they are maybe back practicing about when the tournament starts.
this does not feel like it’s on the same page in 20 ways.
So you’re complaining that #65 didn’t get on the list. Because you’ve got the 60 on the list (was there 60 I never counted) plus the Juve, Seattle, and BvB guys. Like I like Cole Bassett and Eryk Williamson but I don’t think it makes a lot of difference they’re the bottom of a 60 man list that not even half make.
———————-
Gio, Pulisic, Wes and the regular boys were on the Provo list in ‘23 for what that’s worth.
f.i.b.
brown and campbell were on the provo list for NL which is a more seriously taken tournament than this one. brown could be had right now by simply making an executive decision we need him trialed for the seniors rather than playing a youth tournament whose real purpose is to help identify senior players.
are you seriously saying B.1 and B.2 guys are “#65?”
quit fibbing.
Brown was not on the provisional roster. You probably mean Banks who hasn’t played since March because he kept making Jalen Neal like mistakes. Campbell for 50th time is injured (how you don’t even know why your favorite player hasn’t played since March is baffling). If he’s healthy he’s not available because he’ll be with Dortmund. So yes, you’re complaining about #65.
Arfsten a forward since when JR, never seen him play there before.
Don’t doubt me on my Crew knowledge Striker. He’s a winger. He even played a little CF with SJ II before being drafted and with Crew his first year. When Nancy took over he doesn’t use wing forwards but wingbacks, but you’ve got to remember The Crew have the ball 60%+ so even as a WB Max and Farsi on the other side are up in line with our forwards and AM. He also came in for Vassilev and played as a winger in January against Costa Rica. Max had a choice with Columbus battle Rossi for minutes as a forward or battle Will Sands as a WB. Wasn’t that tough a decision.
Certain guys need playing time. Balogun, Sargent, Wright, Dest, Tillman, and Adams all missed significant time this year and none of them should feel they have their spots locked up because they absolutely do not. Tanner Tessmann won’t opt out, I can almost promise you. He played some games, came off the bench in others, and stayed parked in some as well.
I’d call it more of a “B+” roster.
Puli is out, ughh. They gonna rest him.
This is actually great news!
After the minutes he logged this past season, Pulisic needs the rest.
Now, others will have to step up.
Given the minutes logged by Pulisic, I wonder if Pochettino questioned his ability to commit to the rigors of this upcoming camp and Gold Cup?…just saying / asking.
…or, is it possibly a sign that Pulisic may be on the move this summer?…again, just asking / saying.
did some of you consider the implications when former players said he runs his teams to death? if people think 5 seconds, that would suggest maybe don’t call the regulars every time since they will get run and run and run each window they are called. or that maybe they skip when they’d show up exhausted before that regimen even started.
Also Musah according to NY Times. Looking like this could be the B roster we originally expected.
Gary Page / downintexas,
Damion Downs has earned the call up. As shared by Johnnyrazor, his stats from this season serve as objective supporting data. It’s early in the assessment of him for a USMNT spot, but early signs also show he passes the eye test. Hopefully, he comes in, increases competition for the striker position, and shows well. Comparatively, and for context:
Sargent – 24/ 25 Championship season – 32 games / 15 goals
Downs – 24 / 25 2Bundesliga season – 29 games / 10 goals
Why no questions about Sargent being called up?
Given the aforementioned, what is the down side in Downs being called in?
bizzy,
“At this point it doesn’t matter who we select, as our A-Team with most of our best players were beaten by Panama, without ANY TOP WORLD LEAGUE PLAYERS, and Canada…We need players on the team that have a high work rate, can cover ground for each other and are willing to put in the work on offense and defense. At this point I just want to see a group of players with grit, fight and the will to want to win.”
Very well said and I think you just made the best case for Brenden Aaronson being included.
DCJosh,
Are you paying attention?…bizzy’s post is spot on as to why Aaronson should be included.
Unfortunately for the USMNT, Aaronson is not played in his best position.
Unfortunately for Aaronson, his best position is the 10 spot, where currently, he is the 5th best option in the USMNT pool ( Reyna, McKennie, Tillman, Luna, Aaronson ). Additionally, he also adds value in other positions. Aaronson should be in, but if Berhalter, Busio, or Mihailovic, were selected in lieu of Aaronson, that would work, as well.
jb,
“Looks a lot like the nations league team that just stunk it up… I get you need 80% of that squad for talent, but I really am hoping we see some fresh faces get a shot here.”
Agreed, and I hope some new faces are included in the final roster so they bring new, fresh, competition to the team, and if they show well in practice and earn it, then yeah, let’s see some fresh faces on the game day roster and / or starting 11 because right now, can it really get worse than a 4th place finish in the Nations League?
i was suggesting downs in earlier windows. double digit goals in b.2 particularly when we were short on strikers. i felt like sargent was a waste because we know how that movie ends already.
Would Damion Downs be cap tied if he makes it the final roster?
If he played 5 matches.
Okay I see, thanks for that JR👍
Apparently only 4 matches
At this point it doesn’t matter who we select, as our A-Team with most of our best players were beaten by Panama, without ANY TOP WORLD LEAGUE PLAYERS, and Canada. Whoever we pick this time (and it doesn’t AUTOMATICALLY have to be one of our regulars!!!) need to:
Show sound fundamentals and a high level of understanding in camp of what Pochettino is trying to accomplish – so we don’t look lost on the field
Be players that are fully fit, in shape and in form – so we done have a bunch of “Sir Jogs-a-lots” on the field doing nothing
Be players that understand Proper Positioning and good communication
Be players with good physically attributes – speed, quickness, ball control / skill, aerial ability, endurance etc.
We need players on the team that have a high work rate, can cover ground for each other and are willing to put in the work on offense and defense. At this point I just want to see a group of players with grit, fight and the will to want to win.
go decaf.
all due respect, dude, but if you’re gonna emphasize work effort in some tough team defense concept maybe make the formation 442 or 451 where the formation and work rate help each other out. 433 is a crap defensive formation.
why not just do some old school 235 and then moan at the players’ effort levels.
and if the concept is work rate then what’s so wrong with an athletic counter concept. win the ball and transition as opposed to pass it back and then around and then to the flag and then back and then to the flag and then cross to no one.
ESPN is the source for Blackmon. Just ‘cause Marsch reached out to him doesn’t mean he can, or will get Canadien citizenship.
talk is cheap. he’s on one provo roster — ours. he is old enough one cap in a regional probably ties him. so put him in the final roster and start him some. worst case he’s one fewer cudgel canada can whack us over the head with.
I know nothing about Downs, but 10 goals in Bundesliga 2 doesn’t seem all that impressive to me. Seems to me that we have enough forwards that maybe he should be replaced by someone like Busio. Or, like for like and bring back Agyemang. As for defense, the only question in my mind is who is best to pair with Richards, who has been doing very well in the EPL for Crystal Palace. McKenzie seems to have done well in France, but you need to see them playing together. Trusty played a lot while in the EPL, but hasn’t been a consistent starter for Celtic. Still not sure about CCV.
Agreed on Downs. The only potential is to take a look at him in hopes that he moves this summer to a better league and he does well there. Then Poch knows what he is dealing with.
Koln is being promoted. He had 2g in 10 apps in the Bundesliga in 23.24. 10g this year may not sound like much but he was the leading goalscorer in the 2Bundesliga champions.
If Zendejas and America beat LAFC he isnt going ro be on the God Cup roster.
and he should already be off on past performance. normally you earn a second go.
For the love of God, can we please stop glorifying BA’s “work rate.” Yes, he hustles and presses, but he also gives the ball away too easily. There are plenty of wingers and attacking MFs in our pool who offer more offense. This team’s problem has always been an inability to hold on to the ball, and to score. BA is a mid-level Championship player at best: Leeds were promoted in spite of his mediocre play, and I don’t expect him to be there when they look to upgrade their roster.
No – we cannot overlook BA’s work rate. Why is that a negative?
I disagree that the US has plenty of others in this position better than him. Maybe Argentina, Brazil, France, England, Germany . . but not the US. Somebody needs to be a water carrier – even on a national team. And a guy who started the bulk of a 46 game Championship season + in-season tournaments was not an “in spite of” performer.
“No – we cannot overlook BA’s work rate. Why is that a negative?”
High work rate it is not a negative.
In BA’s case it is the fact that it, and his good character, are the only exceptional things about him.
He’s a two trick pony.
It would not offend me greatly if BA is in the final WC 26 but I like to think we can do better.
You can go a very long way with his level of work rate but w/o it, he’s just some guy. The US may not have “plenty ” of guys who can replace BA but we do have better players. You only need one.
The USMNT fan based is totally, utterly obsessed with the possibility that late in the game some opposing defender is going to be tiring and BA, or Cowell or Ariolla will come in and blow him away with their fresh legs, as if opposition coaches don’t understand the art of substituting tiring defenders. Many of our CONCACAF brethren have thin benches but as you go up in quality, the benches become better.
We’ll be facing teams with subs that in some cases, are better than our starters.
Vacqui – you typed:
The USMNT fan based is totally, utterly obsessed with the possibility that late in the game some opposing defender is going to be tiring and BA, or Cowell or Ariolla will come in and blow him away with their fresh legs, as if opposition coaches don’t understand the art of substituting tiring defenders.
I disagree. BA’s work rate matters from the start of a game. He’s going to run up and down forcing his opposite to run with him. And if his opposite does not track back with BA, it puts pressure on the team by hoping that BA won’t score.
#2, at the National Team level you don’t see coaches subbing out the back line very often at all. A NT coach knows his best back 3 or 4 and usually doesn’t sub in or out in any one game.
I think you hear our (generally) mediocre announcing crews say – fresh legs from [insert player name] to run at the defense. Then, that usually doesn’t happen as the fresh legged player is running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to make something happen in the middle of the park.
You and I disagreed before about BA (I think). I find it amazing that commenters here are giving BA the short stick because he has a “good attitude” and “works hard.” I will say the same thing this time. Mbappe or Arjen Robben II or Cristiano Jr. aren’t walking through the USMNT door any time soon. Yes, BA may have some limitations, but so do all of the others who got called up.
MWR,
“You and I disagreed before about BA (I think). I find it amazing that commenters here are giving BA the short stick because he has a “good attitude” and “works hard.””
That’s because the commenters here are not doing what you say they are. Perhaps I can clarify:
“Vacqui – you typed:
The USMNT fan based is totally, utterly obsessed with the possibility that late in the game some opposing defender is going to be tiring and BA, or Cowell or Ariolla will come in and blow him away with their fresh legs, as if opposition coaches don’t understand the art of substituting tiring defenders.
I disagree. BA’s work rate matters from the start of a game. He’s going to run up and down forcing his opposite to run with him. And if his opposite does not track back with BA, it puts pressure on the team by hoping that BA won’t score.”
This is a little silly. Any decent professional defender will attempt to track his man. That’s what they are supposed to do; that or protect their zone. They are not going to be reading SBI and thinking “Vacqui said I don’t have to worry about BA so I can just let him go.”
That’s not how it works. A defender who did that should be subbed out immediately.
You’re assuming one man will spend 90 minutes on BA. Not necessarily.
You’re assuming that non-American athletes can’t run as long and as hard and as intelligently as BA does. I think that’s a very dangerous assumption to make. I’m not talking about CONCACAF or IV’s select teams. I’m talking about serious World Cup contenders, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, France, Spain, Portugal, etc. teams that understand how painful it is to cover a guy like BA in, for example the 115th minute of extra time in a World Cup but know HOW TO DO IT because they have done it in the past.
When Argentina won the last World Cup they had Nicolás Hernán Gonzalo Otamendi in at center back. At 37 years old he played every minute of Argentina’s campaign. He is living evidence that playing good defense has a lot do with what is between your ears. He probably does not have BA’s stamina but he knows how to make the most of what he has.
“#2, at the National Team level you don’t see coaches subbing out the back line very often at all. A NT coach knows his best back 3 or 4 and usually doesn’t sub in or out in any one game.”
There are a lot of national teams that might have only 4 decent defenders. So yeah, they might stick with their best regardless. But that’s not what I am talking about. I’m talking about facing teams that are serious World Cup contenders. And I don’t completely agree top teams never sub out their back 4 but even if it is all the way true what that tells you is they think their guys know how to handle a guy like BA. He’s not , as they say, “unplayable”. There are defensively tenacious, run all day and press all night players in the EPL and other top leagues. I just don’t know their names because Jesse never told me who they were..
What makes you think top teams haven’t faced a guy like BA more than a few times? You forget the other criticism of BA. Those tough teams will kick him to pieces or try to. And when you do that to BA his questionable ball skills become even more questionabler.
American media trumpets BA’s skills to us here in SBI but do you honestly think that there aren’t guys like him in the EPL or Argentina or Brazil?
“You and I disagreed before about BA (I think). I find it amazing that commenters here are giving BA the short stick because he has a “good attitude” and “works hard.”
I will say the same thing this time. Mbappe or Arjen Robben II or Cristiano Jr. aren’t walking through the USMNT door any time soon. Yes, BA may have some limitations, but so do all of the others who got called up.”
No one is criticizing BA for his ” good attitude” and “works hard”. Those traits are admirable and, when he is on, are very useful indeed, if you are set up to take advantage of it.
I am critical of BA because those two things are most of what he has.
While you can go a very long way with them, the TOTAL BA package is not good enough. I believe the USMNT can do better.
4-2-3-1 is supposedly Pochettino’s favored formation. It needs four attackers.
Pepi, CP, Flo, Weah, Josh, Luna, Haji, Weston, Patrick, Gio
That is ten players for four spots. All of them are better soccer players than BA and all would be better starters or subs than BA.
I’m not opposed to BA being on the final 26 but I’m taking each one of those ten players before I’m taking BA
One more thing, If Pochettino decides on a two holding midfielder system and needs a #10 who can press and work doggedly on the defensive side then forget everything I said and put BA at the head of the line.
Because that is how Farke used BA at Leeds.
Defense, pressing, supporting the two holding mids, and not really much in the way of scoring from BA. If that’s what you expect from the USMNT #10, then BA is your guy.
Vacqui –
Your normally astute comments are lost in this rambling essay. I will retort with one succinct point:
Who in the world thinks that BA is a #10 for the NT? Not me.
“Who in the world thinks that BA is a #10 for the NT? Not me.”
Hah! I said I wanted to clarify my stance. Since you agree with me that BA is not the #10 for the USMNT then I guess I made my point and we agree on something.
I don’t want BA on the final roster. But he was one of Leeds better players.
Looks a lot like the nations league team that just stunk it up… I get you need 80% of that squad for talent, but I really am hoping we see some fresh faces get a shot here. This really is the last chance for any new or fringe player to get an audition for next summer. And we have some serious holes in the lineup where incumbents have not performed. CB probably the most important: one example, I have seen enough CCV, not good enough. But haven’t seen Trusty, haven’t seen Miles or Zimmerman recently. Those two last cycle were much better than the CBs this cycle. We know Ream, break glass in case. Is Blackmon good enough?
Blackman switching to Canada, have no idea why we wasted a spot on him.
Blackmon
He is not on their provisional roster. He cannot play for them in the Gold Cup.
exactly. if you view this as potentially noise, you promise some caps, you call him, you play him, end of noise.
I’m not sure he’s even eligible. He would have to become a Canadian citizen and have lived in Canada for five years but that wouldn’t be until 2027 because didn’t join Vancouver until 2022. Unless he’s got some Canadian relatives that have never been reported. This story seems to be Jesse just playing mind games.
He is eligable and will be switching he not making it. Too many better CB,’s
He is currently not eligible for Canada.
2 tone how he not eligible where your source. My point he might as well switch he not beating out Zimmerman or Miles Robinson.
Striker: 1. He doesn’t have Canadian parents or grandparents. 2. He is not a Canadian citizen. 3. He does not have a Canadian passport 4. He has not lived in Canada for 5 years. If you read the article from ESPN (which I give you has a sensationalized title) it says they are hoping to be able to fast track his citizenship for the World Cup not this summer.
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I agree his chances of making Canadian World Cup team is much higher.
I’d agree with almost all of the forwards, midfielders, and keepers. I think the only likely tossup is 50/50 between Aidan Morris and Gianluca Busio. Defender is where we could see some surprises – it’s Jedi, Richards, Scally, Dest…and a bunch of question marks. The one thing that does make me wonder if we might have it figured wrong is that Pochettino has also openly stated that he wasn’t happy with the lack of fire shown by certain players in the Nations League and I wonder how that might not influence his selections…and if we might see some surprise exclusions.
I also wonder if Poch may consider Scally more of a CB in a three-man backline when the team pushes up into its preferred 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 attacking shape from its standard defensive 4-2-3-1, and I think there’s a chance Dest could wind up starting at RW.