It’s almost that time again for the US men’s national team.
When we last saw the Americans, at least the first-choice group, they were finishing a four-point November World Cup qualifying window, which included a familiar 2-0 home win over Mexico before a draw. 1-1 satisfactory, if not unimpressive. in Jamaica. That left the US in second place in Concacaf’s eight-team table, with the top three automatically going to the World Cup and fourth place going to Qatar in June for a playoff match against Rep. of Oceania for a final place in the World Cup. Field of 32 teams.
The stakes are high when qualifying resumes next week, with the US continuing its second round in the regional group by hosting El Salvador in Columbus, Ohio, taking on Canada in Hamilton, Ontario, and then returning to St. Paul, Minnesota, for a date against Honduras. It’s the reverse of the opening three-game window of qualifying in September, and the points that could bring the US closer to Qatar are there, with the two home games against the bottom two teams in the table. First place Canada will weaken a bit after the news that Alphonso Davies is out while recovering from a case of myocarditis discovered following his recent experience with COVID-19.
But what about the state of the US? For the past 10 days, 20 MLS players have been training in Phoenix, where they will conclude the first part of camp on January 21. Some of that group will stay and move to Columbus, where they will be joined by the US contingent abroad. Given the time of year on the club calendar, everyone is in a different place when it comes to form and fitness. Winter breaks or off-seasons for some leagues, along with recent injuries, new transfers, the omicron variant of the coronavirus, and other variables create a unique set of circumstances for players.
“What we have learned is to expect the unexpected,” US manager Gregg Berhalter said recently. “You never know who is going to be available to play in each game. You have to be willing to adapt.”
With a roster revealed for the games ahead, here’s a positional look at the US player pool and where things currently stand:
Images by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Imago
GOALKEEPERS
Zack Steffen may still be second choice at Man City and relegated to domestic cup duty, but he will enter this camp finding himself in an unusual position – having played a competitive match more recently than Matt Turner. It’s not like it mattered even when Turner was in season with the New England Revolution. After seeing the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year start the first five qualifiers, Steffen has gotten the call ever since and should be expected in goal against El Salvador. NYCFC’s Sean Johnson appears to be in the lead for third place from GK, though that’s not set in stone in the long run; it is just a product of the current state of the competition.
Nations League final hero Ethan Horvath has not played a minute for Nottingham Forest since September 15, while 17-year-old Gabriel Slonina is projected as a longer-term prospect. Including the Chicago Fire youngster as part of the team that goes to the playoffs could be a chip to play as he weighs his options between the US qualifiers only if he earns him through his play in camp, where he has been with Turner and Johnson. , during the last few weeks.
DEFENDERS
In the middle, Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman were the big winners of the fall, emerging as the first-choice tandem while John Brooks struggled to regain his form at Wolfsburg. But the former two have been out of season since their teams were eliminated from the MLS playoffs in November, and Brooks could find himself in the mix again, even if it’s not a starting role, along with Europe’s Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie. . based contingent.
Aaron Long’s accelerated return is another piece of the puzzle. Brought to camp in November and December to continue his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles tendon he sustained last May, Long seems to think he’ll be ready to contribute as soon as next week.
“I feel great. I mean, I’m not even eight months old yet, but I feel great,” Long said late last week. “I just have to keep getting fit and hopefully, and I got [two] more weeks until the qualifier, so yes, it should be ready.”
“Good to go” might be an exaggeration, especially with Berhalter indicating earlier last week that Long was more likely to be fit for the final three qualifiers in March, but if he really is back and can perform at his former level, is an unexpected bonus.
Across the width, things can be ironically more resolved on the left than on the right. Antonee Robinson is once again a fixture in the Fulham line-up, which sits at the top of England’s second division and is chasing promotion. Sam Vines has made 10 starts for Antwerp since moving to Belgium, while versatile Joe Scally and George Bello are the other alternatives. The first two participated in the camp of the last two qualifiers, but did not play.
On the right, Sergiño Dest has not played for Barcelona, which presents a bit of a problem. Dest’s final minutes were in the first half of Barça’s Champions League group final against Bayern Munich on 8 December. He has been injured and had a case of COVID-19, which hasn’t helped his cause, but it does add a wrinkle for Berhalter as he considers how, and if, to use one of his most dynamic players entering the final third. Behind Dest, dependable veteran DeAndre Yedlin hasn’t come off the bench in Galatasaray’s last four games, while Reggie Cannon, on the other hand, has re-emerged as a starter at Boavista but has yet to play a minute in qualifying.
The fact that Brooks and Yedlin carry yellow cards into the three-game window also requires more depth at their respective positions, given that one more yellow card for either would mean a one-game suspension.
MIDFIELDERS
Weston McKennie is in his best form of the season for Juventus, with goals in back-to-back games and transfer rumors from Tottenham as the January window reaches its second half. He, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams are in line to command the midfield, although Adams must be careful not to miss any moments due to his yellow card status.
Beyond them, of the trusty MLS trio of Sebastian Lletget, Kellyn Acosta and Cristian Roldan, two have been traded (Lletget to the New England Revolution, Acosta to LAFC) and, digging a little deeper, James Sands secured a loan of NYCFC to Rangers. Except for Sands, who will make his Rangers debut on Tuesday, all have been inactive since their club seasons ended, leaving them with only camp time in the US to keep fit.
Gianluca Busio came on strong in the autumn but has only made one start in Venezia’s last four matches in all competitions. Luca de la Torre remains a fixture in the mid-table Dutch Heracles line-up, but Berhalter hasn’t shown much affinity for him during qualifying. Perhaps that will change with the second row of midfielders in the off-season.
FORWARD
There is a lot to unpack here, especially in the large areas. Christian Pulisic is fit, but has recently been spending time on the pitch for Chelsea typecast in full-back and false-nine roles rather than operating more exclusively in his customary attacking spot at winger. Gio Reyna, who hasn’t played for a club or country since the US’s first qualifying match on Sept. 2, probably won’t play until the international break, according to Dortmund coach Marco Rose. Tim Weah has also been out injured for Lille, although he returned to full training on Tuesday, and is also an injury doubt for next camp. Brenden Aaronson is not injured, but Salzburg have been out since December 11 for the Austrian Bundesliga winter break and, barring club friendlies, will have had no match time in the six weeks leading up to the match against El Salvador. (the athletic reported on Tuesday that Leeds United are looking to buy him during the transfer window and a $20 million offer was declined).
Those are the top four attacking talents in the US, and there are questions of various kinds about all of them and their preparation for the intense matches ahead. A wild card to watch out for is Konrad de la Fuente, the Marseille winger who started in El Salvador in the first qualifier but has not returned for any of the subsequent windows.
In the center, Ricardo Pepi settles in Augsburg, where he has been quite comfortable in his first games in Germany, although he has not scored yet (and has not scored for anyone since his stellar fall with the USA and goal against Jamaica). . The competition there is not so fierce at the moment. Josh Sargent continues to battle for Norwich City, while Daryl Dike has just moved to West Brom and is acclimatising. Jordan Pefok, like Aaronson, has his club out for the winter break, although his final impression before the stoppage was a four-goal performance for Young Boys in Switzerland. Matthew Hoppe has just returned from a long-term injury for Mallorca, earning his first minutes since September 22 in short consecutive spells from the bench. Pepi’s place remains to lose.
The four MLS forwards currently in camp (Jordan Morris, Paul Arriola, Jesus Ferreira and Gyasi Zardes) could all move on to the next phase, especially considering the expectation of an expanded roster and the need for more options. Arriola, for what it’s worth, has been linked with a move from DC United to Mexico’s Club America.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.