State of the Union: Projecting the USMNT World Cup Squad
We're continuing to play a game of World Cup denial over here, acting as if the Cup is taking place this summer as it usually would be, as opposed to this winter in Qatar, which under no circumstances should it be. In previous World Cup hype pieces, we ranked the past United States tournament performances and the difficulty of the 2022 tournament's various groups. Now, as we officially close the book on the short-lived international break (at least for the men) and begin the earlier-than-usual preseason for the earlier-than-usual club season, thanks to the later-than-usual World Cup, we here atThe Couch are turning our attention stateside once more.
More specifically, we're looking at the state of the USMNT squad, which has now not only officially booked their places in the World Cup, a feat that should hardly be considered a feat but is significant nonetheless after the embarrassment of missing out in 2018, but also began their long, staggered 'send-off' tour with a convincing win and hard-fought draw against two highly-considered, fellow World Cup qualifiers in Morocco and Uruguay, followed by 4 points from 2 matches in the 2022-23 Nations League. The qualifying process was far from a consistently smooth ride, but they made it, and there has been a whole lot for the U.S. to celebrate over the last 12-13 months, which also included Nations League and Gold Cup conquests over Mexico. Over that time period we've also seen Gregg Berhalter's squad take an increasingly consistent shape, to the extent that we have a pretty good idea of what at least half of the U.S. team in Qatar is going to look like. There are several unknowns in the starting XI still, though, let alone depth pieces, especially with FIFA's ruling that nations will be able to bring 26 players this year.
So, with exactly 4 months until the team kicks off World Cup play against Wales, let's get to our breakdown of who is still in the running to represent the Stars and Stripes in November, separated by position and into three tiers of likelihood:
GOALIES
Locks
Zack Steffen (Manchester City)
Matt Turner (Arsenal)
Strong Contenders
Ethan Horvath (Luton Town)
Sean Johnson (New York City FC)
Wild Cards
Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders)
Bill Hamid (D.C. United)
Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire)
Should Make The Squad: Steffen, Turner, Frei
WILL Make The Squad: Steffen, Turner, Johnson
Standard practice is to bring three keepers to the World Cup, and for a while, it seemed like the U.S's 3 options were set in stone, with Steffen and Horvath splitting time (and both impressing) in the Nations League, and Turner being the standout of the Gold Cup. It's Horvath who started to fall by the wayside in recent months, however; while the other two rotated starts throughout World Cup qualifying, Horvath also began struggling to see the field at the club level with Nottingham Forest. Thanks to Steffen's inconsistent appearances and inconsistent form for Man City, and Turner's move to Arsenal where he's bound to be a backup, the U.S. are facing the risk of calling up three inexperienced, out-of-form keepers. Gabriel Slonina, the Chicago Fire wunderkind linked with both Real Madrid and Chelsea, might also be making a late push to be added, but I do think Berhalter and co. will end up opting for veteran experience at the last keeper spot. And though I still like Horvath, I actually don't fault the logic at all of saving one spot for a guy who is regularly starting at his club, especially when question marks still surround who GK1 is going to be. I just expect Berhalter to pick the wrong "in-form veteran" candidate. Sean Johnson has been the only other keeper besides the STH trio to feature for the U.S. in the last year, getting both the call-up in the last window, and the start in the high-profile showdown with Uruguay, showing Berhalter's hand as to where he slots in the pecking order. And while Johnson is a very good keeper, I'm just not sure how you can watch the Swiss dual-national Frei come to the rescue for the CONCACAF Champions League-winning Seattle Sounders time and time again and not want him on your 26-man squad.
CENTER-BACKS
Locks
Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Strong Contenders
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic)
Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls)
Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes)
Mark McKenzie (Genk)
Chris Richards (Hoffenheim)
Wild Cards
John Brooks (Wolfsburg)
Tim Ream (Fulham)
Miles Robinson (Atlanta United)
Should Make The Squad: Zimmerman, Brooks, Carter-Vickers, Richards
WILL Make The Squad: Zimmerman, Long, Palmer-Brown, Richards
Of all the "Wild Cards" in this article, arguably none are as significant nor unique a situation as Miles Robinson. The Atlanta United CB hadn't just become a consistent performer for the U.S. over the last year, he had played so well in the 2021 Gold Cup and World Cup Qualifying matches, that he had become a lock to start and made a serious claim for being the United States' best option at center-back. Then, in an awful stroke of luck, he tore his Achilles while playing for Atlanta in early May, leaving the U.S. even thinner at a position that might be their weakest.
Robinson now faces a race against time to heal up before the Cup; if he can not only get healthy, but back to the level he was playing at by this Winter, he's a surefire pick, but that will be a very tall task. Fortunately, Nashville's Walker Zimmerman has come seemingly out of nowhere to suddenly become the stalwart Robinson was pre-injury, and is a virtual lock to start in Qatar.
If Miles can't heal in time, though, it's really anyone's guess who will partner with Zimmerman in the back at the Cup. Long, Carter-Vickers, McKenzie, Richards have all spent time in that spot in big matches over the last many months, and out of all of them, Berhalter seems to favor the former the most, likely due to his experience (or, if you believe the Twitter cynics, because he's an MLS player), but given that he's probably the least skilled of all viable options, I hesitate to make Long a lock. Further complicating matters is the fact that the U.S. seemingly has two slam dunk candidates in John Brooks and Tim Ream, two veterans who have logged years in the World's most competitive leagues, but whether it's attitude issues, a couple bum performances last summer, not fitting the manager's 'system,' or some combination of the above, they have not appeared in the last several windows for the USMNT. If things are dire enough, and/or they work out whatever beef might exist between them and the coaching staff, either or both of these guys could be prime candidates to fill depth. But I'm going to work on the assumption that those guys won't magically be back on Berhalter's good graces nor will Robinson be back in time, and expect the manager will opt for a mixture of MLS synergy, experience, and young talent.
FULLBACKS
Locks
Sergiño Dest (Barcelona)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami)
Strong Contenders
George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld)
Reggie Cannon (Boavista)
Wild Cards
Shaq Moore (Tenerife)
Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Sam Vines (Antwerp)
Should Make The Squad: Dest, Robinson, Cannon, Scally
WILL Make The Squad: Dest, Robinson, Yedlin, Cannon
Fullback is one position in which the U.S. is not hurting for options. There is suddenly a wealth of talent in this new generation of USMNT players (the Liverpool fan in me wants to attribute it to Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold making the position sexy, though I know the truth probably isn't that simple), and many have gotten run at the left and right-back spots for them during Berhalter's reign. For a time, concern over depth at LB in comparison to superior depth at RB forced Berhalter to play Barcelona man Sergiño Dest out of position at LB while rotating options on the opposite side of the field. However, thanks to the emergence of Fulham starter Antonee "Jedi" Robinson at LB, Dest has been able to slot back in his natural position at RB, and given how both have played, it would be a surprise if anyone other than these two start at wingback in Qatar. 2014 World Cup breakout star DeAndre Yedlin has been the third-most called-upon option, deputizing at RB in many a big match, such as the Nations League Final vs. Mexico, so he seems like a sure thing to make the final squad as well, and provide some veteran experience.
Several others have plied their trade for the U.S., between friendlies, Nations League, Gold Cup, and World Cup qualifying matches. Reggie Cannon has had a turbulent time with his club Boavista of late, but has been a consistently solid performer internationally when called upon, and young LB George Bello was a common call-up for Gregg Berhalter amidst the Gold Cup last year and WCQ this year, but he might have made the rare mistake of going to Europe too soon, having a much more difficult time in Germany with the now-relegated Arminia Bielefeld than he was having at Atlanta United. Tenerife's Shaq Moore was a Gold Cup standout last summer, and could still be a good depth option but weirdly enough, has rarely seen a call-up since that tournament. Same goes for young prospect Sam Vines, and while his fellow young up-and-comer Joe Scally finally got his USMNT call-up after months of starring for Mönchengladbach while Berhalter ignored the pleas of Twitterheads to give him a chance for a long time, when he finally got his chance against Morocco and Uruguay, he didn't exactly shine. It's a tiny sample size, to be fair, and he could absolutely get better with more run, but it's not hard to see why it might be a longshot for him to make the roster this year.
In the end, it seems like Berhalter is unlikely to call up more than 4 fullbacks, and it seems like 3 of the 4 are set in stone. I would be partial to having Cannon fill the more "experienced" void over Yedlin, and giving the young dynamo Scally some exposure to World Cup training and preparation, but my guess is that the coaches are going to double down on experience, given that both likely starters are relatively green.
CENTRAL/DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Locks
Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC)
Tyler Adams (Leeds United)
Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Strong Contenders
Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Wild Cards
Gianluca Busio (Venezia)
Sebastian Lletget (New England Revolution)
James Sands (Rangers)
Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)
Should Make The Squad: Adams, McKennie, Acosta, Roldan
WILL Make The Squad: Adams, McKennie, Acosta, Roldan
One of these "locks" is not like the other. Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie have been stalwarts in the U.S. team for several years now, coming up through the youth system before taking on starting, and eventually starring roles in the senior national team. They also have proven themselves in a major way at the club level, earning moves to and starts at vaunted spots like Juventus and RB Leipzig. Kellyn Acosta, however, could not have had a more different journey to "Lock" status. He's a veteran, career MLS player, for one. But also, the defensive mid garnered his first appearance for the U.S. in 2016, and was a steady contributor through the end of 2017, but went two years between appearances for the national team before being called up in December 2020. Since that call-up, however, he has been an absolute mainstay, even appearing in 21 of the 22 matches played in 2021. He's cemented a place as the best DM counterpart with or substitute for the all-important Tyler Adams, and it's impossible for me to envision him not getting a call in November.
The "locks" at this position pretty much stop there, though; in fact the only other decent bet of the central and defensive midfield pool is Seattle Sounders' Roldan, who has been called up in every international window this calendar year, and recently got rave reviews from the manager, who publicly declared he had a "fantastic attitude, [and is a] student of the game, always learning, always improving." However, given the limited amounts of minutes Roldan has gotten with the U.S., even he is probably just a beneficiary of the slightly expanded squads and likely would be on the wrong side of the bubble otherwise.
If Gregg Berhalter and co. elect to take more than 4 at this position, which is highly possible, it could be the once-favored veteran midfielder Lletget who quietly has gone without a call-up in the last few windows, or a smattering of young talents in Busio, Sands and Yuiell, who featured in the USA's Gold Cup triumph last summer. But this seems unlikely, given the lack of call-ups in months, and lack of appearances in even more months.
CREATIVE/ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
Locks
Yunus Musah (Valencia)
Strong Contenders
Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo)
Malik Tillman (Bayern Munich)
Wild Cards
Julian Green (Greuther Fürth)
Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montreal)
Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers)
Should Make The Squad: Musah, de la Torre, Tillman
WILL Make The Squad: Musah, de la Torre, Tillman
The U.S. probably has the least amount of proven depth at attacking midfielder, specifically. Of the ones that have played for the team in various competitions over the last few years, only one has definitively secured his place in the roster: Valencia's Yunus Musah, who chose to represent the United States over England and Ghana, has become virtually irreplaceable as the attacking spearpoint for the beloved 'MMA' midfield trio.
Behind Musah, though....woof. If you thought the CM pool was thin, options here appear even narrower. Fellow youngster (and now fellow La Liga player) Luca De La Torre, who has put in a very good shift in his last couple call-ups is the only other prospect who seems a decent bet to make the team, and even he I would hesitate to say is a sure thing. It's worth noting, though, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for the USMNT. Given how deep the team is at winger (coming up next), I sort of doubt Berhalter sees this as a high position of need, and expect he might opt to play one of the pacy forwards in a CAM role instead if needed.
If more than the aforementioned two are to crash the party, the two others to keep an eye on in my opinion, would be: Djordje Milhailovic, who was lighting it up in the MLS before a tragically-timed ankle injury kept him out of the U.S.'s last summer window and Malik Tillman, the Bayern Munich prospect whose commitment to the States over Germany was seen in some circles as a real coup. Is this cycle going to prove to be too early for him, or will he be the 2022 equivalent of Julian Green...the young German dual-national whose appearances are hyped but sparing, but he ends up making the final squad anyway? Berhalter doesn't strike me as much of a risk-taker, and granting a spot to an unknown like Tillman does seem like a risk...and yet, I just think the combination of the larger squad size and the extremely thin attacking mid pool might cause him to take a flyer on the youngster. I hope he does! Even if Tillman never sees the pitch in the 2022 Cup, this sort of experience could be invaluable.
WINGERS
Locks
Brendon Aaronson (Leeds United)
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)
Timothy Weah, Jr. (Lille)
Strong Contenders
Paul Arriola (FC Dallas)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
Wild Cards
Konrad de la Fuente (Marseille)
Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca)
Nicholas Gioacchini (Montpelier)
Should Make The Squad: Aaronson, Arriola, Pulisic, Reyna, Weah
WILL Make The Squad: Aaronson, Arriola, Pulisic, Reyna, Weah, Morris
If you're looking for the U.S.'s deepest position, look no further. The wingers in this program are the manifestation of the United States' excitement over this generation of talent, with forwards that have started at the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Dortmund, Salzburg, Lille, Leeds, Schalke, and Marseilles over the last couple years.
The four locks mentioned above aren't just locks to make the final squad, they're going to be four of the first names to be called. That's how good they are and how integral they can be to the Yanks' success in November. With Gio Reyna, the only question is a question of fitness; he hasn't "starred" for the national team in quite a long time because of rotten injury luck, which kept him out of every World Cup Qualifying window except the very last one. Assuming he is fit, though-- and that is a massive assumption to make, I understand --he is too much of a talent to keep off the field, even if the USMNT hasn't gotten to see that talent as much as they would have liked over the last 13 months. As for the other 3 locks? Well, they have been nothing short of terrific through the WCQ cycle... so good, in fact, that I would not be shocked to see Berhalter trying to find creative ways to get all of them on the field at the same time.
The talented options don't stop there either. In FC Dallas' Paul Arriola and Seattle Sounders' Jordan Morris, you have two guys who have been on the radar since breaking out in their youth, currently are star attackers in the MLS, have been solid in cameos for the U.S., and bring unique skillsets to the position. Arriola in particular seems to have that dawg in him, the tenacious ability to fight off defenders who might be taller and seem stronger than him.
This is all to say nothing of three other budding young talents, De La Fuente, Hoppe and Gioacchini, the latter two of whom were great in the Gold Cup tournament last summer and all three of whom have already turned heads in Europe. They're too good to completely write off as possibilities to make the team, but I think this position is just too deep at the moment for them to realistically get a call.
STRIKERS/CENTER-FORWARDS
Locks
None
Strong Contenders
Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas)
Ricardo Pepi (FC Augsburg)
Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin)
Haji Wright (Antalyaspor)
Wild Cards
Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion)
Josh Sargent (Norwich City)
Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids)
Should Make The Squad: Ferreira, Pepi, Pefok
WILL Make The Squad: Ferreira, Pepi, Pefok
"ZERO LOCKS" might seem silly or dramatic, because of course at least one (and probably more) of the strikers will be going to Qatar, surely. But the truth of the matter is, absolutely nobody has stepped up and claimed that lock status. This is undoubtedly the USMNT's biggest question mark to date, and it's not that the talent pool is BAD, mind you. It's just that pretty much all of the above have proven to be good players who suffer from problems in front of the net, which, like Bo Burnham's onstage panic attacks, "is, um, not a great place to have them."
FC Dallas star man Jesús Ferreira is the 'striker du jour' and the closest thing to a lock at this point, I would say, given his 5 goals in 2 of his last 3 starts. But given that he has had just as many, if not more, appearances in which he was totally absent, and his bursts of goalscoring came against the mighty heavyweights of Panama and Grenada, reasonable questions could be asked about whether he can get it done against tougher competition. Former FC Dallas star Ricardo Pepi, the breakout darling for the U.S. last Fall, didn't score again for club or country after his expensive January move to the Bundesliga... can he be counted on to regain form? Jordan Pefok and Haji Wright, more so than any other American forward prospects, are the ones getting it done at the club level, slotting in a combined 36 goals in Switzerland and Turkey, respectively. But, save for Pefok's Nations League winner vs. Honduras in June 2021, both have failed to repeat that feat internationally, albeit in Wright's case, he's had minimal chance to do so, having only received his first and second senior call-up this past June.
Then there were multiple past favorites in guys like Zardes, Dike, Sargent, all who seemed to be locks (or at least strong contenders) at one point, but their hopes have been derailed by stark downturn in form last season, injury, or both.
In the end, I think Berhalter will go with a committee at striker and hope one sticks, which to me is the right approach when nobody appears ready to make the job theirs, especially when you also have an abundance of attacking talent in the winger position (false 9, anyone?!?). It's hard for me to even determine who might be the manager's 'favorite' striker at this point, that's how much of a revolving door it has been. But if I had to guess, I'd assume he'd go for a striker committee comprised of the one with the highest ceiling (Pepi), the one who has been the best for the U.S. (Ferreira, currently) and the one who is in the best club form (Pefok, currently).
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