The roster dropped and there’s not a ton to complain about. Even the Alfredo Morales brigade gets to see their man get another shot. We’re going to throw out the usual position by position breakdown and go through the roster based on how excited I (and most other fans) are about each inclusion.
As usual, if you are looking for a “professional” piece with like quotes from coaches and stuff…stop reading now.
Tier 1: Yippee Ki Yay Melon Farmer
Sergiño Dest RB/LB
Dest is 18 years old and started for Ajax in the Champions League today. He has the potential to be the best right back the USMNT has ever had, and definitely the best since Cherundolo. On top of that, he’s eligible for Holland and has made noises that he’d be open to hearing from them. Keep your outrageously likable orange mitts off him, okay the Netherlands?
Paxton Pomykal (Mid)
Paxton has had quite the rise. 12 months ago he was an afterthought on a Dallas team that was a bit of a tease about actually playing its homegrowns. After starring at the U20 World Cup for the US in May and being maybe the best US born midfielder in MLS #PlayYourKids aficionados everywhere are drooling for his debut. Sanjiv (@USMNTvideos) threw this lineup into the ether earlier and the thought of Pomykal and Pulisic interchanging on the left has got me all hot and bothered. I really hope Paxton starts with the first teamers against Mexico (I fully expect several guys to leave and the Uruguay game to be a lot of backups).
Josh Sargent (Fwd)
The forward pool is so shallow for the US that Sargent almost has to be good. I know there are some other prospects in the pipeline, but nobody is close to breaking through. I could non ironically suggest Bobby Wood or Gyasi Zardes as Jozy’s backup (What are the odds we’ll need Jozy’s backup though?🙄) if Sargent doesn’t pan out! Josh hasn’t gotten much time with Werder Bremen yet, but he has teammates dropping like flies (Rashica – injured, Eggestein – Red Card) so he might get some real minutes this weekend. His skill set is not that dissimilar to Altidore’s. Please play well, Josh.
Tier 2: I Like What You’ve Done Here
Miles Robinson (CB)
I almost included Robinson in Tier 1, but he’s a defensive center back. Sorry, just not a sexy enough position. I am excited to see him with the team though. I wrote a piece on him a little while ago and he seems like a very good backup or even replacement for Aaron Long. Great one v. one defender, super athletic, good reader of the game, etc.
Christian Pulisic (Fwd)
I suppose there will come a day when seeing Christian’s name on the roster will be old hat, but today is not that day. He’s off to a halfway decent start with Chelsea and is still the most exciting player in the pool. It also looks like he might even get moved to the wing if the “forward” designation has any meaning.
That Pulisic/Mount chemistry >pic.twitter.com/Bgp3PbY6wt
— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) August 25, 2019
Weston McKennie (Mid)
McKennie is off to a solid start at Schalke while playing a 6/8 position consistently. I was hoping he could take the 6 position for a test drive with Adams and Bradley out, but it doesn’t appear as though that’s an option. McKennie is still a fun, young player to watch and I hope to see a couple more sexy slip passes in the near future.
John Brooks (CB)
Another center back, but this one plays some pretty passes. That makes him more exciting. On the other hand he’s not a new toy. That knocks him back down a little. This will only be the second time we’ve seen him play under Berhalter. The big question? How much does his passing ability out of the back effect how the US is able to play through Mexico?
Tyler Boyd (Fwd)
I’m still confused about Tyler. According to the most recent info I’ve seen Tyler Boyd was benched in the Gold Cup because Berhalter preferred Jordan Morris. This does not compute. Even if Gregg preferred Morris it makes no sense that Boyd wasn’t an attacking sub against Mexico. I hope he gets a start. There’s gotta be more to this story.
Alfredo Morales (Mid)
I would love for the US to have a destroyer-type midfielder in the lineup. The only player that ever made the Bradley-Jones pairing work was Kyle Beckerman. Even so, I still don’t see Morales fitting in (I took a look at his game a while back), in Berhalter’s system. I hope I’m wrong and I’m looking forward to seeing him get his shot though. At the very least it would be nice to have him as a bench option if the US is getting overwhelmed and can’t get a hold of the ball a la Mexico in the Gold Cup final.
Jackson Yueill (Mid)
I don’t know Yueill well. I’ve watched San Jose a little bit and Matias Almeyda has a really high opinion of him. That’s enough for me. I don’t remember Yueill doing much in that train wreck of a friendly against Jamaica, but he’s a shiny new toy and I’d like to see him play. Is he a possible option at the 6?
Tier 3: That’s Cool
The following guys deserve to be on the team (IMO), but I don’t have strong feelings about any of them. Reggie Cannon, Aaron Long, Nick Lima, all the goal keepers, Walker Zimmerman, and Jordan Morris.
Tier 4: Less than Thrilled
Sebastian Lletget – According to Galaxy fans (Jay Hernandez for one – a good Twitter follow) Lletget isn’t even playing that well for the Galaxy. Not sure how that qualifies you for the NT.
Daniel Lovitz – I know LB is a shallow spot, but would still rather see a kid (like A. Robinson – I know he got killed against Brazil, but Douglas Costa kills a lot of left backs) called up here. Lovitz isn’t a long term answer for anything.
Cristian Roldan – Roldan just isn’t good enough for international soccer. I’m not sure who I’d rather see, but IMO it’d be better to see an unknown (Servania?) and find out he isn’t ready than play someone we already know isn’t good enough.
Cory Baird: Whatever. Enjoy keeping Tim’s seat warm.
Tier 5: *Lloyd retching from Dumb and Dumber gif*
Wil Trapp – Pros: hits a good diagonal ball, is apparently an excellent Settlers of Catan player Cons: Everything else
Gyasi Zardes – Part of me gets it. The forward pool is empty. He knows the system. He’s a really nice guy. And then I see him miss a great chance or bang a pass backwards 25 yards…
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