One of the nice things about being a fan with blog and a laptop is that I don’t have to run anything by an editor. Sure – it means my grammar is a nightmare and if I don’t catch typos no one will, but it also means I can write whatever I want. =)
With that in mind, here are four wildly speculative ideas that come to mind while looking at the players for the odd hybrid roster the USMNT released for this camp. (I think I actually believe in all four though)
The D-Mid Profile Has Officially Changed
I don’t know a ton about Andres Perea, but from the way Brian Sciaretta described him in his recent piece, he sounds a lot more like Tyler Adams than Yuiell or Bradley. If Perea beats out Yueill for a starting place on the U23 team that would seem to be the end of the long passing, “Controlling #6” that Berhalter preferred in that position.
The athletic, pressing, ground covering #6 that still passes pretty well is starting to look like the new profile in that slot. That profile also fits the American player pool better than the distributor type imo. We’ll see how things play out (Perea may not even choose the US after all), but this is an interesting subplot to keep an eye on.
Wanted: Ball Playing RCB
Between Brooks, McKenzie, and Ream the team has some capable options at left center back. The right center back spot has some quality defenders, but Miazga is the closest thing we’ve seen to a ball playing CB there, and he’s not amazing. (He’s fine, not amazing. Stand down, Miazga stans.)
Tristan Blackmon is a right back/center back hybrid that plays a possession style under Bob Bradley. Mauricio Pineda has an eye for a pass. Is Kessler good with the ball? I don’t recall seeing him play with New England. They aren’t exactly high on my teams to watch list.
You also have a selection of the “Sweeper CB” profile players Berhalter has been playing in that position (Long, Zimmerman, Robinson). Can any of the ball playing defenders show out enough to make it worth what you’d lose in defense by playing them? My hope is that Chris Richards crashes this party and becomes the full package at CB for the US, but it appears he’s not quite there yet. (Maybe I’m wrong – I hope he starts Friday for Bayern and crushes it)
*McKenzie could well be an option at RCB as well*
Jozy’s Last Stand
I’ve defended Altidore for a long time and I still think a healthy, motivated Jozy Altidore is the best forward the USMNT can trot out there. The problem is that healthy part.
Here’s his injury history:
The team hasn’t been able to count on him to be available and even when he was “healthy” for the Gold Cup in 2019…he only could go for about 45 minutes before he ran out of gas. But in those 45 minutes he created danger in a way no other forward in the pool can. The US should have scored at least one goal while he was playing against Mexico in the Gold Cup Final.
My money would be on the field (Sargent, Weah, Gioacchini, Zardes, Soto, Dike, etc.), but if Altidore can stay healthy all the way through January camp and then put a full season in…would it be a shock if he were the starter when World Cup qualifying rolls around? I hope the dude kills it in January and this is the start of a late career renaissance for Mr. Altidore.
Right Wing is the New #10
The USMNT has several quality options at left wing. Christian Pulisic, Jordan Morris, Ulysses Llanez, Chris Mueller, etc. The options on the right look more limited. Mueller plays there effectively for Orlando City and Weah is starting to look like he might be a real option there, but it’s not the strength that the left appears to be.
If you look at who has played that spot in the last couple games for the USMNT it (mostly) hasn’t been a traditional winger-type. Reyna and Ledezma played there during the November window, and I’m very curious to see who starts there against Serbia (?) at the end of the month. If it’s Mihailovic I think we might have an answer.
With Dest on his way to becoming one of the best right backs in the world (I’m not crazy for typing that sentence, right?) clearing out the space along the right sideline for him to operate feels like the right move. The profile for “right wing” is changing into a drift inside and play in the pockets and right half space position.
Time to start trolling Twitter for who’s standing out in training and getting ready for a drab 0-0 draw with Serbia. 😂 Can’t wait.
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