After a very young, exciting, European roster in November we basically have the domestic version of the European roster. There are some intriguing dual nationals and some old standbys that may or may not produce angst from us fans. Near as I can tell, here is the roster as it currently stands:
That’s a lot of Center Mids
I know that Berhalter has said Efra could play wing or even forward, but that still seems like a lot of guys that play some version of center midfield. Is Gregg shifting to having only one inverted winger of the Pulisic type and playing attacking midfielders at “right wing?” Even Pulisic is more of a winger/10 hybrid. He played attacking mid for the US youth teams, played in the midfield during the Gold Cup last summer, and drifts inside an awful lot for Chelsea.
If you look at the two games in November and then this roster…it kinda looks that way. Reyna, Weah, and Ledezma are the guys who played “right wing” against Wales/Panama and they all like to drift inside. Alvarez would look pretty good in that role coming in on his left, wouldn’t he? It appears that width is going to be provided by attacking fullbacks, not wingers.
*The “you are our only left footed option for the right wing spot” would be a pretty good enticement for Alvarez imo. From what I can gather, Berhalter gives players a description of what he sees them doing for the team as part of his recruiting pitch. You have a left foot – please join us, isn’t the worst. lol
Is Yueill it?
Perhaps I’ve missed someone, but Jackson Yueill looks like the only #6 type on this roster. Frankie Amaya plays there some for Cincy, but his positive COVID test means he’s not even an option.
How good a Tyler Adams impression can Yueill do? Enough to stay ahead of Johnny Soccer? Or will the team play differently enough against El Salvador that he doesn’t need to? It would be nice if the USMNT was playing a more challenging opponent, but beggars can’t be choosers at this point.
Is Michael Bradley not being called in significant? Berhalter name checked him in the not too recent past, but if he doesn’t get called in in January it might be a sign that the team has officially moved on. Either way, this player is now part of the “back three” with the two center backs when the US is in possession. Yueill’s field coverage and defending will be key to his placement in the depth chart.
* I just learned that Perea is a d-mid, but don’t know much about him. He also can’t play*
Olympic Practice
Of the 22 players currently on the roster 14 of them are Olympic eligible. I have no idea when the qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics will be, but any time these guys can spend together developing some cohesion is a good thing. Remember, if you qualify for the Olympics you are allowed to bring three overage players too. If one or two of the older guys really gels/bonds with the kids then maybe you bring along an Aaron Long or a Paul Arriola to the Olympics next year. Chemistry is a real thing.
Assuming all the planned tournaments get played, the US has to have rosters for: 1) World Cup qualifying 2) The Gold Cup 3) The Olympics and 4) The U20 World Cup.
Expecting things to go according to plan would be asinine at this point, but that is around 90 players for those four competitions. There will be little to no overlap between rosters so there are positions to be had on one of these teams for everyone on this roster.
Left Back and Right Center Back
The “holes” in the USMNT lineup are still pretty clear. You could argue that forward is still a problem area, but I think the depth chart is looking much better with the sheer number of players competing for the position. One of them is bound to pop. (in a good way, not like their hamstring or something)
Right center back and left back are still wide open though. If Vines or Farfan show really well, I’d bet that earns a serious look with the full team.
Mark McKenzie has a huge opportunity here. Aaron Long has been the #1 at RCB for Berhalter so far, but he’s not great with the ball. If McKenzie can show that he is athletic enough and a good enough defender to do that job…he might be able to take Long’s place. He’s also two-footed enough that he plays LCB for Philly. Taking the backup LCB job from Tim Ream is also within the realm of possibility.
*I think Mark McKenzie is the player I’m most interested in seeing this camp. Hope he starts the game against El Salvador*
Starting Lineups
You could put together a couple different starting lineups with this group and while one might cause a few more complaints than the other…given the domestic pool that was available, people will be reasonably happy with about any configuration (there’s always some whackos that are mad about everything).
Match Facts
USMNT vs El Salvador
- When: Wednesday 12/9/20 at 7:30pm on ESPN
- Where: Miami, Florida
- Elo Ratings: USMNT 1742 (38th) vs El Salvador 1484 (85th)
- FIFA Rankings: USMNT 22nd vs El Salvador 70th
- Transfermarkt roster value: USMNT $52.64 million vs El Salvador $1.13 million
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