A 0-2 defeat against Japan before a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia left the U.S. completely unmotivated ahead of the World Cup match against Wales in Qatar.
The team entered the international game day hoping to cement their #World Cup# roster and build cohesion, but injuries and poor performances hampered those goals, with U.S. team coach Greg Burhalt making some tough choices ahead of Nov. 9, when the final lineup will be announced at an event in New York City.
Examining the current status of all the players on the list, an unrealistic assumption was made: all players who have not had serious, long-term injuries will be inducted into the big list. Given that as many as five possible starters missed the camp due to injury, and at least four other players were injured to varying degrees during the training or match window, it is best to make this prediction in this context.
With that foundation in hand, let's take a look at what kind of players the U.S. team has in the Qatar World Cup squad to pick from.
We will divide the player pool into four tiers – from goalkeepers to strikers – based on recent game situations and Burhalt's preference for players since the start of World Cup qualifiers.
Tier 1: Expected start. Players are clear starters in their positions.
Tier 2: World Cup contributors. Players want to appear on the roster and contribute on the pitch, either as starters or as substitutes.
Tier 3: Substitution. Compete for the 26-man lineup and provide lineup depth.
Tier 4: It is estimated that it will not be selected. Players who have been in the team but may not receive much attention.
Then there are the 26ers expected to make it to the Qatar World Cup squad.
goalie
Tier 1: None
Level 2: Zach Stephen (Middlesbrough), Matt Turner (Arsenal)
Level 3: Essen Horvat (Luton Town), Sean Johnson (New York City FC)
Level 4: Gabriel Sloanena (Chicago Fire Brigade)
Matt Turner played two friendly games in the United States in this window and appeared to be the number one goalkeeper chosen by Greg Burhart. One of the only positives in the past two games has been Turner's performance, alleviating concerns that his limited game time after moving to Arsenal will weaken his acumen.
Since the beginning of 2021, Turner has made twice as many appearances for the U.S. (20 to 10), scored the same number of goals (8), and performed better on almost all statistical indicators.
So the choice seems clear.
Expected selection: Stephen, Turner, Horvat
Full back
Level 1: Sergino Dest (AC Milan), Anthony Robinson (Fulham)
Tier 2: DeAndre Yedrin (International Miami CF)
Level 3: Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Joe Sculley (Mönchengladbach), Sam Wiens (Antwerp)
Layer 4: Arminia Bielefeld, Shaq Moore (Nashville SC)
Sergino Dest locked up the starting spot for the World Cup, but in the depth chart, the position behind him was fiercely competitive.
Assuming they are in perfect health, Durst and Robinson will be in charge of the left and right full-backs, respectively. During the World Cup qualifiers, Robinson played and created more chances (18 times) than any player on the team, and Dest's ability to hold the ball was special for a full-back. Depending on how consistently they are called, both Yedrin and Cannon are likely to appear on the final list, although Yedlin, the only player with World Cup experience, seems more likely to play a meaningful role.
Sculley played just 31 minutes in the window and did not contribute in qualifying, but he had a positive impact on Yedlin against Saudi Arabia. His ability to play left or right will be an important addition, and although he is only 19 years old, Sculley has made more appearances in the Europa League's top five games over the past two seasons than anyone in the pool of players. Wiennes started against Japan and did well in Belgium, but he may not have done enough to make it into the 26-man squad.
Expected selection: Durst, Robinson, Jedlin, Sculley, Cannon
Central defender
Tier 1: Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Layer 2: Aaron. Lang (New York Red Bulls)
Level 3: Mark Mackenzie (Henck), Cameron Carter Wix (Celtic), Tim Rem (Fulham), Eric Palmer Brown (Troyes), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace)
Tier 4: John Brooks (Benfica), Matt Miazka (Cincinnati), James Sands (Wanderer)
Starting with two friendly matches in September, Aaron Lang appears to have narrowly led the race for a second centre-back spot.
There has been some clarity about Burhalt's priorities over the past few weeks, starting with the initial list (Zimmerman, Lang, Richards, Carter Wix) and then the list recalled after Richards and Carter Vickers withdrew due to injury (Mackenzie and Palmer Brown). Zimmerman has established himself as a definitive starter, and it's hard to argue that Berhalt doesn't think Lang, who started in the last six U.S. games, is another. Either way, they will be on the list. The question is how many other centre-backs will be there, and whether any of them can replace Lang.
For Rehm, he is not among the six centre-backs called in during this window, which is not a good sign. However, his situation goes like this: he is in good form as captain of Fulham and Fulham are sixth in the Premier League. He is an excellent passer and a natural left-winger. In addition to these attributes, there may be a more important attribute: he plays next to Robinson in Fulham. When this team came on against Wales, they had played two games together and there will be about a week to play together before the match. This is not enough to promote the continuity of the fit. Rem is better suited to play at this level than Lang.
Expected selection: Zimmerman, Lang, Carter Vickers, Mackenzie, Richards
midfielder
Level 1: Weston-McKenny (Juventus), Taylor Adams (Leeds United), Yunus Moussa (Valencia)
Level 2: Keelin Acosta (LAFC), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo)
Level 3: Christian Rodin (Seattle Gulfman), Malik Tillman (Rangers), Johnny Cardoso (International)
Level 4: Buccio (Venice), Michalovi (CF Montreal), Lertegate (FC Dallas), Juel (San Jose Earthquake)
This international day, the U.S. team needs more midfield players, especially capable players like Weston McKeny.
The inability to push the ball into midfield was one of the biggest disappointments the U.S. team has had in the past two games, and it's pretty ugly. Getting Moussa back, with his ability to keep the ball in hand, will have a big impact, but it doesn't bode well if the quality of Acosta and Delatorre's passes declines at the World Cup in Qatar. McKenny still needs more improvements, and he doesn't seem interested in either friendlies, which may not be the case if the U.S. were to advance to the group stage.
Brendon Aronson and Giovanni Rainer can also contribute in midfield. Tillman's addition is likely to depend on the injuries of a player on the list. There may be six positions here, depending on how many wingers or centre-backs are selected.
Expected selection: Adams, McKeny, Moussa, Acosta, De La Torre
Winger
Level 1: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Level 2: Giovanni Renner (Dortmund), Timothy Weah (Lille), Brendon Aronsen (Leeds United)
Tier 3: Paul Ariola (Dallas FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Gulfers)
Level 4: Matthew Hope (Middlesbrough), Conrad De La Fuente (Olympiacos)
Pulisic, Renna, Weah and Aronsen are all players who are clearly fit into the big squad and will play an important role as starters or substitutes if they are healthy. All four have experienced injury issues in the past year, and they have never been in the same game at the same time.
According to Burhart's squad structure, Morris or Ariola will also be in the final big list selection. But unless the other players are injured and unable to use it, neither of them can get meaningful playing time.
Expected selection: Pulisic, Reyna, Aronson, Wea, Morris, Aliola
striker
Tier 1: None
Tier 2: J. Ferreira (Dallas FC)
Level 3: Josh Sargent (Norwich), Jordan Peffolk (Union Berlin), Ricardo Peppi (FC Groningen)
Level 4: Brandon Vazquez (Cincinnati F.C.), Haji Wright (Antalya Sports), Garci Zades (Colorado Rapids)
Ricciardo Peppi has made appearances in both friendly matches in the United States, but neither he nor Jesus Ferreira found any sense on the offensive end.
Two games, 56 touches, one shot, zero goals. The striker combinations of Ferreira, Sargent and Peppi were almost invisible in this international match. But at some point, it depends on the striker to find a way to make an impact, and that doesn't happen. There is no reason to be optimistic about the situation at the World Cup in Qatar. It was a black hole during qualifying (Peppi led the other strikers with three goals, two of them in the October home game against Jamaica).
Before that window, there was a lot of clamor for Pefalk to join the big list, and it should be louder now. After winning the Golden Boot in the Swiss league last year, he scored four goals in all eight matches of the current Bundesliga table-topped Union Berlin. He may not be the right fit for the system that Burhart is looking for, but it could be a substitute when players who should fit into the system continue to play ineffectively.
Estimated selection: Ferreira, Sargent, Pefok
Team USA is expected to have a 26-man lineup
Goalkeeper (3): Zach Stephen, Matt Turner, Ethan Howorth
Defenders (9): Walker Zimmerman, Aaron Long, Cameron Carter Wix, Mark Mackenzie, Chris Richards, Anthony Robinson, Sergino Dest, DeAndre Yedlin, Joe Scully
Midfielders (5): Taylor Adams, Weston McKenney, Yunus Moussa, Luca Delatorre, Kylin Acosta
Wingers (6): Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reiner, Tim Weah, Brendon Aronson, Paul Ariola, Jordan Morris
Forwards (3): Jesus Ferreira, Josh Sargent, Jordan Pefok
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