USMNT

Gaslight

Published

4 years ago

April 13, 2022

The USMNT has qualified for the 2022 World Cup. But was the entire qualification campaign a giant exercise in world gaslighting? Here is the definition:

“Gaslighting is a form of manipulation that often occurs in abusive relationships. It is a covert type of emotional abuse where the bully or abuser misleads the target, creating a false narrative and making them question their judgments and reality.”

The first part that has to be satisfied is the abusive relationship criteria. I would totally argue that nobody has been abused more than USMNT fans over the past 5 years! Plus let’s look at the pattern of qualifying. It was a roller coaster of performances and emotions. The kind of pattern where someone makes you feel great then insulted that narcissists use to emotionally abuse their spouses. Just think of the state of US fans at halftime of the Honduras game staring at a 2 pt window…

After only picking up 2 pts in the first game, Gregg Berhalter rolled out a completely un-played formation with a central midfielder that had never played there before for the USMNT, a uncapped 18 year old at striker, and the best available defensive midfielder as a right wing back!

Gregg made changes to start the second half and the subs, along with the 18 year old, broke the game open for a rare come from behind road victory. The team then came out at home against Jamaica in the next window and looked great. Everything was right and good and fans could rest easy again, right? Hold on, Gregg then rotated just about the whole team, brought Lletget and Zardes and Acosta into the spine, and the team doesn’t even register a shot on goal and suffer a historically improbable loss (the USMNT had only lost a few times to Central American teams not named Costa Rica in the previous 20 years; the 2017 disaster team didn’t).

This pattern of a good home game followed by a terrible road game continued all through qualifying. It was simply fan abuse.

But what has this abuse led to? The idea that the USMNT cannot play on the road or against low block set ups. But is that true? It is true that the USMNT played mostly poorly on the road in Concacaf qualifying. But if you look closely, almost every road game was a rotated midfield and forward line. Does anyone expect Lletget, Zardes, Busio and Acosta, to start as “8’s” Qatar? Will the first two even be on a 26 man roster? Here is my starting lineup projection for Qatar:

How many of the above started in Panama? Just two outfield players and one was a CB. Simply put, the USMNT didn’t start that game. Berhalter subbed in Adams at the half, but for Musah. So, still only two outfield players. For the last 23 minutes, they had three, if you think Pepi is the #1 choice at striker (many don’t).

Road games in Concacaf are just unique games that are not duplicated anywhere. The fields are terrible, and the refs are incredibly lenient. It is very easy to play defense against superior teams when the field doesn’t let the ball roll and the ref lets you hack down any talented player with impunity.

Are games in Qatar, Concacaf road games? No. They are not home games either. But the fields will be pristine, the refs will be the best in the world and generally protect talented players, and rather than 1500 mile trips in between games, the games in Qatar are all a short bus trip.

Canada played a low block against the USA in both games. The second was against our best midfield, but was played on a barely regulation width field, that was unheated artificial turf, in freezing weather. Last I checked, none of the fields in Qatar are super narrow with artificial turf; and the weather will hardly be freezing in the desert of the Middle East.

The Canada home game is possibly the best evidence the team has a “problem” against a low block. But how many Qatar projected starters started that game? Well, it was better than the away Panama game as five outfield players project to start in Qatar. But looking a little closer, the problem in that game was getting the ball from the back to the front. The two 8’s in that game were Lletget and Acosta. The former was soon out of the team for being too inept at progressing the ball, the latter has also not played well, offensively, as an 8.

Reaching back to June, the USMNT played Honduras at home and also had a problem generating good scoring chances as Honduras sat back in a low block. But this game also only had 5 Qatar starters and again, Lletget as an 8. This lineup also had the unfortune to have Yueill as a “6”. While it wasn’t his last chance to be ineffective, it was the second to last and he hasn’t started a game since the Summer.

So, can the USMNT play against low blocks? Few teams in the last decade were better at playing in a Low Block than Costa Rica. In the home qualifier against the Ticos, the USMNT played 7 Qatar starters, and all 11 starters will be on the roster for the World Cup. They then did the unthinkable and gifted Costa Rica a goal one minute in which made it easy for Costa Rica to sit deep and defend. In 2017, the same occurred and the Ticos got a second and shut out the USA and won. In this game, the USMNT took control of the game and had three times the xG in that game (1.89 to 0.61) and won 2-1. Generally, if you have three times the xG as an opponent, you win almost all the time. If we face low blocks against Wales and Iran and come out of those games with 1.8 to 0.6 xG, we should easily get out of our group.

So, why all the discussion of terrible road form and terrible results against low blocks? This was all by design! It was a giant gaslighting operation by Gregg Berhalter to make the world think this way. By abusing fans and by never ever overperforming in qualifying; by using rotated rosters with key inept players to make even the closest followers of the team believe they can’t succeed except against open teams in home games.

Not since Operation Bodyguard, has such a misinformation campaign worked so well! As usual, we can’t give Berhalter all the credit. His detractors would say he didn’t actually mean any of it! That can’t be true, no coach would make such radical unsuccessful changes and decisions. I mean, even that Costa Rica home game I think is such a good example of playing against a bunker, has Tim Weah as MOTM and he wasn’t even going to start.

There have just been a tremendous injury crises all during qualifying. So, maybe Gregg didn’t mean to rotate so much, but was forced into it to some degree. But it just added to the successful operation. Think of it! Our opponents have zero game tape of our actual best team on the field together.

There are 7 months until the World Cup. There will be hundreds of hours of podcasts, thousands of Twitter posts, entire Discord discussions, dozens of articles, all bemoaning our lack of ability to play on the road and play against low blocks. Just give a wry smile, nod your cap towards Berhalter, and say, “job well done, sir!”

USMNT

The Next USMNT Star That Never Was: Revisiting America’s Biggest Teenage Prospects

Published

2 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Marcus O'Malley

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

With the next wave of highly rated teenagers likely to be brought into the #USMNT during the 2030 World Cup cycle, I decided to look back at some of the young players who were once hyped as the next stars of the U.S. Men’s National Team but never established themselves as regular internationals.

Freddy Adu would seem to be at the top of this list. While he never became a regular for the #USMNT or the world-class face of U.S. Soccer many expected, he still earned 17 caps, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists. In many ways, he accomplished more at the international level than most of the players who are listed below combined.

Which former USMNT prospects did I miss, players who are no longer playing or are past their prime, who deserve to be on this list?

Cody Cropper – GK – 0 caps

U.S. youth international and longtime goalkeeper prospect who reached the Southampton and MLS systems but never earned a senior cap.

Junior Flores – AM – 0 caps

Creative midfielder who joined Borussia Dortmund’s system as a teenager and was viewed as a major U.S. prospect, but never reached the senior USMNT.

Eddie Gaven – MF/W – 8 caps

Teenage MLS phenom who became a league standout, but despite eight USMNT appearances, his international career never developed further.

Luis Gil – AM – 2 caps

One of the most hyped American midfield prospects of his generation; debuted for RSL at 16 but never translated that promise into a sustained USMNT career.

Emerson Hyndman – MF – 2 caps

Highly rated central midfielder who broke through at Fulham and earned two USMNT appearances, but never established himself internationally.

Perry Kitchen – DM/CB – 5 caps

U.S. youth captain and defensive midfielder who became a regular MLS starter, but his senior international career stalled after five caps.

Will Packwood – CB/DM – 0 caps

Birmingham City prospect who became the youngest American to play in the English Championship, but injuries severely disrupted his development.

Marc Pelosi – LB/CB – 0 caps

Highly regarded defender who moved to Liverpool as a teenager, but injuries and limited senior opportunities derailed his path to the USMNT.

Gedion Zelalem – MF – 0 caps

Arsenal wonderkid and one of the most highly regarded U.S. prospects of his generation. Injuries and inconsistent senior opportunities slowed his development, and he never made a senior USMNT appearance.

The number of young USMNT players in this September/October window is something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Some will catch the eye of newly extended USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, while others may not, but all of them have an opportunity during this cycle to make their case for World Cup qualifying and, ultimately, a spot on the 2026 World Cup roster.

It all starts now, and it should be fun to follow their development over the next four years.

USMNT

Building the Next Generation: Who Should Be on Pochettino’s USMNT Radar?

Published

1 month ago

August 25, 2026

Thomas Deschaine

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Header_NextGen

With the USMNT manager in place and the new cycle underway it’s time for recently extended Mauricio Pochettino to get some new young players on his radar and what better time to do this than the September/October double FIFA window.

There are several U-23 players like Josh Wynder, Jalen Neal, Rokas Pukstas, Diego Kochen, Jonathan Gomez, Caleb Wiley, Cole Campbell, Chris Brady, Gaga, Slonina, Niko Tsakiris, Damion Downs, and Benjamin Cremaschi who have no caps order less than a handful with the USMNT.

Will USMNT snubs or overlooked players opportunities be during the 2030 cycle look like? Players like Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Camron Carter-Vickers to name a few, we have to wonder how or if they will be part of this cycle of players. I would suggest some will likely get the opportunity in the early part of the cycle but will need to be performing n with their club to remain getting called back into camps.

Integrating a few of these youth USMNT players during each window for the first half of the cycle will allow Pochettino to evaluate them up close and see if there might be a role for them during this next cycle.

It’s extremely important that the USMNT have a few on their current U-20 teenagers’ breakthrough and become a reliable part of the USMNT in the second half of the cycle.

The below players will have an opportunity to play in next years U-20 World Cup being hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan as well as hopefully if their clubs release them being part of the 2028 Olympics USA Football squad to hopefully medal for the first time since 1904 when the US had two teams win Silver and Bronze. I think it’s also important to look at these players alongside some of the core USMNT in the upcoming window to see how they can integrate with one another.

Mathis Albert-17-Winger

Noahkai Banks-19-Centerback

Cole Campbell-20-Midfielder/Winger

Zavier Gozo-19-Winger

Julian Hall-18-Winger

Malik Jakupovic-17-Striker

Adri Mehmeti-17-Central Midfielder

Peyton Miller-18-Left Midfielder/Winger

Neil Pierre-18-Centerback

Cavan Sullivan-16-Attacking Midfielder

Whether we see all of these players, or just a handful, through the first half of the cycle, hopefully leading into another Copa América appearance, it’s clear that the time has come for Pochettino to begin integrating the next generation of USMNT players into the senior pool. How quickly that transition happens will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow.

USMNT

Mauricio Cuevas Taking “Huge Step Forward” in Liga MX

Published

2 months ago

August 9, 2026

Alex Calabrese

CHICAGO — Four years on from captaining the United States to their last CONCACAF Under-20 title, Mauricio Cuevas is quietly stepping back into the spotlight. Still only 23 years old, the talented right back just moved abroad, leaving his boyhood Los Angeles Galaxy for Liga MX side Santos Laguna in a summer move that slipped under the radar.

“To be able to get sold to a big club like Santos is a huge step forward for me,” Cuevas said in an exclusive interview this Saturday. “From the first day, I knew the challenge coming into it because the club hasn’t been meeting expectations in the past few years. Coming in and trying to be a difference-maker is something that I wanted. It’s a new challenge for me, and overall I’m just super excited.”

New Challenge in Mexico

As a teenager, Cuevas showcased himself as one of the country’s most exciting young fullbacks. Known for his technical prowess and set piece ability, the L.A. area native spent time at Belgium’s Club Brugge before returning to the Galaxy in 2023. There, he won an MLS Cup in 2024, appearing 78 times in total before his departure this summer.

“It’s always tough leaving home,” Cuevas said. “Obviously, it’s my boyhood club. My family still lives there, and I was great with all the guys at the club as well. I knew everybody, from the staff and the front office to the coaches. It’s never easy when you’re leaving home.”

“Honestly, the people in Torreón and Santos have all welcomed me with open arms since the first day. They’re all amazing people. It’s an amazing club and an amazing city.”

The move to Liga MX made sense from a number of angles; Santos manager Renato Paiva wanted a new right back, Cuevas’s Galaxy contract was winding down, and his Mexican passport made a move south of the border quite easy. Since joining, Santos have faced an extremely difficult run of games against CF Monterrey, Atlas, Club América, and New York City FC — all of which Cuevas started.

“It’s been great, to be honest,” Cuevas said of his adjustment to life in Torreón. “There hasn’t been much of an adjustment tactics-wise or playing-wise because Renato, our head coach, has similar concepts to what we had at the Galaxy. The players are really good as well. There’s so much quality on the team.”

“The only thing I’ve probably had to get adjusted to is the weather. It’s a little too hot out there, the sun is beaming a lot. But I love it, man. It’s a super-calm city. It’s beautiful, with great food and great people.”

Back in the U.S.

The game against NYCFC came in Leagues Cup, a competition with a razor-thin margin for error. To advance past the first round, teams ideally need to earn at least seven points from their three matches; after losing to New York City, qualification for the knockout rounds is now nearly impossible for Santos. They’ll face Gregg Berhalter, Robert Lewandowski, and the Chicago Fire on Sunday (8 p.m. Eastern Time on Apple TV) in a game where anything but a win in 90 minutes would certainly eliminate them.

“I think we go into every game with the belief that every game is a must-win for us, so that doesn’t really change much. We know now that there’s more on top of that, we have even more reason to win. We’re just focused on ourselves tomorrow. We had a long travel day yesterday, so it’s all about recovery now and setting a game plan that puts us in the best position to win.”

Having started against the Fire at Soldier Field in 2024 and facing former youth national team teammates Chris Brady and Sergio Oregel, Cuevas will hope to give something extra in this game and help keep Santos alive in the tournament.

“Any tournament that this club steps into, we always have that goal in mind of wanting to bring that trophy back to Mexico, back to Torreón with us. We’re a competitive club. We’re one of the best clubs, history-wise, in Mexico, so we know what this badge carries.”

USYNT Hero

Coincidentally enough, the U.S. U-20s advanced to a fifth consecutive CONCACAF final on Friday, setting up a date with hosts Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday. The semifinal win also qualified the U.S. for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima, ensuring qualification for back-to-back editions.

In addition to being a central figure in the last U.S. U-20 CONCACAF victory in 2022, Cuevas was part of the last Pan Am Games team in 2023; the U.S. finished fourth in an unusual competition that included several intriguing names like Sergio Oregel, Brooklyn Raines, Danny Leyva, and a then-relatively unknown Alex Freeman. For Cuevas, that tournament was a special memory, and one he remembers fondly.

“I remember the whole trip, to be honest. I made a lot of great friends and met a lot of great people on and off the field, from the staff to the players – people I’m still in contact with. There are some that are in Liga MX as well, Nico (Carrera), Antonio (Carrera), Danny (Leyva).”

“Every player from that age group and that camp has been doing great. It’s lovely to see, to be honest, seeing everybody shine.”

On the immediate horizon for the U.S. is Sunday’s U-20 final (6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on FS2). The Americans will be hoping that this year’s final is more reminiscent of Cuevas’ age group (a 6-0 final win over the Dominican Republic) than the 2024 edition (a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Mexico). As is often the case, the U.S. and Mexico will be without many of their top youth players for the tournament due to its concurrence with club games, but that has opened the door for others.

“We have two players from (Santos) that are representing Mexico, so congrats to them,” Cuevas said. “Huge shout out to (LA Galaxy’s) Ruben Ramos as well and Dylan Vanney, who are with the U.S.; they’ve been killing it. I’m just happy for all those guys. Proud of those guys.”