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Gregg Berhalter’s Legacy

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1 year ago

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Gregg Berhalter’s time as the USMNT manager has come to an end.  USSF has made the announcement that they have terminated Berhalter’s contract after 5 years in charge of the USMNT.  There are many highs and lows during his time as manager with just as many praises and controversies.  After the humiliating defeat at Couva during the 2018 World Cup Qualifying, there needed to be a change and the goal for 2022 was to qualify no matter what and how.  It was understandable for many fans to let bad results during Berhalter’s first cycle because of the goal we had set for 2022.  Now that we made it out of the group during the 2022 WC, the expectations for the USMNT would increase.  Those expectations have not been fulfilled since the rehiring of Gregg Berhalter.  Here are the top 10 reasons he had to go.

Crashing out of the 2024 Copa America

We were invited and given the rights to host the 2024, Copa America.  The USMNT’s first time participating and hosting the tournament since 2016.  The only players to appear in both tournaments were Christian Pulisic and Ethan Horvath.  On paper, the 2024 squad was better than the 2016 squad in almost every position.  Jürgen Klinsmann had a weaker squad but managed to reach the Semi-Finals in the 2016 Copa America.  It is one of the biggest accomplishments for the USMNT in recent history.  When you look at this year’s roster and what they did last year, the minimum goal should be the Quarterfinals and at most a Semi-Final appearance.  The USMNT did not come anywhere close. 

Players like Weston McKennie and Musah greatly underperformed.  A lack of discipline cost us games, like Tim Weah’s red card, and the foul that led to the Uruguay goal.  Against Bolivia, the USMNT only scored 2 goals against the worst team in CONMEBOL (1 win and a -10 GD in their WCQ campaign).  Giving up a lead when a man down and ultimately losing to Panama should never have happened, especially against a team that the USMNT has only lost to at home 3 times since 1993.  This put the USMNT in the worst possible situation in the tournament, a result against Uruguay and a win or draw for Bolivia. 

Good news did arrive for the USMNT when Bolivia tied the game, but this led to Berhalter informing our players prior to a set piece about the score.  This gave the indication that he wanted to chase for a draw, which has been a common theme during his tenure.  You cannot rely on Bolivia to bail you out.  You MUST go for the win.  As Herculez Gomez said, it is a loser mentality. 

People will blame the refs, Weah’s red card, or not having Dest, but that is not an excuse for poor in-game management by Berhalter.  After the firing of Gregg Berhalter, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle wrote an article where he said that our group exit from the 2024 Copa America is the first time the USMNT had been eliminated in the group stage of a tournament that was being hosted in the US.  That is just one more stain on the legacy of Gregg Berhalter.

Poor Match Results

As mentioned, the poor result against Panama, a team we should have defeated even with a man down.  There are plenty more matches to talk about.  Since being rehired, Berhalter has a 7-1-6 record.  The most infamous would be against Trinidad & Tobago away.  Again, people will use the excuse that Dest got a red card, and it does not matter since we had qualified for the next round of the 2024 Nations League.  That was a game you should not have lost even with a man down, more so than the Panama match.  There are many other games that can be mentioned but let’s look at more record first.  Berhalter has an overall record of 44-13-17.  When playing outside of the US, the record is 4-7-8. 

Against top 20 FIFA ranked teams, the record is 5-5-8.  Four of those wins came against Mexico and the other being against Iran.  When we compare him to Klinsmann and Bob Bradley against top 20 FIFA ranked teams, Klinsmann was 10-6-14 and Bradley was 9-5-15.  For Bradley, only 3 of those wins were against the same team (Mexico) and 6 in total were against the same teams (2 times against Ecuador, Germany, and Mexico each) for Klinsmann.  This record would make Berhalter the winningest coach by percentage in USMNT history, but there are important contexts to include.  Jamaica was just seconds away from eliminating us in the NL Semi-Finals until an own goal by Cory Burke.  The USMNT did rally to defeat them 3-1 in extra time, but it was still humiliating for the team. 

Then you have the loss against Colombia before the Copa America where we lost 1-5.  The last time the team conceded 5 goals was in 2009.  A 1-3 defeat against Germany back in Oct of 2023 where we were not competitive at all.  From June 5 to November 25, 2022, the US had a 1-5-1 record.  The last match I will reference is the match against Honduras in San Pedro Sula where we had no control over the game in the 1st half.  It was not until Ricardo Pepi helped save Berhalter’s job with 2 assists and 1 goal to give us a 1-4 win.

Tactics

One of the biggest problems that Gregg Berhalter has is in-game management and pre-game tactics.  His go to formation is a 4-3-3, which is not always bad, but it is defensive minded and creates little chances.  We have seen that over the 5 years of having him as a manager.  During the 2022 WCQ, our goals per match were 1.5 and 1.8 during the 2021 Gold Cup.  The goals conceded per match was 0.2 during that Gold Cup and 0.7 during the WCQ.  Yes, statistically we would not concede a goal, but the USMNT was likely to only win 1-0.  No one likes a 1-0 game, because not only is it boring, but it is risky.  All it would take is for the opposition to score 1 goal to take 2 points from you.  Make it a mission to get 2 goals every game to give you some breathing space.  Berhalter also looks to park the bus, even when it is a tie. 

Against Panama in the Copa America, Berhalter decided to park the bus when it was tied and with a man down at the start of the 2nd half.  That is a high toll to ask the players to park it for 45+ minutes.  You knew you were playing Uruguay next, and that Panama has a very good chance of beating Bolivia.  A draw against Uruguay was going to be very difficult.  Yes, we were a man down, but that does not mean we should have given up getting the 2nd goal.  As we saw, we conceded a 2nd goal and it cost us to be in the worst possible situation in the group stage. 

Besides parking the bus, Berhalter wants us to score primarily off the wings and from crosses.  Against Jamaica during the 2024 NL, we attempted 41 crosses with only 11 being accurate.  None of the 3 goals in that match came from a cross.  Against Trinadad & Tobago at home during the QF of the 2024 NL, they went 11 for 39 on crosses.  The first goal did not come until the 80th minute mark, which should never have come close to being a draw against Trinadad & Tobago at home.  Only 1 of the 3 goals we scored in the last 10 minutes were from a cross.  When BJ Callaghan led the team during the 2023 NL, our crosses were reduced to 17 attempts in both matches.  In both matches, the goals came from up the middle where the team scored a total of 5 goals and 0 goals conceded. 

It was some of the best football that this group of guys have played in the last 5 years.  The players can score more goals than 1 and can score goals without crossing the ball.  As we can see, Berhalter does not know how to react when things do not go to plan as we saw against Panama and against Colombia.  A coach needs to be able to react and make the right call when things go sideways.  That is a major weakness of his and pundits have pointed it out in the past.  After Wales got their goal in the 2022 WC against the USMNT, Berhalter responded by substituting in Jordan Morris instead of Gio Reyna.  Gio Reyna is a playmaker, Jordan Morris is not.  At the time, the US did not have a playmaker on the pitch and that would be the time to use our best player in that role, Gio Reyna.  That is not the first time. 

During his 2nd cycle, Berhalter would commonly substitute Gio Reyna off when he decides to hold a draw or goes a man down.  The US did not win a single game when Gio was subbed off.  During the Copa America, Berhalter left Johnny Cardoso on the bench for Tyler Adams.  Johnny was developed in Brazil and played in several Copa Libertadores and was a standout in LaLiga once he arrived. Tyler Adams only played a total of 138 minutes between the EPL and the EFL Cup last season (Adams was out for majority of the season due to injuries).  Common sense would say to start Johnny Cardoso, but Gregg Berhalter did the complete opposite.  Besides that, Weston McKennie had been playing poorly for the USMNT all year and looked visibly unfit during the Copa America. 

Berhalter continued to start McKennie and gave him a total of 258 minutes.  Berhalter continued to award McKennie with starts and minutes when common sense would say that he must be benched.  Berhalter also had a major problem with rotating players and that had a major impact on the endurance of the players when it came to tournaments.  It was noticeable during the 2022 WC and Copa America.  These are all things that will be remembered by fans.

Player Selection

During his 1st cycle, Gregg Berhalter called up an astounding 65 different players in just competitive matches alone.  During the WCQ, he called up 39 different players to the camps.  Yes, after the 2018 cycle, the USMNT had to rebuild, but does it really require trying out 65 different players to figure that out?  For the WCQ, 13 of the 39 did not make the final cut.  I can understand making 2-3 changes every camp at the youth level, but this is the senior level.  He had already been with the team for 2 years.  He should have had a better idea who he needed to bring with him to the WCQ, which started in the Fall of 2021. 

The changes in the WCQ roster make sense if there is an injury, but not all the changes were made due to injuries, i.e., Gianluca Busio and Paul Arriola.  Berhalter had from 2019 to the Summer of 2021 to determine his WCQ roster and the alternate players.  When creating a team, either for business or sports, you need cohesion, or brotherhood to Berhalter, to get the best out of the team when the results matter. 

Continuously making changes for the most important competitive matches in your tenure will lead to problems.  By the end of the WCQ, the USMNT tied for 3rd in points and only qualified through goal differential.  The USMNT had a record of 7-4-3 with the away record being 1-3-3.  Who knows what that record could have been if the roster was more consistent.  Berhalter has improved his roster selection by focusing more on the players in Europe than the players in the MLS.  The argument for having half the roster or more being MLS players because they were veteran players and the players in Europe were too young.  It is an understandable reason, if that is the case. 

He did make significant changes to the roster when he took back control of the team by removing Jordan Morris, Jesus Ferreira, and Cristian Roldan from the team.  In this current cycle, Berhalter called up 36 different players in the 14 matches he oversaw.  To note, 7 of the 36 are or were MLS-based players.

Achievements

Gregg Berhalter does deserve big credit to the achievements he made while the manager of the USMNT.  While in charge of the team, he won the CONCACAF Gold Cup and won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021 and 2024.  Now, you can make an argument that the players had a bigger part in that, when this is the best generation of players we have ever had.  Berhalter was still the manager and deserves the credit as well. 

After the US failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, Gregg Berhalter accomplished qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.  It might not have been the prettiest World Cup for the USMNT, but the team did advance to the first round of the knockout stage.  That will be a positive note for his legacy as a USMNT manager.  The only thing that is missing from his list of achievements is a signature win.

There is one more piece to Gregg Berhalter’s legacy that will be remembered by many fans, but I doubt would be a footnote to his legacy (it would eventually be forgotten).  That being his relationship with the players.  I touched a little on in the “Tactics” section by awarding players starts and minutes when they did not deserve it, but it goes further than that.  It is known and visible that Berhalter showed favoritism towards certain players, those being the players on the “leadership committee”.  These players continued to play match after match when they did not deserve it or were too physically tired to continue. 

Tyler Adams mentioned in a press conference during the 2024 Copa America that he never speaks to Berhalter about soccer outside of the camps.  Whether with just a few or everyone, it is a concern that a coach does not speak to his players about the sport, on or off the field.  During the Copa America, it began to look like the players saw Berhalter as more of a friend than a coach.  It can be seen just as a fan by comparing the discipline of the players in the 2022 cycle to the 2024 cycle.  That is a huge concern within a team because it creates complacency and that was visible during the 2024 Nations League and the Copa America.

On paper, Gregg Berhalter will appear to be a top USMNT manager in its history, but once you peel those away and look deeper, he would be ranked below the likes of Bob Bradley, Bruce Arena, and Jürgen Klinsmann.

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USMNT

From Maradona to Messi

Published

2 weeks ago

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October 31, 2025

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From Maradona to Messi: A Quick Look at World Cups 1986–2022 

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

A quick look back at the last ten World Cups reveals how the world’s greatest sporting event has evolved and grown through the decades. With over 200 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, here’s a high-level recap of the tournaments that shaped its legacy, and a glimpse of what’s next.

1986 – Mexico


Diego Maradona delivered a World Cup for the ages, scoring both the “Goal of the Century” and the infamous “Hand of God” in the same match, then leading Argentina past West Germany to claim their second World Cup title.

1990 – Italy

** FILE ** Argentina’s Diego Maradona and West Germany’s Guido Buchwald tangle with one another during the World Cup soccer final in Rome on August, 7, 1990, won by the Germans 1-0. Argentina and Germany will meet Friday June 30 in Berlin in a quarterfinal match of the 2006 soccer World Cup. (AP Photo)

The USA returned to the World Cup after a 50-year absence in what became the lowest-scoring tournament in history, as West Germany edged Argentina 1–0 on a late penalty. It marked West Germany’s final World Cup before reunification.

1994 – United States

The USA hosted its first-ever World Cup, setting all-time attendance records as Brazil defeated Italy in the tournament’s first final decided by a penalty shootout in front of the largest crowds in US since the 1984 Olympics.

1998 – France

FIFA’s first 32-team World Cup saw host nation France capture its first-ever title, becoming the seventh country to win the trophy. Led by Zinedine Zidane triumphed on home soil with a commanding victory over defending champions Brazil.

2002 – South Korea/Japan

The first World Cup with co-hosting nations saw South Korea stun many by reaching the semifinals, while Brazil claimed their fifth title, powered by Ronaldo’s two goals in the final against Germany.

2006 – Germany 

Germany came up short on home soil, losing in extra time to eventual first-time finalist Italy in the semifinal. Italy went on to claim its fourth World Cup, edging France on penalties in a final forever marked by Zidane’s infamous headbutt in extra time.

2010 – South Africa

The first World Cup hosted by a CAF nation, South Africa, saw the host nation become the first ever to fail to advance past the group stage. Meanwhile, Spain captured their first World Cup, showcasing their tiki-taka mastery and defeating the Netherlands in extra-time with Andrés Iniesta’s decisive goal.

 

2014 – Brazil 

Host nation Brazil reached the semifinals on home soil but suffered a shocking 7–1 defeat to Germany and then fell 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-place match. Germany went on to defeat Argentina in extra time, with Mario Götze scoring the decisive goal, while Lionel Messi claimed the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

2018 – Russia

France’s golden generation, spearheaded by tournament Best Young Player Kylian Mbappé, captured their second World Cup title with a thrilling 4–2 victory over Croatia, led by Golden Ball winner Luka Modrić.

2022 – Qatar

Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Semi Final – Argentina v Croatia – Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar – December 13, 2022 Argentina’s Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring their second goal with Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Nahuel Molina as Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic and teammates look dejected REUTERS/Carl Recine

The 2022 World Cup, overshadowed by controversies over migrant worker treatment and extreme heat, which pushed the tournament to November and December, ultimately delivered a historic finale. Lionel Messi achieved crowning glory as Argentina triumphed on penalties in a thrilling 3–3 final against France, highlighted by Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick.

2026 – United States/Mexico/Canada

The 2026 World Cup will feature a major expansion from 32 to 48 teams and, for the first time ever, be hosted by three nations. Mexico will make history as the first country to host matches in three different World Cups, while the United States becomes the sixth nation to host at least twice. What unforgettable moments will define this landmark tournament?

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One Home or Many? The Debate Over a Primary Venue for U.S. Soccer

Published

4 weeks ago

on

October 16, 2025

By

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

The logics of the United States make it almost impossible for the USMNT or USWNT to have a primary venue to play all of their home matches but a trend of playing in a handful of stadiums has been developing over the last couple of cycles. US Soccer says there are specific factors behind where matches are played, some make sense, while others come across as lazy or lacking creativity.

If and when Major League Soccer aligns with the FIFA calendar and observes international breaks, more MLS stadiums could become available for matches. While not all MLS venues currently feature natural grass, US Soccer has indicated they would be willing to invest in installing grass, though at a cost of around $500K and with potential concerns about surface reliability.

Global Approach to Scheduling

Many of the top-tier international teams play their World Cup qualifiers and other critical matches in a primary venue or two. Here’s a sample of some of those countries and generally where they play based on my research.

Here are some of the more notable nations that play nearly all of their home matches at a single venue, a setup made practical by their smaller size and simpler logistics, which also makes it easier for fans.

Germany and Spain are known for rotating their non-critical home matches across multiple venues.


Argentina-Estadio Monumental (River Plate)

Belgium– King Baudouin Stadium (Brussels)

Colombia-Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez

England-Wembley Stadium

France– Stade de France (Saint-Denis, near Paris)

Italy-Stadio Olimpico

Northern Ireland-Windsor Park (Belfast)

Norway-Ullevaal Stadion (Oslo)

Portugal– Estádio da Luz (Lisbon)

Republic of Ireland-Aviva Stadium (Dublin) 

Scotland-Hampden Park (Glasgow)

Uruguay-Estadio Centenario

Wales-Cardiff City Stadium

What’s in a location?

Here’s a look at the past few cycles, highlighting the USMNT’s home matches and the venues they’ve used. While US Soccer has clarified that they don’t control Gold Cup or Nations League venue selection, a point still under debate, they do manage the locations for Friendlies and World Cup qualifiers and continue to review and adjust those choices.

2026 Cycle (Matches Scheduled Through the end of 2025) – 46 Home Matches – 30 unique cities

So far, half of the USMNT’s home matches in the 2026 cycle have been held across eight venues. Only two more windows, March and May/June, remain for Friendlies before the 2026 World Cup.

  • 4-AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
  • 4-Energizer Park, previously CityPark, St. Louis, Missouri
  • 4-Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas
  • 3-Inter&Co Stadium (previously Orlando City Stadium and Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida
  • 2-Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
  • 2-Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee
  • 2-Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut
  • 2-TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio


AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

2022 Cycle – 43 Home Matches – 24 unique cities

I can almost give US Soccer a pass on city and venue selection during the 2022 cycle, given the global circumstances at the time. That said, it’s interesting that they scheduled three consecutive home World Cup qualifiers in Ohio, with final round two matches in Columbus. Columbus has been a recurring choice, hosting multiple qualifiers in 2014, 2018, and 2022, handling one match each during both the semifinal and final rounds of qualifying in 2014 and 2018.


Lower.com, Columbus, Ohio

2018 Cycle – 47 Home Matches – 33 unique cities

During the 2018 cycle, the USMNT played in a wider variety of cities and venues. Aside from four matches in Carson, California for the January camp, they only repeated a location eleven times.


Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA

2014 Cycle – 43 Home Matches – 29 unique cities

During the 2014 cycle, the USMNT repeated cities twelve times, but only two cities hosted more than two matches: Carson, California, where two of three games were for Camp Cupcake, and Kansas City, Kansas, which hosted three matches.


Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas

2010 Cycle – 35 Home Matches – 18 unique cities

One of the leanest home schedules in recent cycles saw the USMNT play in just 18 different cities, with 11 of them hosting only a single match. Over half of their home games were concentrated in four cities: Carson, California (7 matches); Chicago, Illinois (5 matches); and Foxborough, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. (3 matches each).


Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

2006 Cycle – 44 Home Matches – 24 unique cities

The USMNT played eight matches in Foxborough, Massachusetts—double the number held in the next two cities, Columbus, Ohio, and Miami, Florida, which each hosted four matches. Notably, the team has excelled in Foxborough, losing only once in 22 games played there.


Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, MA

2002 Cycle – 38 Home Matches – 16 unique cities

During the 2002 cycle, California was clearly a preferred destination for the USMNT, hosting matches in five different cities across twelve games. Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. each hosted five matches as well. 

GENERAL VIEW OF THE CROWD AND THE STADIUM 1994 WORLD CUP FINAL BRAZIL V ITALY FOOTBALL ROSEBOWL LOS ANGELES USA PHOTO: CRISPIN THRUSTON ©SPORTING PICTURES (UK) LTD TEL:+44 020 7405 4500 FAX:+44 020 7831 7991 www.sportingpictures.com Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Sporting Pictures


Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA

1998 Cycle– 40 Home Matches – 21 unique cities

Washington D.C. was the city of choice for the USMNT during the 1998 cycle playing six matches. The USMNT would also play more than two matches in Los Angeles, California (5 matches), Foxborough, Massachusetts (4 matches) and Pasadena, California (3 matches) while playing only one match in twelve other cities.

Southeast (Washington DC) RFK Stadium

RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

Long Term Venue Strategy

While US Soccer may favor a single venue for most USMNT and USWNT matches, doing so would limit access for thousands of fans across the country. However, with the move to Georgia and the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center set to open in early 2026, ahead of the World Cup, it’s likely that future matches will focus on venues within three to four hours of Atlanta. We can expect the majority of games to continue taking place in roughly ten to twelve core cities.

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Club News

The constructing of a World Cup roster

Published

2 months ago

on

September 13, 2025

By

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

With the September FIFA window now in the rearview mirror, and only three more windows left before final rosters are set in late May or early June 2026, Mauricio Pochettino has drawn a clear line.

He’s stated that September’s camp was the “last camp to have the possibility for new faces.”

If we take him at his word, the nearly 70 players who’ve been called across six camps and the Gold Cup will form the pool from which he selects the 2026 World Cup squad.

Of the 60 players named to the 2025 Gold Cup provisional roster, only five, Maxi Dietz, Richie Ledezma, Tim Tillman, Caleb Wiley, and Griffin Yow, have yet to appear on a #USMNT roster under Pochettino.

Comparing the 2025 Nations League provisional roster to the Gold Cup list reveals over a dozen different players, raising the question: are these minor differences simply the edges of the player pool Pochettino intends to draw from?

Goalkeepers 

Nine goalkeepers have been called into Pochettino’s camps, but it’s clear that Matt Freese is his first-choice right now, with Matt Turner likely the No. 2 as we sit just 10 months from the World Cup.

  • Chris Brady
  • Drake Callender
  • Roman Celentano
  • Matt Freese
  • Ethan Horvath
  • Jonathan Klinsmann
  • Diego Kochen
  • Patrick Schulte
  • Zack Steffen
  • Matt Turner

Fullbacks

Outside of Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson, the USMNT’s fullback depth remains a concern. Pochettino appears high on MLS defenders Alex Freeman and Max Arfsten, while Caleb Wiley, though yet to feature in a USMNT camp but named to recent provisional rosters, could still be on his depth chart.

  • Max Arfsten
  • Sergino Dest
  • Alex Freeman
  • Marlon Fossey
  • DeJuan Jones
  • Kristoffer Lund
  • Shaquell Moore
  • Antonee Robinson
  • Joe Scally
  • John Tolkin

Centerbacks

Center back remains another position with uncertain depth. Chris Richards and the veteran Tim Ream look like locks for now, leaving three spots up for grabs. If Pochettino opts for a back three, that tactical shift could influence which players ultimately make the cut. Notably, Jackson Ragen and Maxi Dietz are the only center backs from the recent provisional rosters who haven’t been called into a USMNT camp.

  • Noahkai Banks
  • Tristan Blackmon
  • George Campbell
  • Cameron Carter-Vickers
  • Mark McKenzie
  • Tim Ream
  • Chris Richards
  • Miles Robinson
  • Auston Trusty
  • Walker Zimmerman

Central Midfielders

The central midfield position is the deepest for the #USMNT, with many players in the pool capable of also playing fullback, center back, or winger. Although Richie Ledezma has primarily played as a right back and right wing-back for his current club and for PSV last season, USMNT coaches view him primarily as a midfielder. This likely explains why he hasn’t yet been called into a USMNT camp.

  • Tyler Adams
  • Sebastian Berhalter
  • Gianluca Busio
  • Johnny Cardoso
  • Ben Cremaschi
  • Luca de la Torre
  • Emeka Eneli
  • Jack McGlynn
  • Weston McKennie
  • Aidan Morris
  • Yunus Musah
  • Tanner Tessmann
  • Sean Zawadzki

Attacking Midfielders

There are several players at this position who could add real quality and play pivotal roles for the #USMNT at next summer’s World Cup. Gio Reyna remains a major question mark, but his talent is undeniable. With his recent club change, there’s hope he can return to the high level of form we’ve seen from him in the past.

  • Brenden Aaronson
  • Paxten Aaronson
  • Brian Gutiérrez
  • Djordje Mihailovic
  • Matko Miljevic
  • Gio Reyna
  • Malik Tillman

Wingers

The winger position remains thin for the #USMNT, though several players there can also slot in as attacking midfielders, strikers, or even fullback. Notably, two young wingers, Cole Campbell and Griffin Yow, appeared on provisional rosters but have yet to be called into any Pochettino camp.

  • Cade Cowell
  • Diego Luna
  • Christian Pulisic
  • Quinn Sullivan
  • Indiana Vassilev
  • Tim Weah
  • Haji Wright
  • Alejandro Zendejas

Strikers

Another area of concern for the USMNT is striker depth. While the top options have all produced well for their clubs when healthy, injuries have kept the pool thin. If everyone is fit, the primary competition for the starting role likely comes down to three players: Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Josh Sargent. Haji Wright and Tim Weah can also step in as center-forward options if needed.

  • Patrick Agyemang
  • Folarin Balogun
  • Damion Downs
  • Jesus Ferreira
  • Ricardo Pepi
  • Josh Sargent
  • Brandon Vazquez
  • Brian White

Conclusion

It’s tough to read Pochettino’s mindset right now. Many expect fewer MLS players to be called for the October window, partly because the league continues through FIFA dates and the regular season ends mid-October.

Most World Cup rosters largely select themselves, with only a few surprising omissions, think of the 1994 squad, which left out several players many felt deserved a spot.

But with Pochettino still showing a shaky grasp of the USMNT player pool, this cycle could produce more notable snubs than ever, though there’s still time for him to get it right.

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