USMNT
The Case for Sergino Dest
The Case for Sergino Dest… in a USMNT Senior Shirt….RIGHT NOW
Sergiño Dest is an absolute baller. For those not familiar with the 18-year-old Jong Ajax RB’s game, @USMNTVideos has recent archives, and you can find his U-20 CONCACAF highlights from this past November — where he shone on both sides of the ball in the elimination round – sprinkled across various internet outlets.
The highlights may not paint the bigger picture, which we can summarize curtly: he probably has a higher ceiling than any USYNT fullback or winger ever. He can dribble, defend, pass, cross, make deep runs and even shoot better than most American players in the senior pool. The only debate on whether we need him in a USMNT senior shirt is…when? And if Berhalter gets the relationship or the timing wrong, Dest may be wearing Dutch orange.
Well, we should no longer be having this debate. Dest should be called into the senior USMNT right now, or – at minimum – for the Gold Cup. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of why we need him now, and how we will lose him soon to the Dutch if we do not act quickly.
Disagree? Argue away on @DisgruntleUSMNT.
He is playing football against (arguably) better competition than Major League Soccer (MLS). The same USMNT traditionalists who applauded Benny Feilhaber and Dax McCarty’s inclusion in our ill-fated October 2017 squad will say that Dest should not be called-in because “he is not getting first-team minutes.” Depending on who is making this argument, it ranges from disingenuous to downright ignorant.
The disingenuous who cite this lack of first team minutes realize the Ajax senior team might be one of the 10 best in the world right now, having just dispatched Real Madrid from Champions League to reach the Quarterfinals of the competition for the first time since 2003. In all likelihood, not a single American would start for Ajax’s senior team, and only a select few would even see minutes. Of the clubs where Americans are actively playing, none have a first team with near the number of quality international players as Ajax. Why should Dest’s form be measured by not playing amidst these superstars by age 18?
The ignorant contingent might not appreciate that Jong Ajax is not *really* a reserve team. Yes, their roster consists entirely of U-23 players, but they compete in the Dutch 2nd division against primarily full senior teams. There are only three other “Jong” (U-23) teams in this division, two of whom, Utrecht & AZ, are likely to get relegated. (The third is the U-23 junior affiliate of PSV Eindhoven, the Netherlands’ other football powerhouse.) When you consider Jong Ajax is 9th in the 20-team table and has scored the fourth-most goals of any club, you can see that Sergiño Dest is starting on what is a very competent professional team.
There is no reasonable way to measure how the Dutch 2nd Division compares to MLS, but given the US domestic league’s recent performances in CONCACAF Champions League, this is not the time for the pro-MLS contingent to be bullish. We think we can reasonably conclude that Dest would be starting for at least 75% of MLS clubs right now, probably all of them.
So, if we are comfortable that he is playing at a level comparable to many of his USMNT peers, what are the unique drivers that warrant his call-up?
Sergino Dest is more skilled than probably anyone in the current USMNT senior pool. A Uruguayan-American friend has watched USMNT with me for over a decade and has consistently made the same observation, even as our more talented younger generation has appeared on the field of late: the United States needs more Futsal players.
I do not know whether Sergiño Dest was ever a Futsal player, but it’s enough that he plays like one. His feet are quick, and his calculated movements appear almost nonchalant. He can beat opposing players, as he did Mexico’s Diego Lainez in the U-20 CONCACAF qualifying final, in a humiliating fashion. This is surely welcome to a fan base in a country that loves flamboyant NBA dunks and graceful, toe-tapping NFL sideline catches. Does anyone believe these types of skills are in adequate supply within USMNT senior team pool, especially as we debate capping players like Corey Baird and Jonathan Lewis for the March friendlies?
Lastly, Sergino Dest can defend. Like really well. So his offensive skills do not create a gap there.
Positional Play
His versatility is a great fit for USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter’s system. All signs from Gregg Berhalter’s first camp as USMNT Manager – some surprise starters, in-game adjustments against Costa Rica that turned the tide of the game, player interviews after the camp – point to him and his staff being extremely tactical.
After January, USMNT pundits crowed about the “inverted RB” or “Nick Lima role,” but that was likely a function of the players he had in the camp. Whether we see that formation again is irrelevant; the more important takeaway is that we should expect Berhalter to make tactical line-up adjustments based on player availability and quality/style of opponent. Dest is a huge asset because he can play RB, LB or either winger spot, which can offset the need to call-in multiple, purpose-built bench players.
What do we mean? Consider that USMNT RB mainstay DeAndre Yedlin is suddenly not starting at Newcastle, Antonee Robinson looks to have lost his LB spot at Wigan during injury, Tim Weah and Jonathan Amon are consistently unused subs, etc. Across multiple spots in a USMNT Starting XI right now, there is risk to a player’s form dipping and back-ups needing to be called into action. Traditionally, this would have meant naming multiple back-ups – like Reggie Cannon, Baird, Lima, Jorge Villafana – who can really only excel in one position (excel being used loosely here).
At a minimum, Sergino Dest could be a super sub for as many as 4-5 spots on the field depending on a Berhalter configuration.
Sergino Dest at Ajax
Ajax is a major pipeline for the Dutch National team, whose RB situation is unsettled right now. After missing both the 2016 European Championships and 2018 World Cup, the Dutch national team showed a resurgence last fall by winning their 3-team UEFA Nations League group with Germany and France. The interesting part about their renaissance is that it’s not being driven by youth. Of the regular Starting XI from their Nations League matches, the only consistent starters under the age of 25 were PSV winger Steven Bergwijn (21), and two regulars from Ajax’s senior team: CB Matthijs de Ligt (19) and Barcelona-bound Frankie de Jong (21).
The appointment of these three players is consistent with a Dutch soccer tradition dating back to time immemorial: the biggest clubs in the Netherlands are key pipelines to the senior Dutch National team. (Moving to a bigger European club has also proven to be a rite of passage for the best Dutch players, as de Jong just did.) Within the Dutch senior team picture, two details are most interesting for Sergino Dest – and perhaps nerve-wracking for USMNT fans:
Firstly, many Ajax and PSV youngsters are called into National team duty after limited first-team club minutes. De Ligt, for example, was cap-tied at age 17 after just two Ajax first-team appearances. If Sergino Dest makes a spring-time appearance for Ajax’s first team – he already has a senior team contract – does Dutch Manager Ronald Koeman reach-out?
He might do so if he thinks that his team has a RB crisis on their hands, which they well might. At a minimum, the spot appears up for grabs. Consider that, in the four (4) Nations League matches they played last fall, RB duties were split between two players:
- Kenny Tete, a 23-year-old at Lyon who got his first senior team appearance in 2015 after featuring only briefly for Ajax’s senior team. Since last fall, he has been out of favor, having appeared in only five (5) Ligue One games and not making the bench for European games.
- Denzel Dumfries, a 22-year-old from PSV whose Nations League appearances for The Orange were his first at any level; he represented Aruba as a youth. He does not appear to be a regular first-choice RB for PSV, having made only 12 appearances this season.
If these overtures cause panic in USMNT supporters, some (slight) relief comes in the form of two additional Ajax data points:
- Joel Veltman was club and country’s first-choice RB prior to having a serious knee injury in August 2018, from which he is due to return in the spring. He will likely be given the chance to earn his starting spot(s) back, which should push Dest further down in the pecking order.
- With so much talent in Ajax’s system, the Dutch cannot grab ALL the talent, and some Dutch-born players do defect. Attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech and current starting RB Noussair Mazraoui, for example, were both born in the Netherlands but now represent Morocco. Ziyech, 25, played at the 2018 World Cup, while Mazraoui, 21, became cap-tied this past fall through an Africa League of Nations Qualifier.
Guest post from: @DisgruntleUSMNT
USMNT
One Home or Many? The Debate Over a Primary Venue for U.S. Soccer
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.
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.
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.
Club News
The constructing of a World Cup roster
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.
USMNT
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One Home or Many? The Debate Over a Primary Venue for U.S. Soccer
The constructing of a World Cup roster
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