Hello and welcome to Early Doors Football! Thanks to a wild few weeks of classes and work, it has been quite a while since I have been able to write an article. However, I am now back, and just in time for the festivities of the 2022 World Cup! A full bracket prediction from myself and our guest writer Diego is on the way, but for now, I am going to give my thoughts on the USMNT roster. Let’s jump right in!
First off, here is the entire squad for reference. I will only cover the notable additions and omissions, as the bulk of the squad is just about what we expected.
Forwards:
Perhaps the oddest addition, and one that I did not even consider a possibility, is Haji Wright. While the 24 year-old has had a great season in Turkey with his club team, Antalyaspor, scoring 9 in 12 games, he has not been in the national team picture with much frequency. Having only made his debut over the summer and appearing in 3 matches since, many assumed he had little chance to be involved. I suppose his form may be reason enough to bring him to Qatar, but with Pepi also in red hot form for Groningen AND more of a status with the national team, Pepi was the expected choice. It is a bit ambiguous whether he or Sargent will be the starting 9, but it is likely he will get a solid amount of minutes regardless.
I also find it worthy to discuss the inclusion of Jesus Ferreira, particularly in contrast with the exclusion of Jordan Pefok. Ferreira had a standout MLS season, so do not take this as an outroar about his selection, but rather a respectful query. After a cracking regular season, we saw a pair of lackluster performances when the pressure rose in the playoffs. This concerns me a bit, and his record with the national team does not put those doubts to rest. This worry can be applied to most individuals in this young squad, but having watched most of his appearance with the national team, it holds a particular weight for me. He has been a bit lightweight at times up top, seemingly letting the game flow by him. The very antithesis of lightweight is Pefok, who I think could have offered something very interesting at this World Cup. With 6 goal contributions in 13 Bundesliga appearances, he does not have numbers that knock your socks off, but his profile would be entirely unique to our forward line. I do not think he has been given a fair shot at staking his claim in the squad, so I am not surprised that he has not been included. I think in a World Cup, you need a wide variety of players to adjust to whatever is in front of you, and I worry that the exclusion of Pefok limits how we could play.
Next up we have Jordan Morris, who has been the subject of much ridicule following his addition to the squad. While I initially had reservations, after doing some digging, I am less cynical. Morris may have his shortcomings, but in reality, I am not sure if there is a standout player that should replace him. I have seen many people saying “Pepi > Morris”, which I can agree with, but the reality is that Morris can (and likely will) be used on the wing, where Pepi would be useless. Perhaps Paul Arriola can consider himself unlucky to not have made it ahead of the Sounders’ player, but I think Morris’ sheer pace can make him an asset for limited cameos.
Midfielders:
The midfield selection is what we expected, for the most part. Roldan’s inclusion has caused some discontent, but similar to Morris, I do not think there is a clear replacement. Tillman would have been interesting to include, but he would only be making his 5th appearance if he were to play in the World Cup. Roldan can bring a bit of experience and composure in the midfield, but I do not foresee him playing a huge amount.
De La Torre and McKennie were able to overcome light injury scares to make the squad thankfully, as they would have been major losses. I think the midfield is the area of the field where we have the fewest questions, and that correlates to few questions in the squad selection.
Defenders + Goalkeepers:
Zack Steffen has been dropped from the squad, which is something no one was expecting. He has not been in flying form for Middlesbrough, but having been one of Berhalter’s favorites for previous windows, his omission is quite a shock. Now I personally think Turner is the clear starter out of the two, and have thought so for some time, but for him to not even be on the plane seems a bit harsh.
The only other omission that is a bit disappointing, but not surprising, is John Brooks. He has fallen out with Berhalter so there was never a chance for him to join the team in Qatar, but his quality will be missed. There are doubts around who the centerback partnership will be to begin with, and his absence has only raised more questions. The consensus is that Zimmerman will start, but his partner could be one of Carter-Vickers, Long, or Ream. This is where most of the questions arise for me, and it is likely the weakest area of our team. If Berhalter gets this area of the team wrong, we could be exposed quite easily.
Well, that is all I have to share at the moment. I will be back with a full World Cup prediction soon, so keep an eye out for that! As always, thank you all for reading and have a great day.
Opmerkingen