It’s happening, already. People are out and about, making USMNT World Cup 2022 roster projections. We all know how well that went for us last time.
And while we think that it’s very important to not count the chickens before they’ve CONCACAFed, there is value in not necessarily projecting who is going to be on a theoretical plane to a country who is committing extensive human rights violations to put on the World Cup, but figuring out just who the best possible roster for the USMNT is right now, at this second. Which is what we’re going to try to do. But first, a few caveats.
Will this list necessarily place MLS players at a disadvantage? Uh, yes. They haven’t been playing for months. It’s difficult to get a read on them, in general, compared to the guys over in Europe. So there will probably be a bit of favoritism towards the European-based group (it also doesn’t help MLS that the vast majority of the USMNT’s best players also play in Europe at this point in time). This is also going to penalize players that are currently injured, because we have no way of knowing if Jordan Morris is going to be back and 100% healthy and super fast again by next year, anyway, so why bother trying to project it? He’s not healthy right now. So we’re not putting him on a roster for the USMNT to hypothetically play on right now.
Alright, we got those things out of the way? Cool. Great. Can’t wait to read the comments on this one.
Goalkeepers
Zack Steffen
Matt Turner
Bill Hamid
First one and I’m going to have to read someone’s angry comments about who I picked as the third goalkeeper on the roster, like it matters.
Steffen and Turner should be self-explanatory at this point. Steffen is training and getting games here and there with Pep Guardiola and Matt Turner is one of the most impressive shot-stoppers MLS has possibly ever seen. Why Bill Hamid over Ethan Horvath, Chituru Odunze, David Ochoa, and the like? Because the third goalkeeper is a great place to put an older veteran guy that can help keep the team steady and just be that known quantity if worst comes to absolute worst. And no, I don’t think any of those aforementioned keepers offer anything substantially more on the field than Hamid will, either.
Defenders
Sergiño Dest
John Brooks
Chris Richards
Aaron Long
Reggie Cannon
Antonee Robinson
Mark McKenzie
Let’s start weeding out some folks, shall we? Brooks and Dest are locks on everyone’s depth chart. After that, the picture is murkier. Chris Richards is a good get because of the depth he can provide across the back line, and Aaron Long has been fairly reliable, if unspectacular. Cannon and Robinson’s spots here feel the most tenuous. Yes, I think they are the best options there at the moment. But the margins are thin. People like Sam Vines and Bryan Reynolds could easily sneak in with some strong showings and grab those spots from them. Finally, we have Mark McKenzie. Because I really like Mark McKenzie! And he’s about as ambidextrous as it gets when playing with either foot, something that will really come in handy for depth purposes if Berhalter wants to see more of that three center back look he brought out against Northern Ireland.
It’s time to stop calling Matt Miazga up unless he can prove he’s not going to have one absolute shocker per game he plays. Tim Ream played fine against Northern Ireland, but it was Northern Ireland, and Tim Ream is still too slow.
Midfielders
Tyler Adams
Weston McKennie
Yunus Musah
Sebastian Lletget
Jackson Yueill
Luca de la Torre
Do we have a phenomenal plan for backing up Tyler Adams right now? No. But despite the ignominious Olympic qualifying run, I’m still going to put Jackson Yueill here at the moment. He was asked to be a more advanced midfielder than normal without much creativity in front of him in terms of ball advancement, and still came out as one of the few players from that tournament whose reputation was relatively intact. Adams, McKennie, and Musah are the first-choice trio. And then we have our spicy picks, Sebastian Lletget and Luca de la Torre. Neither are people that necessarily light the world on fire, but both are clever and crafty on the ball and open things up for the players around them, and they’re great options to have on the bench, all things considered.
Forward/Midfield/Winger Thingies
Christian Pulisic
Gio Reyna
Brenden Aaronson
Tim Weah
Chris Mueller
Something you’ll notice about all of these players is that they don’t play like traditional wingers do, unless someone grabs Pulisic by the scruff of his neck and tells him he’s not allowed more than five feet away from the touchline, which no one will ever do. Rather, we’re seeing the rise of American wingers that love to come inside and let their fullbacks provide width while they look to get into the box. The danger, I think for all of them, is that they need to keep building an understanding of when they should be attacking the goal and when it’s actually best for them to stay more wide.
Why Chris Mueller? Because I really, really like Chris Mueller, and think he provides just a bit more attacking verve than Paul Arriola.
Forwards
Josh Sargent
Daryl Dike
I started this list fully prepared to write Gyasi Zardes’ name down here at 23, but then Daryl Dike went out and scored another brace for Barnsley, and I just can’t argue with a man scoring like that. Yes, he needs to continue working on getting better positions and being more opportunistic when the opportunity arrives. Yes, he is wildly over-performing his xG. But he just keeps doing it.
With guys like Weah and even Mueller capable of providing more cover at the striker position, I’m more than comfortable just naming Sargent and Dike here and calling it a day.
Ok, that’s it. Yell at us on Twitter.
Chike’s back with even more stonks for you to pay attention to!
Stock Up
Federico Chiesa (Juventus): In an underwhelming season for Juventus, their summer signing from Fiorentina is someone they can smile about. The Italian winger has the stats (13 G, 10A) & eye-test to back this up. He’s going to win Juventus (and maybe even Italy) trophies in the years to come. And we all know how much Monti loves him!
Nuno Mendes (Sporting): I’m not entirely sure about how they do it, but Portugal have been producing some sensational footballers lately and Nuno Mendes seems to be the latest. Over the international break, he went one step further to put on fine displays in Raphael Guerreiro’s absence. I foresee some top teams battling for him this summer or next.
Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich): This was obvious, wasn’t it? Back in 2013, Peter Neururer, Goretzka’s Head Coach at Bochum said he’d never seen an 18-year with as much football potential. While that still seems like a stretch, I finally get it. Goretzka is one hell of a player and at the age of 25, his best days are ahead of him.
Stock Down
Shkodran Mustafi (Schalke 04): Do you know how bad you have to be to be dropped by Schalke? Do you? Schalke have won just 1 game all season and will be officially relegated in the coming weeks. They’ve conceded 71 goals in 27 games; one of the worst records in the league’s history and Mustafi can’t make this team? His stock can’t be lower.
Diego Simeone (Atletico): I know, I know but hear me out. Stocks rise and fall; that’s just stock stuff. Right now, despite being top of the La Liga, it’s safe to say Diego Simeone’s stock has dipped. At a stage this season, he was 10pts clear of Real & Barcelona with a game at hand and now, Barcelona could close that gap to just 1pt. Atletico could very well finish the season without a title and that could seal an all-time bottle job Spurs would be proud of.
Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus): If Juventus think they’ve found the heir to Buffon’s throne, they need to think again. They’re not going to be champions of Europe with the Pole in goal and this past weekend’s atrocious goal-keeping in the Turin Derby was another proof of this.