The USMNT's Best 23 Right Now, CCN Exit Survey
It's been a couple months, which means it's time to check back in.
A couple months ago, I tried to parse out what the USMNT’s best 23 at that particular moment was. That was difficult! Because I wasn’t really trying to aim at potential, or count on people that were hurt with any significant injuries. Now, finally, we’ve had a few competitive games, a team that learned how to fight for wins, and one of the most insane games against Mexico I’ve ever seen.
But alongside all of that, we got a much clearer picture of just who is in and who is out of that “Best 23” I created. We saw players from Europe with some MLS guys sprinkled in, the two groups finally mixing more than they have since 2019. And I think it’s time we share the lessons we learned.
As a caveat, a player not being included in this 23 doesn’t mean they should never be in this 23, or won’t even be in this 23. It’s not a statement on potential. And the numbers are, generally speaking, to keep track of how many people are listed, and not a depth chart. It’s simply an opinion on who the best 23 players are right now, this second, for the USMNT. Get it? Good.
Goalkeepers
Zack Steffen
Ethan Horvath
Matt Turner
I know we just said that injured players wouldn’t appear here. But since we don’t really know the extent of Steffen’s injury, I’m leaving him on for right now on the off-chance it was a weird hyper-extension or soreness or something of that ilk that he could feasibly be back already from in a month, when the U.S. has another set of games.
Obviously, the story here is Horvath. Subbing into the game as a goalkeeper and coming up with the stops he made, even before the penalty save against Guardado, is going to inevitably send his stocks to the moon. Great to see for a guy who has had a difficult time in Belgium as of late, and is currently out of contract. Steffen came up with a couple huge saves against Mexico and also Honduras, but gets knocked a couple points for… whatever that play was where he tried to come out of the goal against Alberth Elis. Matt Turner stays, because Matt Turner is wildly good.
Players dropping out of the 23: Bill Hamid
Defenders
John Brooks
Sergiño Dest
Chris Richards
Reggie Cannon
Antonee Robinson
Miles Robinson
Walker Zimmerman
I welcomed Mark McKenzie getting two starts over Matt Miazga in these Nations League games, and I don’t think his international career is over by any stretch. But boy howdy were there some very not good moments! He had a few nice defensive 1v1s against Alberth Elis and Tecatito Corona, but his play in possession was simply not very good, and he got skinned more than a couple times too. I’ve dropped him here in favor of the tandem of Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman. Why those two? Because I’ve been very impressed with Miles Robinson’s distribution as of late, and because Zimmerman is a monster on set pieces. Set pieces, as you’ll most likely note from that final, are very important.
Elsewhere, I don’t think there’s anything too controversial. John Brooks is still the U.S.’s most important defender. Dest didn’t have a great tandem of games, but nothing worth dropping over. I think Cannon and Robinson tenuously hold onto their spots for now, but people like DeAndre Yedlin and Sam Vines are lurking. Tim Ream was never in the first list, but it bears repeating that he was washed, rinsed, put in the spin cycle, and then left on dry for three hours last night by Uriel Antuna, Diego Lainez, Chucky Lozano, and basically anyone else that Mexico sent at him.
Players dropping out of the 23: Mark McKenzie, Aaron Long (injury)
The James Sands Zone
James Sands
It’s James Sands. And I’ve put him in his own zone because I’m not sure what position he should play for the U.S., but I’m also pretty sure he should be with the U.S. He plays pretty exclusively as the middle center back in a back three with NYCFC, but whenever they line up with a back four, he usually shifts to defensive midfield as the deepest midfielder.
If we continue on with the 3-4-3 look, I think calling Sands is a no-brainer. McKenzie and Ream were clearly the weakest points for the U.S. last night, and Sands has experience playing in this exact role, which is much more than many U.S. players. My main issue with the 3-4-3 is that we haven’t had center backs I was comfortable with enacting it. But I’d be willing to give Richards-Sands-Brooks a spin. But even if we stick to a more standard 4-3-3, we could use Sands there, too. Our options at the No. 6 behind Tyler Adams are, in two words, not good. And I think Sands can provide valuable depth in multiple positions.
Midfielders
Weston McKennie
Tyler Adams
Yunus Musah
Sebastian Lletget
Luca de la Torre
Jackson Yueill has left the chat. The deep-lying midfielder couldn’t get anything going against Honduras. He was easily marked out of the game in the first half, and in the second half when a couple adjustments were made to free him up more, he still wasn’t finding the progressive passes that justified his inclusion in the first place. And he’s also not versatile enough to play in the 3-4-3, which meant we got Kellyn Acosta (who also is the only player on the Nations League roster who plays at that altitude every week, which I suspect was a large reason he got the start against Mexico). Yueill gets dropped for Sands. Acosta gets dropped for being fine, I guess, but just not very inspiring in many ways, and if Tyler Adams is healthy he should be a back-up to begin with here.
I don’t know what Yunus Musah did or did not do for Berhalter over the course of these two games, but I would have eaten a sock for some of this at any point against Honduras or Mexico.
And speaking of ball progression, Luca de la Torre is still here. The U.S. midfield just didn’t provide a whole lot in attack unless Pulisic or Reyna were dropping deep and central to create overloads. I think de la Torre could help there significantly.
Players dropping out of the 23: Jackson Yueill
Forward/Midfield/Winger Thingies
Christian Pulisic
Gio Reyna
Brenden Aaronson
Tim Weah
This one is straight-forward. Pulisic needs to be better in the final third, yes, but taking the responsibility of that penalty and finishing it the way he did is exactly what you have to do if you’re the most visible player for a team (and captaining them, no less). Reyna was probably our most dangerous attacker over the two games. Brenden didn’t get much of a run-out, but I still love his game and think he only improves. And Timo Weah didn’t necessarily create a ton of attacking noise against Mexico, but he was absolutely everywhere, committing to hassling, harrying, and defending as much as possible. It was, dare I say, a Paul Arriola-esque performance from the Lille winger (who I still think is probably better as a forward).
I had Chris Mueller in here a while ago, and I still like Chris Mueller. But he gives way for more important needs being addressed elsewhere on the roster.
Players dropping out of the 23: Chris Mueller
Forwards
Jordan Siebatcheu
Josh Sargent
Daryl Dike
Siebatcheu was another big winner from these games. Obviously, scoring a late winner in a competitive knockout game will do that. But he also just brought more presence to the field than Josh Sargent did, who worked very hard in his two starts, but his most important contribution was a defensive clearance on Zack Steffen’s Excellent Adventure. I’m not dropping Sargent yet, but the U.S. needs more from him going forward.
Daryl Dike is still here. On its face, that may seem like taking two very similar forwards in Siebatcheu and Dike, but their games are a bit different. Siebatcheu, I think, provides a bit more on the dribble and is a little trickier with his hold-up play. Dike, on the other hand, is an electric goal carnival that scores just about any conceivable way a person can score. And I’m fine with having them both.
Stream Schedule
Another busy week ahead, with still another United States game to ponder and Euro 2020 kicking off! Take a look at this week’s schedule and check out the stream.
PSG Prevails
The PSG women ended Lyon’s dominance in France, winning Division 1 Feminine for the very first time. It’s the first time Lyon has failed to win the French league since… 2006.
And PSG fans were very excited about it, which is always very cool to see.
Goal of the Day
Take a bow, Conor McGlynn, for the fates have opened unto you the way of Route 1.
The USL has really been pushing out bangers lately. Go support lower league soccer!
And One Last Thing
Have a great day, everyone.