The 19 ESPN said that Berhalter has already chosen 19 locks given they’re healthy. Best guess: 1 Pulisic 2 McKennie 3 Dest 4 Reyna 5 Adams 6 Aaronson 7 Musah 8 Antonee Robinson 9 Luca de la Torre 10 Turner 11 Steffen 12 Zimmerman 13 Chris Richards 14 Yedlin 15 Ferreira 16 Pepi 17 Arriola 18 Roldan 19 Acosta 20-26 20 Battle for 3rd forward: 1 Pefok, 2 Wright, 3 Sargent 21 Battle for 4th outside back: 1 Cannon, 2 Bello, 3 Moore, 4 Vines, 5 Scally 22 Battle for backup center back 1: 1 Long, 2 Palmer Brown, 3 Carter Vickers 23 Battle for backup center back 2: 1 Long, 2 Palmer Brown, 3 Carter Vickers 24 Battle for midfield: 1 Mijailovic, 2 Pomykal, 3 Busio, 4 Sands, 5 Lleget 25 Wild Card: 1 Jordan Morris, 2 Alan Sonora, 3 Johnny Soccer, 4 Malik Tillman 26 Battle for 3rd keeper: 1 Horvath, 2 Johnson
I would say that’s a great guess. I do think Seb might have played himself out of consideration, but who knows. I also think Cannon might be a lock. I’ll be stunned if Jonny Soccer gets to go, based on so little integration. I’d put Tillman over Sonora, as he was just in camp.
Think you forgot Weah, but that seems pretty close. Not sure about 14-16. Maybe Cannon, Morris / third goalie in addition to Weah. Think Yedlin is playing himself off the team right now, looks like an average at best MLS RB. Don't think any 9s are locks right now.
You’re right, I did leave off Weah, who is top 5 selection right now. I’d bump Roldan down into the 20-26 range to get Weah on.
Just watched the game, as I was at a work event all day and night yesterday in Denver. Weah is making a statement that he wants to be a starter at the World Cup. Is it just me, or is he playing more decisively and with more confidence now?
Yes, he, Pulisic, and Aaronson all played like they were trying to cement starting roles. Looking forward to seeing Dest, Reyna, and Weston in this context too, because they show up like these other guys. They all seem to be motivated by the pressure.
Hopefully Wright, Scally and CCV start against Uruguay and El Salvador. That would at least give Berhalter the idea of where they stand in relation to what he has already seen on the pitch by other players. El Salvador in San Salvador won’t exactly be a pressure filled Concacaf away fixture but as close as you could get. Hugo Perez will also put out a descent squad. Uruguay will probably want to test their turn around fitness. Not a lot of high movement/profile games left to do that so we will probably see a descent Uruguay squad.
I’d rather see more of Palmer Brown, who has brought some things to the table in his other appearances. Scally looked out of place with these guys, but I’d like to see more of him too.
17-year old Atletico Madrid prospect Rodrigo Neri is scoring for the u19’s in Spain. Call the young man up and let him compete for Qatar. You never know when a player is ready to become a star, and there is a door open at his position right now. He’s a big kid with a physical frame and he has a knack for scoring.
I'm starting to notice some early pre-World Cup content popping up from Fox Soccer onto my Youtube feed:
Fantastic. Alexi is always entertaining and is a big bright, bold orange thread in the tapestry of the sport in our country. He has a lot to offer in conversations about the sport here. Much respect about what he said about Andres Escobar.
Incredibly exciting. judging from all the news, it seems some of our potential forwards all seem to be scoring right now. Haji, Sargent and Pefok appear to be bagging some goals. I wonder how safe Pepi’s place is right now?
92 days until the World Cup. Guys growing in form: Tim Ream, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Johnny Cardoso, Jordan Pefok, Jesus Ferreira, Yunus Musah, Josh Sargeant, etc Guys in some form or another of suspended animation: Pulisic, Dest, Reyna, McKennie, Weah, etc
90 days. Roldan may be out injured. Tough for him and his family. Bring him as a special advisor to train with the team.
I'd add Tillman to the list of growing in form. Won a starting gig and been quite productive through August with Rangers, a key player for them, big difference from being a youth squad guy and occasional bench option for BM.
Vazquez just scored this weekend. That puts him at 16 goals and 4 assist. Ferreira did not score this weekend. He has 15 goals and 5 assists. He has also played one more game than Vazquez. Should Vazquez get an invite to our final camp?