The USMNT 26-man roster for World Cup 2022 announced p80 #1991

What he said is true, though. I'm surprised he said it publicly, but its true.

If you're on the outside-looking-in, then you need to take advantage of the opportunity. You need to OUTPERFORM the incumbents. In this case somebody like Pepi, who went down to Honduras in a WCQer and scored a crucial goal. Scored a nice brace in a WCQer against Jamaica. Somebody like Pefok, who did have a better year in a better league than Wright. Somebody like Dike, who molested the Championship and MLS when healthy.

Is it fair? Eh, not necessarily. Is it true that given more opportunities and games that Wright could make a case? Sure, I guess so. But when you're on the outside-looking-in, you have to make a statement. Wright didn't do so.

That doesn't mean he can't be a factor next cycle. We could have a different coach that'll give him more chances to make a statement. But for 2022? It seems like those comments close a door.

 

I wasn't down on Wright's performance. It just didn't move him either way for me, like it needed to. He wasn't some pressing, hold-up, or creation beast. But he did has his moments in all regards. I'd still bring him to next camp. The opinion that matters the most though sounds like he had another viewpoint.

Gregg tends to look for scapegoats when the team threatens to embarrass him w/ a poor road performance on a crappy field w/ shoddy reffing in CONCACAF. I guess Haji's just his next one.

It doesn't bode well for Horvath either. Like it didn't for Brooks, Sands, Lletget, & McKenzie before them.

For whatever reason, select players, like Bello, have gotten a lot more leeway. Steffen has benefited from their past relationship and his many gaffes not coming in games where the result led to embarrassment for Gregg, or reasonably could have. So he ain't going away, unfortunately.

 

The only guy on the outside who pushed himself into the conversation was Sean Johnson. Morris sort of did, but I don't think he was ever on the outside.

 

I think this camp changed little.

Locks (10): Turner, Zimmerman, Dest, A. Robinson, Adams, McKennie, Musah, Pulisic, Weah, Aaronson
Near-locks (4): Steffen, Richards, Acosta, Reyna
Work to do (6): Long, Yedlin, Cannon, de la Torre, Arriola, Ferreira
Bubble (6): S. Johnson, Carter-Vickers, Sands, Morris, Pepi, Wright
Last Man Out: Roldan

I moved Turner up to lock and switched out EPB and Horvath for CCV and Johnson, but I can't even really condemn the two losers. It sounds like EPB just had some bad luck with injury - so we can't rule him out yet - and I still think Horvath has a shot if he is starting at club level in the fall.

Once I see Reyna healthy again, he's a lock of course.

 

I would be shocked if DLT isn’t either a lock or “near lock.” He is not in the “work to do” camp.

 

I agree w/ the sentiment that stocks didn't change much this camp. And that's not because there weren't enough games to draw info from. There were a few. But generally you saw players who were trying to break thru be mixed bags & the holdovers revert to their means one way or another. In addition, it wasn't all that experimental of an approach from Gregg, until Nations League, which was 1 throwaway match, and another in inclement weather.

 

I think the shame is that if you switch who started the last two games you have a totally different dialogue happening. We’re still wondering if Ferreira can finish and if Haji can build off a goal or two in a scrimmage against Grenada. Berhalter loaded the dice and sent a message w/the Ferreira start and minutes against Grenada: “You’re my #1 and I’m willing to rig it to boost your confidence w/some nonsense goals against Grenada.”

Nobody did much of anything in that ————- show other than Musah amongst the 11 that was exciting or threatening. That doesn’t change the fact that Haji had to do something in the 90+ minutes or so he got and he did largely nothing beyond that one forced save.

I get both sides. He didn’t move the needle AT ALL, but it was also quite clear that he was an after thought compared to Ferreira. Ferreira better play like Dempsey rather than Wondo in the big moments five and six months from now or there will be hell to pay. I think he can do it or at least provide the balls for others along the way. We’ll see. Praying for breakouts from Pepi, Sargent and Dike this summer and early fall that complicate things.

 

The distribution of opportunities at the center forward looks like a bit of a fix, in that Pefok and Haji got so few compared to Fereira. Jesus missed several before his garage against Grenada. One wonders how the other two might’ve done with a similar number of chances.

But given how much reframing and dunking is going on here today about Berhalter, I don’t think it does much good to try and fight that fight. I think everybody agrees that 90% of what Gregg is doing now is good and productive, however you think he got there. The CF position is about the only place on the pitch where these kinds of disputes linger, and give him the way he has moved through the decision making process up to this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if that figure climbs to 95% by November.

 

I don't buy the conspiracy theories.
Berhalter himself said he gave the El Salvador game to test Wright/Horvath against a better opponent. Unfortunately, the conditions made it hard for Haji to make an impressesion. Fair? Maybe not. I'm sure Berhalter learned what he needed to over the entire breadth of the training camp.

I mean, ultimately he started Wright in the game that mattered the most. This wasn't a friendly, but a game that mattered. On the road in El Salvador. So is that a good thing or a bad thing that he trusted Wright with the start?

Personally I don't think the Grenada game moved the needle on Ferreira. He was in the squad regardless. So is Pepi.

 

The team looked better w Ferreira on the field last night and agaInst Morocco. Maybe it’s just that Wright isn’t as suited to the way we play but that’s bc Ferreira is better suited to the way we play I don’t think switching who starts changes that

 

That is an explanation that would have made sense to me.

 

My current projection

GK: Turner, Steffen, Johnson
LB: Jedi, Scally
RB: Dest, Cannon, Yedlin
CB: Zimmerman, Richards, Long, CCV
DM: Adams, Acosta
CM: McKennie, Musah, LDLT, Tillman
WF: Pulisic, Reyna, Aaronson, Weah, Arriola
FW: Pepi, Ferreira

Questions for September

1) How do Dike and Sargent start the season?
2) Does Vines get another look at backup left back?
3) Does Brooks have any chance of getting called in for September? (probably not)
4) Will we see any of Vazquez, Tolkin, Pomykal, or Ebobisse?
5) Does Pefok make a move and does it get him another shot?
6) What does Wright do club wise and how does he start the season?
7) Does Tillman get a loan somewhere?
8) Can Sands get more regular playing time with Rangers?
9) Does Gomez get any first team minutes with Real Sociedad?
10) Does Paredes get regular playing time with Wolfsburg?
11) Does Mihailovic get another shot in September?
12) What do you do with spots 24-26?

 

Sean Johnson is the big winner from the June matches.

 

That's the thing for me too. I still have real doubts about Ferreira--he doesn't fare well in physical battles with CBs, offers basically nothing in the air, and misses a bunch of chances--BUT the offense as a whole just seems more fluid and dangerous as a whole when he's out there compared to other options.

 

He started in a swamp against a team we couldn’t do squat against in 180 mins in qualifying. Ferreira got the confidence boosting game.

I don’t really care too much because I believe Ferreira’s earned his spot thanks too chance creation if not finishing. On the one hand you could say he entrusted him w/a bigger moment, on the other hand it also looked like reinforcing his preferences by giving a guy a moment to shine where he likely would and giving the other guy a moment he likely wouldn’t shine in (no attacking player scored or created an assist against El Salvador until the 270th minute since last September: Jedi scored at home, and nobody else did squat until morris’ goal so it did feel like loading the dice to get your preferred result.

Im fine w/it though because Wright didn’t do enough and Ferreira did. It wasn’t a fair comp but it never was meant to be.

 

Yeah. That’s what I see. I’m pretty ambivalent and not into arguing fringe players on the net. They are what they are. One of the first touches JF had in half two was to take a ball on properly and send a 40 yard pass down the right side, from the other side of the half circle that Weah (?) got to and was one on one with his defender. D won the battle but that pass and look are simply things Haji can’t do.
With players like BA, Weah and Puli, along with Dest and ARob, that’s a big deal for this team. His movement off the ball and pressing are so much better. He just fits the way we are trying to play now. It’s that simple.
Can he help against Wales and Iran? I think so. England not so much.
Just need a Gio miracle. That changes everything.

Haji needed his streak to to come a year earlier to have more chances. Just tough timing. He will be coming into his prime years next cycle. Here is hoping.
Hell, if Scally had another year under his belt where would he be?
Timing for a once every 4 year tourney is a big deal for those middle of the road guys.

 

This is like inflation as it rewards the teams rich in bench options and punishes those nations that are thin.

France can do the happy dance here as they could likely field two 26 man rosters at the WC and both would potentially do well.

This is a handicap on All teams not France, Germany, England, etc..

 

I'm going to guess he game plans things and has individual things he asks each player to do. I thought Haji pressed more than he had done in other games but when ferreira came in he was flying around pressuring. He had runs into space and almost rounded the keeper except for a defender getting back. He made the return pass to Musah that got the Salvadoreno sent off. Haji had one good chance and missed wide and one cross that got blocked but didn't stand out much other than those two things.

Ferreira doesn't try and bang with the center backs though. He moves around a lot and sprints a lot making it hard for defenders to keep track of him. Pepi does some of that to so I'm guessing it's a FCD / FCD Academy thing.

 

The bigger news to me is the 5 subs staying. That benefits us more than teams like Iran and Wales I think.

 

This is so stupid. The coach does not have to "rig" anything. This is not an election where everyone gets a say. The head coach makes the final say. We the fans do not, and should not, get a say. The coach, all coaches, pick who they want. That's how sports work. Lots of players will be left off. Fans can either deal with some of their choices being left off in an adult way or they can have a temper tantrum and name call and such.
Some time soon he has to pick his team and solidify them. I don't think continiously auditioning guys till a week before the tournament starts is helpful.

 

Here's where I am as of this morning:

GKs (3): Turner, Steffen, Johnson.

Horvath had his chance last night and blew it.....he won't get another one.

CBs (5): Zimmerman, Richards, Long, Brooks, CCV.

The only logical reason that Brooks didn't get called in is that Berhalter already has him penciled in. CCV has looked solid in the time he's gotten.

RBs & LBs (4): Dest, Robinson, Yedlin, Scally.

Yedlin is clearly ahead of Cannon on the depth chart, as evidenced by the fact that he got both Mexico matches. Not sure why anybody would think Cannon is ahead of Yedlin. Scally gets the last spot because he can play LB.

DM (5): McKennie, Adams, Musah, Acosta, Roldan.

The first 4 of these (McKennie, Adams, Musah, and Acosta) are obvious. Roldan is the defensive glue guy that you know can do a job in an emergency if we need to protect a late lead.

AM (7): Pulisic, Weah, Reyna, Aaronson, LDLT, Morris, Arriola.

Not much to add here.

Striker (2): Ferreria, TBD

I think Ferreria has locked up a spot, and the second striker spot will go to whomever has a good September window and/or is hottest on November 15th.

If for some reason the roster is 23, not the reported 26, then the 5th CB (Brooks or CCV), Roldan, and Arriola lose their spots.

 

Yeah, I get that. He does well to work with his limitations, but I feel like sometimes we'll be pinned back and in need of a forward who can scrap with CBs for long balls, or we'll be desperate for a goal and need a guy who can muscle his way onto crosses in a packed penalty area. We're not Man City who can be confident of playing out of their own end/playing through packed defenses no matter what. I think Pepi at least has the potential to be more that sort of player given his frame.