So, we got some big dates on the horizon….And, we’re moving full steam ahead into this new cycle. There is the u20 World Cup, the Nations League, and the Gold Cup. Not forgetting the Continental Classico (not a FIFA date). Thus, we should start the discussion on what we want to see and so forth. FIFA u20 World Cup: May 20 - June 11 (21 players, 3 goalkeepers, 2003’s and younger) Nations League: June 15 & June 18 (no word on size of roster, that I know of) Gold Cup: July 12 - July 27 (again, not sure of roster sizes, but we do know that YA players will be in preseason) And we shouldn’t forget… Continental Classico, April 19, vs Mexico (not a FIFA date, therefore, we will have to wrestle with eligibilities) Key Players currently injured are… Tyler Adams (hamstring, will be out for extended absence) Tim Weah (concussion, unsure of return) Justin Che (believe he should be well soon) Vaughn Covil (ACL, unsure of return) Andrew Gutman (unsure of extent of injury) Paxton Pomykal (hamstring?) We have no idea about a new coach, but I will just assume that Hudson is going to be in charge until something concrete goes through. Furthermore, we don’t yet know the status on Folarin Balogun (play, maybe some other dual nationals), so we’ll have to see how the situation evolves. I would like to predict that he makes the decision soon but he could wait until after the summer is over too…. In short, there are going to be A LOT of moving parts for all of these games. We will need to adjust rosters due to injuries, form, and club situations, and not to forget dual national situations. But these games are rapidly approaching, nevertheless. CONTINENTAL CLASSICO April 19 Vs Mexico Goalkeepers Favorites: Roman Celentano, Drake Callender Contenders: George Marks, John McCarthy, JT Marcinkowski, Jonathan Klinsmann, Sean Johnson Yanks-Abroad: Matt Turner, Gabriel Slonina …Prediction: Matt Turner**, Roman Celentano, Drake Callender (Slonina and Johnson considered) It shouldn’t be too hard to secure Turner’s release, and the call ups of Celentano and Callender seem straightforward. If Turner is not eligible, I think the next bet is to call in Slonina and/or Sean Johnson. Right Backs Favorites: N/A Contenders: Shaq Moore, Brooks Lennon, Julian Gressel, DeAndre Yedlin Yanks-Abroad: Sergino Dest, Mauricio Cuevas, Justin Che ….Prediction: Sergino Dest**, DeJuan Jones (maybe add Shaq Moore) What’s peculiar is that we have more quality left backs than right backs in MLS as of now. Because of that, I have Jones sliding over from the left. Meanwhile, since Dest is stranded at AC Milan, he should be a yank-abroad who we could call in. Center Backs Favorites: Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson (maybe unavailable) Contenders: Matt Miazga, Justen Glad, Henry Kessler, Jalen Neal, Aaron Long, Jackson Ragen, Philip Quinton, Jack Maher, Sean Nealis, Lucas Bartlett Yanks-Abroad: Samuel Rogers …Prediction: Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Henry Kessler, Justen Glad, Matt Miazga (drop one besides Zimmermann - I’m dropping Glad for now) I’ve heard a rumor that Miles Robinson won’t be available for this match, which is disappointing. But as of now, I’m still including him. Either way, I think we’re looking at, besides Zimmerman, calling in Miazga, Glad, and/or Kessler. Maybe there will be a surprise like Jalen Neal again. Or maybe we’ll call in one of the rookies, Ragen, Bartlett, or Quinton, who are starting off hot. Or, maybe we go back to Aaron Long. Only thing is that I don’t think any Yanks-Abroad will be available (even Rogers), so we’ll have some choices to make. Left Backs Favorites: Caleb Wiley, DeJuan Jones, John Tolkin Contenders: Andrew Gutman (injured), Will Sands Yanks-Abroad: George Bello, Jonathan Gomez ….Prediction: John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley (maybe add Shaq Moore or Gomez if Wiley isn’t available) Tolkin should be locked in for this one. Wiley should strongly be considered. And if that’s the case, we can move DeJuan Jones to right back. But, we also know that Atlanta United doesn’t like accepting call ups, and with Gutman injured, I could see them denying Wiley. That means we could probably see Shaq Moore (and Jones returning to the left side), or we try to call in Jonathan Gomez again, or we try to give George Bello a resurrection call up. Midfielders Favorites: James Sands, Kelyn Acosta, Eryk Williamson, Tim Tillman (needs to file switch), Aiden Morris Contenders: Paxton Pomykal (injured), Cristian Roldan, Keaton Parks, Jack McGlynn, Noel Buck, Esmir Bajrakterevc, Daniel Edelman, Owen Wolff, Leon Flach, Niko Tsakiris, Obed Vargas, Benjamin Cremaschi, Andres Perea Yanks-Abroad: Alan Sonora …Prediction: James Sands, Aiden Morris, Tim Tillman**, Kelyn Acosta, Eryk Williamson, Alan Sonora; (maybe Noel Buck) Will Tillman file his switch in time? He needs to get on it, because he should be primed for this call up, if he’s serious about ever playing for the US. This is a prime time opportunity for him. And, I have to think he won’t delay. Aside from Tillman; I expect to see Williamson, Aiden Morris; Sands, and Acosta. Maybe we could see Roldan again. But I really would like to call in Noel Buck, or maybe another promising player, if we can. Regardless, we should be able to grab Alan Sonora since he’s playing in Mexico, and hopefully, we have a gentleman’s agreement between us to not stand in the way of these call ups. Wingers Favorites: Niko Gioacchini, Cade Cowell, Alejandro Zendejas, Brian Gutierrez, Richie Ledezma Contenders: Paul Arriola, Jared Stroud, Chris Mueller, Tyler Boyd Yanks-Abroad: Konrad de la Fuente, Caden Clark, Paxten Aaronson …Prediction: Alejandro Zendejas, Cade Cowell, Niko Gioacchini, Brian Gutierrez, Richie Ledezma (drop one - I’d probably drop Niko if I had to choose) Let’s hope that Club America won’t stand in the way of releasing Zendejas. I don’t think they will if they’ve already released him for a January Camp. But you don’t know yet. Aside from him, I think Gioacchini has thrown his name back in the hat. Cowell has had a poor start to MLS season but he was good enough in January Camp to be called back in. I want to see Gutierrez who looks like he’s having a breakout season. Maybe, that squeezes out Arriola. Maybe, that allows for us push Morris up top where he seems to be more comfortable this season. Maybe we might get a surprise inclusion of a Caden Clark or Paxten Aaronson. I wouldn’t mind a resurrection call up for Konrad. But doubt it. And yet, Richie Ledezma might move his way into the picture now that he’s in the league. Forwards Favorites: Brandon Vazquez, Jordan Morris, Jesus Ferreira Contenders: Jeremy Ebobisse, Duncan McGuire, Jackson Hopkins, Darren Yapi Yanks-Abroad: N/A …Prediction: Jesus Ferreira, Brandon Vazquez, Jordan Morris Okay, so I’ve got Jordan Morris up top, but that might not be an option if we’re only bringing two forwards. So he may have to play wing. Either way, I will consider Jeremy Ebobisse as an alternate, but I’m clear in that I want to see Ferreira, Vazquez, and Morris before him. Starting XI (if best of predictions are available) ———————Vazquez———————— Cowell————————————-Zendejas ————Sonora————-Williamson——— ————————Acosta———————— Tolkin————————————-——Dest —————-Miles————Zimmerman——- ————————-Turner————————- Subs: Ferreira (Zendejas) Ledezma (Cowell) Tillman/Buck (Williamson) A.Morris (Acosta) Wiley/Jones (Tolkin) Morris (Vazquez) FIFA U20 WORLD CUPMy best 21…. Goalkeepers: Gabriel Slonina, Chris Brady, Antonio Carrera Alternates: Gavin Beavers, Emi Ochoa, Diego Kochen, Alex Borto, Duran Ferree Fullbacks: Justin Che, Mauricio Cuevas, Caleb Wiley, Jonathan Gomez Alternates: Michael Halliday, Kayden Pierre, Noah Allen Center Backs: Jalen Neal, Josh Wynder, Brandon Craig Alternates: Marcus Ferkranus, Noah Cobb, Matai Akinbomni, Kobi Henry, Thomas Williams Midfielders: Owen Wolff, Noel Buck, Daniel Edelman, Jack McGlynn, Brian Gutierrez Alternates: Rokas Puktsas, Niko Tsakiris, Danny Leyva, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Alejandro Alvarado, Cruz Medina, Pedro Soma, Adrian Gill, Obed Vargas Wingers: Cade Cowell, Paxten Aaronson, Kevin Paredes, Caden Clark Alternates: Quinn Sullivan, Diego Luna, Serge Ngoma, Kristian Fletcher, Miguel Perez, Jackson Hopkins Forwards: Darren Yapi, Tega Ikoba Alternates: Vaughn Covil (injured), Malick Sanogo, Rodrigo Neri, Federico Oliva, Marcos Zambrano, Axel Kei, Micah Burton, Ezequiel Soto, Keyrol Figueroa Note: Did not include Pepi. NATIONS LEAGUE Goalkeepers: Zack Steffen, Ethan Horvath, John Pulskamp Right Backs: Sergino Dest, Bryan Reynolds Center Backs: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Erik Palmer-Brown Left Backs: Jedi Robinson, John Tolkin Midfielders: Weston McKennie, Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Malik Tillman, Taylor Booth, Aiden Morris Wingers: Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Jesus Ferreira Forwards: Folarin Balogun (Haji Wright), Ricardo Pepi, Jordan Pefok ———————Balogun——————— (CPT)Pulisic——————————Weah —————Musah———Luca————— ———————McKennie———————- Jedi———————————————Dest ————Ream—————Richards———- ————————Steffen———————— GOLD CUPGoalkeepers: Matt Turner, Gabriel Slonina, Roman Celentano Right Backs: Reggie Cannon, Marlon Fossey Center Backs: Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty Left Backs: Joe Scally, DeJuan Jones Midfielders: Johnny Cardoso, Brenden Aaronson, Gio Reyna, Eryk Williamson, Kelyn Acosta, Alan Sonora Wingers: Alex Zendejas, Jordan Morris, Djordje Mihailovic Forwards: Josh Sargent, Brandon Vazquez, Daryl Dike ————————Vazquez——————— Morris—————————————Zendejas —————Aaronson———Reyna————- —————————-Acosta——————— Scally——————————————-Cannon —————-Robinson——-(CPT)Zimmerman— —————————-Turner————————- RESERVES for NATIONS LEAGUE and GOLD CUP Goalkeepers: Sean Johnson, Patrick Schulte, Drake Callender Right Backs: Shaq Moore, Julian Gressel, Brooks Lennon Center Backs: Henry Kessler, Justen Glad, Matt Miazga, Aaron Long, John Brooks, Samual Rogers Left Backs: Sam Vines, George Bello Midfielders: Tanner Tessman, Gianluca Busio, Leon Flach, Alex Mendez, Cristian Roldan, Tim Tillman, Keaton Parks, Richie Ledezma, Lennard Maloney, James Sands Wingers: Paul Arriola, Konrad de la Fuente, Niko Gioacchini Forwards: Matthew Hoppe, Jeremy Ebobisse
I'd like to introduce the potential of not doing a B team Gold Cup, especially if a new coach is hired between Nations League and the Gold Cup. I don't know if you can plan that ahead of time, and I wouldn't think everyone would make it for a variety of reasons. But I wonder if we have a new coach if we can't think about re-arranging or a few people coming in.
first off, i apologize in advance for dumbing down your thread- i just dont want to check and cross-check schedules and dates, predict releases, etc. im just dividing into two squads ignoring the u20 wc. its not strictly or intentionally an A team/B team, but nations league/gold cup. my distinction is the nl is two matches that are "must win" against (in theory) better comp, whereas you grow into the gold cup over 6 matches. now mix in the question of "best right now" vs "needs minutes", known vs unknown. nl gk turner, horvath, celentano rb dest, reynolds cb ccv, richards cb ream, zim lb jedi, vines 6 adams, cardoso 8 mckennie, musah 10 reyna, aaronson rw weah, arriola st pepi, dike lw pulisic, parades gc gk steffen, jonhson, callender/pulskamp rb scally, moore/gressel cb m robinson, mckenzie cb trusty, miazga/epb lb tolkin, jones 6 acosta, a morris 8 ldlt, williamson 10 tillman, ferreira rw booth, zendejas st sargent, vazquez lw morris, cowell notes: - slonina, tessman, flach, mihailovic, wright are all some degree of "deserving"/interresting/close, im just looking at it more as prioritizing minutes than anything else. even with two full squads there are never enough minutes, so im not going to throw mihailovic into the mix with tillman, ferreira, booth, zendejas and cowell cause it just gives you less clarification. - the places i have two players for one spot i legit dont care. - cb is tricky. i see the value in zim- with richards not playing hes arguably 3rd on the depth chart, but i simply dont want him starting all 6 gc matches. i see miles and ream as our split anchors and went from there. - i wouldnt use a scally at lb just because he "can", just like i wouldnt use a winger (paredes) or dm (acosta) at lb just because they "can". would i use either over george bello? yes. i think our best use of fb ability is dest/scally on the right, with jedi and tolkin/jones/gomez behind him. finding a roster spot for reynolds isnt worth "limiting" scally. its just a philosophical choice- wanting to get the best players the most minutes by sacrificing some players strengths is a-ok, its just not what i would do. - cm is such a mess to parse, i only numbered the spots for a general outlook for our current pseudo-double pivot 433. we have so many 10/narrow attacker "tweeners", exactly one true 6, etc. and believe me when i say its not any simpler sorting into 2 and 3 line players for a 4231.
I very much appreciate the attempt by @Eleven Bravo to come up with a sensible set of rosters. I feel overwhelmed just thinking about all of the different variables. Who is banged up and in need of some downtime in the offseason? I definitely think top players are asked to play too many games between club and country at this point, and we should be sensitive to this for the sake of our guys' longterm health. Who is going to a new club and might want more time in preseason with them (Pulisic, Pepi, Dest, etc.)? What A-team guys didn't play much during the season and might want/need more games over the summer (e.g., Turner, Dest)? Will we have a new coach by the GC? Will there be considerations about taking guys away from MLS clubs for too long? Clearly that went into selections for this past window in light of the Mexico friendly next month.
It is crazy to think of how much in flux we are. Will we even having a sporting director before then? I don’t get the delay on this. It just seems unnecessary to stall, and it makes you question the competency of the organization.
To my knowledge Caleb Wiley is not playing left back for Atlanta he is playing left wing. However, if Gutman is injured Wiley might move back to left back.
I do wonder with a much smaller gap between the tournaments whether we'll see more of an A team. But I'm a big proponent of making sure our European guys have some time off this summer. We are constantly dealing with injuries and one of the contributors is just guys playing too many games. Now we don't have anyone in a Marcus Rashford situation (who is probably going to play upwards of 70 games this season), but these guys still do need some time off.
Along these lines we may have to work out some deals with MLS teams between the U20 World Cup and the Gold Cup. Since teams aren't required to release players for the U20 World Cup the only way we might be able to get a Wiley or Cowell is to promise that they won't be on the Gold Cup roster (which they are required to release players for).
Nations League will almost certainly be 23 as it was in the group stage. But you won't have to name a roster in advance so you can bring more than 23 and then dress whoever you want for each game. Gold Cup we have no idea but it was 23 last time with the ability to swap out injured players after the group stage (which we did with Kessler for Zimmerman).
Brilliantly comprehensive list by elevenbravo. The match against Mexico should be an MLS/LigaMx affair. High-level performers in the leagues should be given priority over YA reserve players who will get other opportunities. In terms of MLS-based right backs, we have Brandon Bye and Shaq Moore. Gressel isn't a right back: he lacks the pace. Yedlin is not even a top performer in MLS.
I think for someone like Dest he hasn’t been playing at all, but he also needs to figure out his club situation this summer. And I think more broadly a lot of the guys who haven’t been playing are the ones who need to figure out where they are going and also to get a full preseason with their new team. If you look at our core guys Jedi, Ream, McKennie, Aaronson, Adams, Weah, Pepi, Sargent, Steffen, Horvath, and Musah all played a good amount this season. Even European players I want to include like Scally or Reynolds or EPB and others did too. Dest is not in a good situation and hasn’t played much and Pulisic has been in and out of the lineup and also injured. Reyna similarly. The first two probably need to make moves. But I wouldn’t be against including guys like Reyna or Richards who aren’t going anywhere, but who also didn’t play a ton with their clubs this year.
vs Mexico Herc stated that Zendejas sees himself as a center mid, rather than a winger. If Tillman hasn't switched, then maybe move Zendejas into midfield. Gioacchini can then take right foward. Acosta or Sands at the 6. Acosta has been an excellent performer against Mexico. ----------------------Vazquez------- ----------Morris--------------------Zendejas ---------------Tillman------Morris-- -----------------------Acosta---- -----Jones-------------------------------------Bye--- ----------------Long--------Zimmerman--- ---------------------Celentano---
Highlighting the Tim Tillman discussion, who is on this? Not to lose sight of Balogun, but we need to jump on the paperwork as soon as we humanly possibly can, because Tillman should be a strong candidate for this Mexico roster.
Nations League Dest needs to find some playing time at club level Robinson or Richards can get the start at RCB Weah is at his best when further away from goal: wide mid, wingback, or fullback, rather than wide attacking mid or wide forward. A proper challenger for Jedi needs finding. Maybe Jones has a breakout performance in the Continental Classico. Maybe Atlanta moves Wiley to leftback. --------------------Pepi-----Balogun--- -------Pulisic---Musah----McKennie---Weah--- -----Jedi------------------------------------------Scally ----------------Ream---------Robinson--- -------------------------Turner---
Speaking of players who need to find new clubs, these might be the players who really need to prioritize preseason…. Christian Pulisic Sergino Dest Zack Steffen (if he doesn’t stay at Middlesbrough) Ethan Horvath (if he doesn’t stay at Luton) Chris Richards Auston Trusty (if he doesn’t stay at Birmingham) Ricardo Pepi Luca de la Torre (still needs to build reputation at Celta) Malik Tillman (if he doesn’t stay at Rangers) Erik Palmer-Brown (if he doesn’t stay at Troyes) Cameron Carter-Vickers (if he is sold from Celtic) Tim Ream (if he needs the rest…. Old man) Tim Weah Taylor Booth Paxten Aaronson Caden Clark Kevin Paredes Justin Che Jonathan Gomez Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams (injured), and Brenden Aaronson (if Leeds go down)
By the way, weird things afoot with the U20WC. Looking for a new host on relatively short notice. FIFA has pulled the U20 World Cup from Indonesia.The tournament is still set to run May 20-June 11 and FIFA will announce a new host "as soon as possible".The United States are qualified for the premier youth int'l tournament.— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) March 29, 2023
Ironically while Malik Tillman is clearly the better prospect, I'm probably more interested in Tim Tillman playing for the national team at current just because I think he's more of an 8 and that's the spot where we need more depth. Just given his general attention to dual nationals, I'm sure Anthony Hudson is on it.
There are quite a number of articles dating back to '18, in which Tim Tillman states he is willing to file a switch request. I'm guessing it's a matter of his being contacted about a call up.
Great points! Also kudos to ElevenBravo for the grunt work and excellent analysis. Selection for the various tourneys/games will not be easy. We are deep enough (finally and thankfully) that we now can and should be selecting teams while keeping the short term and long term interests of both the USMNT and the individual players in mind.
Hahaha... a handful of games with an MLS team is enough for some to think Tillman is worthy. Not sure why his one time switch wasn't filed with his brothers. It was clear the talent was there. Both of them probably shoukd have been at the WC, but Berhalter is a real league snob and limited shots for those outside MLS and then the big 5.
There's a difference between saying he seems like he deserves a look versus being certain he's going to be player for us. He may come to the national team and not be good enough in the end. But seems worthy of the opportunity. It was also hard to get a sense of his quality when he was playing for Greuther Fürth in the Bundesliga and they were the worst team in the league by a good margin and getting destroyed consistently. And it's true, it is very difficult to get a shot at the USMNT from the 2. Bundesliga. Julian Green did get such an opportunity, but hasn't really made a case for his involvement since.
I was fine with Tillman getting a look when he was with Furth as well. (I never much loved Morales' game when he was with the National Team, but Tillman has more physical tools and has more defensive ability as an international 8 than Morales had as an international lone 6. And he was actually getting more time than Green when they were last in the Bundi.) I'm fine with many players getting a look. I just think it is ridiculous the number of times people insist someone not getting a look is malpractice or something.