Fun post. Thanks for doing it. I'm going to nitpick because it's fun. I'm not really sure how Sargent gets above Wright and Agyemang. Of the three, Agyemang seems to have the most likely improvement ahead of him, and also the most likely differentiated skill. Add in that our next coach probably values skill less than Pochettino, and he'd move up for me. Also count me as a short term Jakupovic doubter. I see the upside; I've also watched 3-4 games and not sure I've seen a player worse off ball than him, offensively or defensively. Until he figures out that he needs to play when waiting for the ball, I'm not going to place him above three guys doing it in a position where age doesn't seem to hurt as much. Yes, especially because so few of these guys are wingers. I know we'll get to Gozo later, and I don't disagree on some level that Zavier is not necessarily an elite, elite level winger in terms of some of his ball skills. But in terms of others -- including his ability to get a shot off the dribble and hit a banger, I think he might be. He's not a fullback -- he's never played it and is just adjusting to wingback. Toss in that plenty of guys push forward for their national teams while playing further back (like Alphonso Davies often) ... and Gozo as a wingback for club and winger for the US is not unlikely. Especially when you look at the pool. I also think you have to mention Dest, 30, if we retain Pochettino or a similar coach. If we're looking for more pure wingers, I'm not a huge fan of Cole Campbell, period, or of David Vazquez at national team level (love him otherwise), but both are actual wingers with the actual game of wingers. They could factor. I think these are both far less certain than you have listed here. I think I might put Niko Tsakiris as even odds with Tessman and Berhalter. Tessman's got the size and fancy skill but I'm not sure there's ever going to be a real there there, and while I love Berhalter's fire and nasty ball striking, Tsakiris makes all the right moves at 21. Physical tools will be a question, so he's also far from certain ... ... But I just think whether your cup of tea is Owen Wolff or Tsakiris or Habroune or Pukstas or Cremaschi ... the lack of a complete package in this group means that there's plenty of room for someone more technically solid, hard working and tactically strong to come in and consistently outperform what is group of guys all with some kind of weakness. Toss in that Cavan is at heart a center midfielder -- I know why you have him at wing, but it's an option to play him here -- but it's a lot of talented competition. I wouldn't bet on any one necessarily, but I don't know that I'd bet against the field here. At least not to the point of being confident on Tessman -- who I think was likely rightfully left off -- or Berhalter, who needs to improve his defense. Gio will be fascinating. I can't imagine that time and more competition are going to do him favors. Probably no one here is more affected by who the next coach is. Cherundolo? Man, it ain't that different than what Tim Tillman was doing for LAFC. He's not going to beat out Malik (or maybe even Tim!) but if we go to a less possession, more transition and pressing system, Brenden shoots up the ladder, I think. Clearly still in the pool, but like with Tessman, I would not be banking on mindset changes at 24. They happen. They aren't super common. I think Mehmeti is there (well, at least as #3) and I'd place him along with Cavan as the most likely young guys (excluding a Gozo) to be there. I don't really get the experience argument, mostly because you have Tyler and Cardoso on the roster. If we end up carrying three CDMs ... we have two older guys. If we have a Pochettino-style coach, we're bringing him. The distribution at that point could very well be game changing, but even now is such a step up from Adams and Cardoso that he'd have to be downright bad at defense to not place higher than Morris, IMO. I dunno -- he's just the type of guy every coach loves. Even Cherundolo played Ilie all the time. I think the scenario where he doesn't get a very strong look is if we really don't bring a lot of CDMs like this time. One big question: how good is Tyler four years from now and how do we play differently if he's not the same guy? I don't think Mehmeti is a lock for the roster but I also wouldn't be shocked to see him start. No, to the point that guys like Lund or Tolkin need to still be in the pool. I am beyond skeptical of Wiley and Miller at this role. Wild cards I'd introduce: Westfield is the best soccer player we have here that's young. Is he athletic enough? Also, NYCFC's own Christian McFarlane -- I think he still ends up a very good defensive LB. I'm not the least bit shocked to see his prospect star drop ... and I think maybe he ends up back with the USA as a very good defensive LB where people are disappointed ... right up until we realize we need one. I get all the arguments, and Freeman could very well end up inside. He's actually a pretty good passer in the build up -- though maybe not so good as to be central -- and while you'd miss his runs, his final third can be iffy. But I really feel like this a set of cascading machinations of ifs that more likely simply goes the obvious -- Freeman to RB or CB/RB, Gozo to RW/RWB and we simply have to find another CB. I'd note that even with Freeman at RCB, he's now the best passer in the backline unless Richards' moments of looking good ever equate with any kind of consistent passing. We also don't have a left footed player there on the left. Not required, not great. I think if I had to bet, it's Trusty. He's got good athleticism and he showed more mental focus and consistency in this World Cup than McKenzie. I need longer than a half season with Schwake. I do worry that Brady's progression in the non-shot stopping areas seems slowing than I'd like. I obviously somewhat agree; I've made the same argument. But part of that, I think, is that we're pulling to the median on individual prospects. We shouldn't be too sunny, for sure ... but I also don't think it's out of the range that certain players coming up are game changers or significantly change the team. If Cavan is what people dreamed Reyna was going to be in 2022 and Gozo is rampaging down a RW, things can change somewhat. Hell, I'd argue that even having a keeper in a hotter streak -- a la Turner in 2022 -- is going to make this team feel a lot better than what Freese delivered. On one hand: personnel wise, centerback and keeper don't have a clear upgrade the core is aging. On the other hand: there are some high upside players to replace the core; the core isn't that old, and just because we don't have super prospects at keeper and CB doesn't mean someone can't step up.
saying something simpler than you: if we can improve our weak link positions to be less totally weak, then we can be more competitive in tournament setting. Yes you need some magic players at times. But also, to make quarters you often just cant have glaring weak links. We had some glaring ones. Time will tell if we can fill them but if we can and are otherwise just very solid at every position that becomes a potential quarterfinal team. lower top end but higher floor.
Or to be complete: fix the two weak links; add one to two possibly elite on the younger end and this team is better. That's a lot, but not impossible.
I think people who have realistic expectations just want USA to be a consistent quarterfinal competitor/contender. Right now they’re a consistent round of 16 competitor/contender. That’s the next step. They had a missed opportunity against Belgium because I don’t think that Belgium team was unbeatable.
But so far, that Belgium team is the only one to score on Spain. They were more competitive than France. Belgium is much better than people want to admit.
Yes though I figure I have about ten or so world cups left in my lifetime unless there are major advances in modern medicine. It’d be nice to see us take a leap and advanced our level by the time those ten world cups have been played. But which won’t likely happen by 2030. Or I suppose the AI robots may just take over and it’s all irrelevant anyways.
Good news: was just at a talk yesterday where quite a few people seemed confident in major leaps in modern medicine over the next decade! That said, I'm just totally fine with progression. I want to see the pool get appreciably bigger, see a World Class player, make some runs. Winning a World Cup would be great but it's not going to be an end all be all. For 2030, I'm watching this Argentina team and I think there's just a lot of mental growth this team can do in four years. But they have to want it.
No. Just more pragmatic. Belgium set a low block and took 32% possession. France actually had had higher line and almost even possession to Spain. That was crazy, like us against Belgium.
In case anyone was worried Tim Ream will never retire from the national team Tim Ream just spoke to the media at an MLS event in NYC. Asked about his #USMNT career: “I’m gonna be 39, so I can't see that there's too much [time] left. Still going to keep playing, but again, it's not up to me. I've maintained for a long time, I won't retire from the…— Sanjay Sujanthakumar (@tha_Real_Kumar) July 16, 2026 The Messi Ream rivalry has another chapter to it at Copa America perhaps.
Ream is a competitor. I don't understand why a foul was not called on Belgium's second goal. Their goal scorer aggressively charged into Ream, knocking him down, and scored. I've seen goals disallowed for a lot less.
Although Sullivan will ultimately be a middle of the park player, I think he will start out his senior team career on the wing. And it should be a natural transition for Pulisic to move to a more central attacking position. He has already done some of that with club and country. I'd guess our attacking foursome in 2030 will be: Albert on the left, Sullivan on the right, Balogun as the 9 and Pulisic as the 10. I think there will be one or two more very young attacking players who will emerge (I have in mind Berchimas, Flowers and Kimbrough). And one or two older (in the sense of being out of their teens) players not on this year's team who will make the 2030 team (the ones I have in mind are Musah, Busio, the two Campbells, Paredes and Cremaschi). I'm an optimist about 2030. I think our young players will emerge faster than the older guys will age out. And some of the mid-career guys will take a step forward. We should be good and deep.
Went back to look at my first 2026 roster prediction and as predicted many of them were way off and I got 15 of the 26. Missed on Brady, Freese, Arfsten, Freeman, Trusty, Ream, Roldan, Tillman (my biggest miss), Berhalter, Zendejas, and Wright. Ironically Wynder also on my 2030 prediction so maybe I should stop picking him for things.