Rumor: USMNT Returns to Pan American Games (Oct 20 - Nov 5, 2023 in Santiago, Chile)

It’s a shame that in years past we’ve qualified but declined to participate (in men’s soccer).

When the time comes, let’s figure out who we can send … and send them.

 

The #USYNT has declined recent editions of the #PanAmerican Games. #USMNT

19-U22-Declined to participant
15-U23-DNP
11-U23-DNP
07-U18-7th-Lost GS
03-U23-DNP
99-U23-3rd
95-U20-12th-Lost GS
91-U20-1st-Champions🪙
87-U20-6th-Lost GS
83-U23-8th-Lost GS
79-U23-5th-Lost 2nd Rnd GS https://t.co/iDQBj8vtgi

— Thomas 🇺🇸 (@USKeeper) July 3, 2022

Big news, if true. Great opportunity.

 

A reminder........................October is one period of the calendar in which both Europe and MLS are active. Getting releases for the Pan-Am games with the "A" Olympic group will be very difficult. We could take players on MLS teams already eliminated from the playoffs.

But heck, send the best team possible. Why not? Play all the events we can with the players we can get.

 

Hopefully that’s during FIFA dates because that could certainly be a weird roster. Obviously no club has to release players for a youth tournament and that’s right during the end of the MLS regular season.

But I believe the FIFA dates are usually mid-October and mid-November.

 

In the past we didn‘t have the depth. Remember our Copa America B team? Embarrassing. We just didn‘t have the players, and playing wasn‘ gonna help them. Simply not good enough and never were gonna be.

We can do it now and should!

 

That what I thought as well. Actually it did help them. I'd take that team over 2015 - 2017 disaster. Unbalanced, but plenty of talent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Copa_América_squads#United_States

 

Not sure. When you look at a list like this in hindsight folks often tend to look at those players when they were at the apex of their careers.
They were all in very different places. It did help them in their careers but we were chastised by CONEMBAL and the SA press, who were starting to respect us, for sending such an unpolished team. I remember them being OK competitively just really green and unable to make any real impression. We treated it as a second rate tourney and it wasn‘t forgotten down there.

I also look at that list and for us there does look to be some decent talent on that list. What choice did we have, and what would many of these guys be considered today? I‘m not sure the present would be so kind. Not sure how talented many really were. They just happened to be our talent.

Edit:
Just took a glance at it again and thought about each player, their career and impact they made for club and country. I‘m less impressed when I take the good ole days nostalgia out of it.

 

FIFA dates are Oct. 9-17 and Nov. 13-21.

 

That 2007 Copa America squad kinda proves the point.

If you can identify one player that you can take with the program moving forward, then it was worth it. We certainly did at that Copa America.

So if we take a "fringe" U23 group to the PanAmerican games, and find one player to take forward with the program..........then it was worth it. They don't even have to make the eventual Olympic roster. Just a guy that becomes part of the overall program.

By October of next year there will be all new players to pick from. Heck, pick from the NEXT U20 cycle if you need to. Take a Cruz Medina or somebody. Just keep providing opportunities to guys.

 

So I take it this is another tournament where clubs are not obligated to release players, like Concacaf U20s and U20 World Cups?

 

Every youth tournament, so yes, since I believe this is U22 (contested a year before the U23 Olympics).

 

Indeed. This one is easy to remember.
No club is ever required to release any player for any youth event.

The clubs don't even need to provide a good reason.
Why was Justin Che not released for this U20 tournament?
What was he doing at Hoffenheim that was so important?
Couldn't tell you as their preseason just started. But it doesn't matter. They're entirely within their rights to not release a player. So was Seattle if they didn't want to release Obed Vargas for the group stage.

Typically, we get the players from MLS we want.
However, even that has changed recently.
For a "less prestigious" tournament like the PanAm games, I imagine its not going to be easy. Players themselves probably don't have the same burning desire to go to the PanAm games as they do the Olympics, etc.

We should be happy if these players are deemed too important by their clubs to release. I'm fine with it. Heck, I was fine with Atlanta not releasing Miles Robinson an Brooks Lennon to Olympic qualifying in 2021. I know others weren't happy about it. They were preparing for the CCL, and deemed those two players too important to release. That's fine. That's a good thing.

if most of our top 50 players aren't available for the PanAm games, so be it. We take the next batch to test them. Maybe go younger. Maybe go for guys in reserve teams in Europe. Maybe go for a couple of the best players in the NCAAs. Whatever. Give guys an opportunity to make an impression.

 

I'd think we'd be looking at at players from non-playoff MLS teams and maybe some U20 types from Europe who aren't getting first-team minutes yet.

 

What is the actual Soccer format for the Pan-American games?

 

Who knows?

But in 2015 and 2019 it was a tournament of 8 teams. Two groups of four. Top two went to the knockout rounds.

 

Realistically, look at the dates -- that's time for, what, 4-6 games, unless they put soccer on a different schedule for whatever reason? Seems like you're talking a short round-robin stage leading straight to placement matches, but that's just a guess of course. You could also do straight knockout but that seems unlikely.

 

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣

Eighteen players have been selected to represent the 🇺🇸 at the @santiago2023 Pan American Games.

We'll play Brazil 🇧🇷, Honduras 🇭🇳, and Colombia 🇨🇴.

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) October 11, 2023

2023 U.S. MEN’S PAN AMERICAN TEAM ROSTER (CLUB; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (2): Antonio Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas), Chituru Odunze (Charlotte FC; London, England)

DEFENDERS (6): Reed Baker-Whiting (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.), Nico Carrera (Holstein Kiel/GER; Frisco, Texas), Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Alexander Freeman (Orlando City SC; Plantation, Fla.), Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Celina, Texas), Thomas Williams (Orlando City SC; Titusville, Fla.)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Javier Casas Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Addison, Ill.) Daniel Leyva (Colorado Rapids; Las Vegas, Nev.), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Jack Panayotou (New England Revolution; Cambridge, Mass.), Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo FC; Maricopa, Ariz.)

FORWARDS (5): Vaughn Covil (Hull City/ENG; San Diego, Calif.), Jackson Hopkins (D.C. United; Fredericksburg Va.), Tega Ikoba (Portland Timbers; Bettendorf, Iowa), Theodore Ku-DiPietro (D.C. United; Oakton, Va.), Rodrigo Neri (Atletico Madrid/ESP; Madrid, Spain)

ALTERNATES: D Noah Cobb (Atlanta United FC; Chattanooga, Tenn.), M Miguel Perez (St. Louis City SC; St. Louis, Mo.), D Michael Wentzel (St. Louis City SC; Baden-Württemberg, Germany)

 

It's like a U23 Camp Cupcake roster.

 

Should we rebrand/retitle this thread as the tournament thread or start one?

Separately and perhaps encouragingly -- there's apparently a Panam Channel where the Games will be streamed. I guess I can't say for certain that everything will be there but looks promising. Perhaps that means match threads here. Get your narratives ready just in case!


https://www.santiago2023.org/en/not...l-for-the-pan-american-games-around-the-world