Pre-match: US v Turkey, June 7 2025 (Friendly)

It would be kind of interesting to have Klinsman and Berhalter on the roster, might as well add in Michael Bradley as an assistant coach to just hit all the former previous coaches kids

 

I think it was more '24 where people thought Brady right? After Slonina had terrible loans. Brady has had, if memory serves, 1 solid/good season, at age 19 I think, and one crap one at age 20.

The biggest problem for me with Brady and Slonina is that they've both played for literally nothing but total --- sides at the bottom of the table their entire careers. This past season when Slonina got benched, was the first season between the 2 of them, where they weren't on one of the worst teams, if not the absolute worst team, in their league. It's been hard for me to figure out just how damaging its been to their development to play for a team that is flat out incompetent, period, at defending and everything else, how does that help train you? People were tip toeing around the idea two years ago that Slonina and Brady would face a ton of shots which should help, but I wondered at the time if being in a situation where the roof is caving in constantly is all that helpful for development? Isn't the ideal scenario to just play in normative conditions. Not a team that's so spectacular that you never face shots, but also not a team that's constantly under a deluge of 10-20 on frame shots or more per game. Neither is typically realistic conditions for a goalie.

As is, neither have made the step forward that was hoped, Slonina's career has nose dived since he left for Europe, and Brady's just been up and down. FTR, Brady was largely excellent in '23: 13th in PSxG+- per 90 (+.05), and 4th amongst US starting keepers in MLS with 15+ starts (he had 29). But last year, he finished 13th amongst US goalies, 24th overall, -.09 in PSxG+- per 90. This year he's bounced back up, 7th amongst US keepers and at +.09 in that metric (17th overall).


So we'll see, we've got a lot of kids: Brady, Beavers (he got a move didn't he?), Kochen, Slolina once he gets back on track, as well as young vets like Schulte. Brady and Slo are both only 21 in 2025, I think Kochen turns 20 this year. I think we should have a solution and some depth by WC '30, and Copa America if we play it in '28 (we better), but for '26, this looks like a disaster unless Kochen gets a move to a big 5 club, and plays well (sounds like Barca's club he was on got relegated?).

 

I would have preferred to see Celentano over Brady... Brady is totally average this season, which is an improvement from last season when he was bad... Brady is young just let him get a bunch of games under his belt and then check in on him post World Cup.

 

There were people as far back as 2022, when the two were together with the Fire, who thought that Brady might end up having the higher ceiling...........................

That's not a knock on Slonina, but more of some youth watchers really loving Brady.

[Those two are virtually the same age. There was a long period of debate while both were in the academy about who should be prioritized.]

The Chicago Fire made a fateful decision in late 2016. They traded Sean Johnson to Atlanta for allocation money. Tthat led to 5 years of a crazy revolving door of nobodies at the position until this Slonina/Brady era.

 

Didn't seem to hurt Guzan playing for Chivas USA. They were awful. So bad they folded.

 

I like Brady but it's so rare for a young keeper to be all that good or consistent. It's not looking like we're going to find Turner 2.0 so hopefully Turner can be Turner 2.0.

 

This Turkey/Switzerland camp would be more of an "getting to know you" situation for Brady. He's likely fourth string. I'd be shocked if he plays.

Turner and Steffen seem like top 2 with Freese as 3 based on working with the staff in January.

As long as they called up somebody new for that spot, I'd have been happy. If it was Celentano or Klinsmann or whomever, it would have been fine. I'm guessing Kochen is at U20 camp. None of them stands out SO MUCH over the others that I would have been bothered with any in the group.

[One of these four is dropped for the Gold Cup.......................]

As an aside, was Gabriel Slonina's finger injury THAT bad? He hasn't played in forever. October according to transfermarkt. [Never mind that his performance in League One before the injury was up-and-down.]

 

Its like B+

Without Pulisic, Antonee, Mckennie, Weah, etc..............we can't call it the "A" team.

But whatever, its semantics.

With all the injuries that national teams face these days, its incumbent upon everyone to build depth. Poch rotated out some of the squad, and rotated another group in. Tessmann, Sargent, Scally, CCV, etc. out and another group in.

We were astonishingly lucky to have as much of our "best team" healthy for WC22 as we did.

 

Feels like WC '26 is gonna be a hot hand GK WC for pretty much the first time since '02. I think the kids will basically fall into place by '28. Unless Turner can rediscover his club form from '28 with a good move, I don't think he'll be a long term anything beyond '25-'27 tops. I've got my eye on the kids, pretty much period, and Kochen's my dream for now. He's probably getting a move considering what happened with his club this past year (relegated youth team), but where?

I think their development lines are too late, but I can pray that one of them just has a burner of a '25-'26 and seizes the gig, more likely is the kids grab 2/3 or all 3 gigs by Copa America '28, and hopefully by '27.

 

Poch has mentioned he's willing to give another guy a chance................................but who?

If you're a betting man, you'd say 3 of the 4 keepers that were originally named to this roster will be the guys going to the WC. [Turner, Steffen, Schulte, and Freese.]

People can argue in circles talking about other guys. Are they actually proving they're better? No. Is anyone in the current wave of U20s looking like he's going to overtake the vets ? No. Its not looking likely. Unless Kochen turns out to be some prodigy. But he's not even playing Barca B games. When Barca B looked like relegation was a possibility and they needed results, they didn't play Kochen. Should that mean anything? I don't know. Maybe. Remember when their starting keeper went down earlier in the year and people on this board were living in a delusion that Kochen would see first team game time? Comical. Of course he wasn't going to.

Three guys have started games in the Poch era. That's it. Turner, Steffen, and Schulte. That's it. If you put money on those three for the WC, you're probably going to hit it. [Barring injury.]

 

Well, McKennie has played virtually every game that's mattered with the "A" team (unless injured or suspended) since 2019.

So..............................

Yes, its possible that somebody like Cardoso or Tillman or somebody else wins a central midfield role. Paxten Aaronson if he continues to advance? They have to win the spot from him first. He's the incumbent. So far they haven't done so. They have a chance to make inroads this summer.

Weston Mckennie has started every game that's mattered under Pochettino.

Weston Mckennie might be considered, based on callup pattens and usage, the third most entrenched "A" team player in the group after Pulisic and Antonee. Adams would be if he hadn't missed so much time with injury.

Weston Mckennie is our 3rd most capped player amongst active guys. Only Pulisic and Ream have more and Ream is on his last legs.

He is 3rd amongst active USMNT goalscorers. [Behind Pulisic & Pepi]
He is 2nd amongst active USMNT assisters. [Behind Pulisic; tied with Antonee.]

And yet everyone thinks his spot is at risk? Meanwhile its been a rotating cast of characters in central midfield next to him. If we think of the Nations League game against Panama, its Tessmann's spot that's wide open.. That spot with Adams & Mckennie.

 

McKennie will have competition, and I think that players see an opening there. The guys in competition for it at this time are 1) Tillman, 2) Luna, 3) Cardoso, 4) De La Torre, 5) Berhalter.

That’s a lot of guys, which should make for a fantastic competition in this tournament.

I wouldn’t include anyone who is not in this tournament as competition for those minutes at this time. It’s really too late for that. There may be a small window for Reyna because he came to a prior camp and got a small run out, but at the moment I would say that Reyna is 75% likely out of the 2026 World Cup. The guy basically hasn’t played in 4 years and can’t get on the field at a club, and he just turned down a chance to integrate himself into the national team to compete for those minutes in the only extended time with the national team before the World Cup. Not impossible, but its a really big lift for him a this point. I don’t see much in his history to suggest that he is capable of that lift, but anything is possible and I never count a player out.

The World Cup is on the line. This should be a scrap. If its not a scrap, then it will be Pochettino’s fault. Every player in this camp should feel that they can take McKennie’s minutes, and its Pochettino’s job to make that clear.

 

I love Weston as a person and a player, but he has been poor for the US since the Copa America. He doesn’t own a position on the field and if a player earns his minutes, they should be available to take from him.

He had a good World Cup at a young age and was a major part of the most dominant aspect of any national team that we have ever deployed at a World Cup (MMA). However, that was a long time ago.

This idea that players are entitled to positions is obviously a cancer within the squad. That needs to be excised ASAP or these guys are going to get grouped at home.

 

Mc Kennie might not be on the plane.

 

It’s very unlikely he’s not on the plane barring injury.

 

Turner, Steffen, and Schulte seems most likely scenario unless Freese can force his way in this summer or there’s an injury with one of those three. I guess Brady could impress this summer and really raise his game in MLS where he’s the best goalie in the league between now and the World Cup but seem not probable.

Kochen needs a loan and real playing time at a level that’s good enough to have any chance. Possible but unlikely. We do have good reporting that Barcelona rate him highly and see him as a future starter. But that future doesn’t seem imminent and goalie is a later development position. And top prospects fail to make it all the time.

 

Judging on his club career, Poch just needs to tell McKennie he's not in the plans and then sit back and watch him "prove you wrong."

 

McKennie plays at his best when a team is trying to replace him. Hopefully that brings out his best for the US where his spot hasn't been in jeopardy before. C'mon Poch stir him up by saying you're trying to replace him.

 

Wolff is better than Berhalter

 

ROSTER UPDATE: Walker Zimmerman, Paxten Aaronson, and Nathan Harriel will replace Folarin Balogun, DeJuan Jones, and Sean Zawadzki for the #USMNT June Training Camp.

📰 https://t.co/RwpsJcwfRw pic.twitter.com/gb2bUsJAOK

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 1, 2025

A few roster updates.

Harriel I feel like is an odd one as opposed to Tolkin but I guess Dest is likely mostly going to be on the left?

 

The hell is going on with this squad.

 

At least Tim Ream will still be there... when a guy is playing that bad AND is in his late 30s he's irreplaceable! Well maybe Omar Gonzalez would be the closest replacement...