USMNT golden generation? Why Pulisic, Reyna & Co. are on course to make a run at 2022 World Cup

2026 should be our year to go the furthest in the tournament based on players hitting their prime.

 

I’m excited to see what this group can do.

 

Though I'd track Americans' transfermkt valuations. The accuracy doesn't matter as much as the trend.

Potential first X1

Dec 12, 2020
Pulisic $60M
Reyna $33M
Dest $20M
Adams $16M
Brooks $10M
Sargent $9M
Weah $7.5M
Steffen $6M
Musah $5M
Richards $4M
Robinson $3.5M
---‐----------------------
Total $174M

Brendon Aaronson is on the site at $10 million but I've left him out until we see how things go at Salzburg. Jordan Morris is listed at $3.5 million.

I did a similar valuation for Wales and came up with $141M, the difference being that Pulisic is valued at $33 million more than Bale.

 

Good article, especially with all the background although I do think the 98 team was better than it gets credit for, sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. So much will depend on health and injuries, especially for a team like the US squad that has a top 11 that looks genuinely threatening to just about anyone and a bottom 11 that looks like we'd be back struggling to qualify like in 2018. Those MLS heavy rosters that failed to qualify and struggled throughout 2019? Yeah, our top line gets injured or is unavailable and that's what comes next.

Still, we've got a guy who just scored a stunner against Barcelona for Juve, another guy who is just getting back into the team at Chlesea and has already knocked one in. We've got Gio at BVB who even when being rested is the guy they throw into the game when they fall behind in Champions League, at 18. Dest is right now about the most exciting thing at Barcelona. And I haven't even mentioned Adams or several others. Our top 11 should be very dangerous in 2022. But, we still have significant weaknesses in even our starting 11, beginning with the striker position as well as defense. Some spots can get really ugly fast with a couple injuries or we end up rotating players all over the place to cover the holes.

If everyone keeps progressing and stays healthy, I could absolutely see the US being a big player at the 2026 World Cup, playing at home. For me the key will be whether this is a golden generation right now that will have to do it all or if they are the start of something more long term and will be fortified with another similarly strong generation. If it's the former, we're going to struggle and pray for health. If its the later, we're looking like an emerging force. 2022 still looks precarious to me and we will really need ALL our top guys to be healthy to make any kind of run and a couple injuries can have us looking very mediocre. But, if this current crop is more than a blip on the radar and they are supplemented with a similarly strong youth contingent after the 2022 cup, 2026 could get very interesting for a US team playing at home.

 

World class roster also puts us into contention to be one those teams that flops hard in the group stage.

 

Thank you .Someone had to pull this jinx off us.
Our weakness today is central defense.
Brooks is inconsistent Miazga is meh Richards is too young,and the rest...
MLS meat.Ugh.

 

You left out McKennie, who bumps up the value a good bit.

In terms of Transfermarkt best XI value, the USMNT is a good, not great team because our talent is so heavily concentrated in our youth and so lacking in prime age talent, while other teams have more high value prime age players to ensure fewer gaps in the lineup.

If you just go by U-23 talent however, Transfermarkt rates our starting XI as a top 10 international side (using Transfermarkt's default formation setting, but allowing players to line up in their secondary positions and excluding any player above the age of 22):

1. England - $624.8m
2. France - $605m
3. Brazil - $352m
4. Spain - $313.72m
5. Italy - $311.52m
6. Portugal - $287.65m
7. Netherlands - $233.2m
8. Norway - $198.22m (Erling Haaland is 55% of that)
9. USA - $197.73m
10. Germany - $193.38m
11. Uruguay - $166.07m
12. Argentina - $165.22m
13. Belgium - $131.23m
14. Canada - $126.5m* (Alphonso Davies is 70% of that)
15. Turkey - $123.97m
16. Nigeria - $106.37m*
17. Sweden - $90.31m* (Dejan Kulusevski is 55% of that)
18. Mali - $73.67m
19. Russia - $71.5m
20. Japan - $69.08m*
21. Senegal - $68.53m*
22. Austria - $68.09m
23. Morocco - $66.33m* (Achraf Hakimi is 83% of that)
24. Serbia - $58.52m*
25. Ivory Coast - $58.03m
26. Croatia - $57.2m
27. Poland - $55.55m
28. Switzerland - $54.89m
29. Colombia - $53.13m
30. Mexico - $47.08m

*A majority of the best XI players on these sides are valued less than the lowest valued field player on the US U-23 roster (Mark McKenzie).

 

Oh yeah, McKennie was a typo, thanks.

But the problem with USMNT transfermkt valuation at the moment is that its comprised of tonight's roster.

 

That's true, they don't have a handy list for ideal rosters or lineups, so their lists based on each team's most recent roster aren't always very helpful.

I compiled the list above manually however, so it should reflect each team's ideal U-23 lineup.

 

At the moment I'd take Long over Miazga.

CCV's Spurs contact ends in May.

 

Well,I mean I forgot Tim Ream too.but that's kinda the point...
Talent up front but they have to be careful they don't get shredded at the back.

 

Looks like ESPN stole my idea. Not that I’m surprised.

 

Zach Steffen is starting in the Champions League today.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if we underachieve in 2022. First time playing as a "big team" and dealing with teams that will play us cagey. Many players will still be inexperienced in general. 2026 could be a serious run.

 

I think the US will surprise some people. There's going to be a youthful arrogance offset by a little naivite.

 

Something from before my time that will work in this thread:

 

The article says the Reyna, McKennie, & Pulisic scoring on the same day was the second time it had happened. Reyna's dad, McBride, and Jermaine Jones in 2005.

Really, this is the best I've felt about the USA since 2009. Before Davies & Holden got hurt. Jozy & Davies up top. Donovan & Dempsey wide. DMB. Bradley, Jones, and Holden central. Tim Howard. Feilhaber. Cherundolo. Hejduk was scoring goals in qualifying.

 

Who played in the UCL this week?

McKennie, Steffen, Adams, Dest, Richards and Reyna?

Pulisic, KdlF and Horvarth were unused subs.

Ledezma and Weah in the UEL tomorrow.

 

If the current pool all continue along their optimistic projections into the future, the 2026 team could be a legit dark horse candidate. I think a realistic goal is at least 1 QF in the next two WCs.

 

The advantage we gain in 2026 by hosting and having -- potentially -- more players in their primes may be offset by the expansion of the field. It will be far more difficult winning the expanded WC than it has been to win a 32-team WC. Europe always has two or three quality teams that miss out. So does Africa. There will be some upsets in the group stages and also don't discount Mexico. I mean, who is going to beat Mexico in Mexico? Or, for that matter, who will beat Mexico in the United States? So I think 2022 is just as big of a deal for us as 2026.

 

I think winning the WC in 2026 should be a realistic goal if we are healthy and the players we currently have in our pool improve as expected as they get older. It doesn't mean we will win it or it is even likely that we will win it, but goals need to be a challenge and realistic just means it's possible without divine intervention.

 

I think we could shock some big teams, but I also think we could be confounded by some well-organized, mid-tier teams like well...past versions of the US. WCQ will give us some idea how that will go. We were a Wondo shank from embarrassing a more naive Belgium in 2014 and we didn't even play particularly well. 4 years later, that same team with more experienced players made a 3rd place finish, defeating Brazil along the way.