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USMNT player pool

Expanding the USMNT pool: Which players not involved in qualifying could push for World Cup spot

We are stlll a few weeks away from Gregg Berhalter naming his roster for the June games - friendlies and the start of the Nations League. The player pool can change quickly and here is a list of players who were not involved in qualifying but who could make a late push to book a spot in Qatar. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
May 10, 2022
10:25 PM

THE UNITED STATES national team is set to assemble later this month ahead of a pair of friendlies and the opening of the next Nations League campaign. Combined with the September friendlies, there are just two international windows left ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

With September most likely being used to fine-tune the team, it will be a much tougher hurdle to break in then. That leaves us with these upcoming games. It is the last best chance to break into the squad.

Berhalter has already indicated to the media that Haji Wright and Cameron Carter-Vickers will probably be getting looks – and it makes sense as both have been successful and play positions of needs.

It seems likely that there could be others too as injuries continue to hit the team hard with Sergino Dest, Gio Reyna, Chris Richards, and Weston McKennie have all missed most of the past two months (Reyna has essentially lost a season). Miles Robinson is out of the World Cup. Plus, you have a number of players on the edge of the player pool who are a combination of dealing with injuries and not playing well.

Berhalter might feel inclined to look at several new players. When defining new, we don’t mean young or players who haven’t been capped. We are talking about players who simply haven’t played a role in World Cup qualifying.

If Berhalter calls up around 27 different players, not all the players listed below will make it. In fact, most won’t. But these are the ones making strong cases for a late inclusion – and why.

 

Cameron Carter-Vickers

 

As already been reported by the Washington Post, Celtic central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers could/should be given a nod. The English-born Carter-Vickers went on six loans from Tottenham to teams in the Championship before joining Celtic last fall. He has since cemented his place in the team’s backline, been named to the Premiership’s team of the season, and won the title on Wednesday.

The team’s central defense pool is heavily in flux right now after Miles Robinson ruptured his Achilles tendon, Mark McKenzie’s season hasn’t been compelling, there are questions about Tim Ream’s age, and John Brooks has struggled to get back into the team. Erik Palmer-Brown snuck into the team in March but there needs to be a broader central defense pool.

 

This summer, Berhalter will probably focus in on Walker Zimmerman, Chris Richards (who has been injured), Aaron Long (who was subbed out of RBNY’s Open Cup win over DC United on Tuesday with an injury), Erik Palmer-Brown, and now Cameron Carter-Vickers.

 

Haji Wright

 

The U.S. team needs a No. 9, and no one is hotter than Haji Wright. In Turkey’s Super Lig, Wright has scored eight goals in his last eight games for Antalyaspor. He has goals in his last six games and has 13 overall. Wright’s career has generally been disappointing until this season. He struggled at Schalke and then Schalke, just to get rid of him, fronted a lot of his salary at VVV Venlo (to meet the Eredivisie minimum for non-EU players) where he didn’t score a goal or assist in his lone season. He found some success at the bottom half of the Danish Superliga, but this season has been a complete reversal of fortune.

It remains to be seen if Wright is as good as his numbers not reflect or whether he is simply hot. But it is worth a look.

The U.S. national team forward position needs help. Jesus Ferreira is off to a great start, Jordan Pefok is hurt (it doesn’t seem to be serious) and is the Golden Boot leader in Switzerland, and now Wright. After them, Gyasi Zardes has faded. Josh Sargent is both injured and had a tough season. Sebastian Soto dropped off entirely. Christian Ramirez has gone cold since February in Scotland. Ricardo Pepi has had a tough transfer.

Wright is getting hot at the right time and is playing a position in need.

 

Brandon Vazquez

 

Like Haji Wright, Brandon Vazquez is a No. 9 getting hot at exactly the right time. Vazquez has been a key part of a vastly improved FC Cincinnati team – scoring six goals in 805 minutes this season tied for second atop the MLS scoring chart.



It might not be a bad option for Berhalter to look at both Wright and Vazquez – who know each other well. Both are from California, and both were on the talented U.S. U-17 World Cup team in 2015 alongside Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Luca de la Torre. Wright was the top forward heading into that tournament, but Vazquez overtook him after the first game and scored two goals in the group stage.

Both players have also been inconsistent in their careers prior to this season but both are trending up.

 

Djordje Mihailovic

 

Berhalter looked at Mihailovic early in his tenure but that was before when Mihailovic moved to Montreal. North of the border, Mihailovic has been a dominant player in MLS. Last season, he had 16 assists – which put him just behind MVP Carles Gil for most in the league. This season, he has picked up where he left off. In 48 games for Montreal in the CCL and MLS, he has 10 goals and 18 assists. Only a third into the 2022 season, he has six goals between the CCL and MLS.



Is there room for him in June? Quite possibly. Mihailovic is a player who can play the No. 8, the No. 10, and either wing. Gio Reyna’s status for June is extremely doubtful and Gianluca Busio has had a rough 2022 after a strong start to the season with Venezia. 

As we will explore in the next few options below, Mihailovic is not the only midfielder knocking on the door, but his numbers do standout. Frankly, his numbers have been at a DP level the last two years.

 

Alan Sonora

 

The Independiente attacking midfielder has been playing very well since August. Before that, he had occasionally shown glimpses of a high ceiling but since the end of last summer, he has been consistently playing well in Argentina. As of now between the league and the Copa Sudamericana, he has four goals and an assist in 1071 assist.



Sonora is a smooth, left-footed, attacking midfielder that likes to play centrally. ASN was able to report that Gregg Berhalter had spoken with Sonora in January, so he is on the radar. This could be his chance and he could have an opening without Reyna. He could be seen as someone who could bolster the attack in the midfield.

 

Duane Holmes

 

Holmes, 27, has had a nice season for Huddersfield this season where he hasn’t quite been a regular starter, but he has earned 26 starts and 37 overall appearances.  During that time, he has added five goals and has been a dangerous player for the Terriers. In the weeks ahead, he will be in the promotional playoffs.



Despite being small in stature, Holmes is very good with the physical side of the game and brings a tough edge combined with speed and skill. His only caps with the U.S. team happened in 2019 in friendlies, and while he’s offered runs of good play before, he’s at his most consistently strong level right now.

 

Paxton Pomykal

 


The FC Dallas midfielder was considered a top American prospect in 2018 and 2019 but injuries have been very costly to him since them. In 2021, he was finally able to play regularly again. In 2022, he is reminding people why he was once highly regarded.

FC Dallas is very much improved, and Pomykal is a reason for that. He’s been flourishing under Nico Estevez – who was a recent USMNT assistant and unsurprisingly, the tactics between Dallas and the USMNT are similar.

 

Stefan Frei

 

Gregg Berhalter has fluctuated between Zack Steffen and Matt Turner as his No. 1 goalkeeper. At times he’s used Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath, Brad Guzan, and even Gaga Slonina as backups. The problem right now is that neither Turner or Steffen have a set path where they are going to be a starter. Steffen might move on from Manchester City, but getting a starting job is still tough to forecast. Turner will probably be a backup at Arsenal. Meanwhile, Guzan is injured, Ethan Horvath is still a backup, and Slonina will only be 18.

While Sean Johnson has done well for NYCFC, there is a very strong chance that Stefan Frei will be the most in-form American goalkeeper who plays regularly for his club. That should get a lot of consideration.



Frei, 36, is not young and has never been capped (he didn’t become an American citizen until late 2017)  but this isn’t about the future. It’s about what a player can do right now and Frei’s performance for Seattle in winning the CONCACAF Champions League should put him into consideration.

 

DeJuan Jones

 

One of the more unsettled areas of the USMNT player pool is who backs up Antonee Robinson as the left back. That is going to be even more of an issue this summer. There are some reports Antonee Robinson could have minor knee surgery at the start of offseason. Even if he doesn’t, the question remains.

Over the past year, Berhalter has toyed with the idea of using Sergino Dest on the left side as a backup – but that takes him away from his preferred right side. He has also used Sam Vines and George Bello as backups. But Dest is probably going to be out for June. Arminia Bielefeld’s George Bello and Royal Antwerp’s Sam Vines have struggled to end the season – both their first in Europe.



DeJuan Jones might have a better chance than many realize. For one, he’s healthy and he’s playing well. He has also spent time with the USMNT in January and Gregg Berhalter said he had a strong camp. Finally, with his athleticism, he most resembles the way Robinson plays the left back. If Jones had to step into a game for Robinson, the team wouldn’t have to change anything with the way it has been playing.


Joe Scally


Joe Scally had a great season for a teenager at Borussia Monchengladach. The Long Island native started the season as a regular started and even played left back – a position he was unfamiliar with until last summer. Predominantly a right back, Scally played well although his minutes decreased significantly in the second half of the season.

It is possible that Scally gets a look although the better bet is that he is one for next cycle. Berhalter will seem to prefer the veterans at right back – Dest, Yedlin, and Cannon. Left back could be a possibility although he is still new to that position and is a very different player than first choice Antonee Robinson.

 

Dual Nationals

 

Gregg Berhalter hinted at the possibility of a dual national joining the fold. The term “dual national” is floated around a lot and it is not equally applied. For example, few people ever really thought of Matt Turner as a “dual national” despite having a Lithuanian passport. It’s technically correct although the term “dual national” is typically referred to as people who were either born and raised abroad to at least one American parent, or player who was born in the USA to foreign parents but who left at an early age and was raised abroad (Kenny Saief, Aron Johannson, Leon Flach, etc).

For this purpose, we will use the later and consider players who would need to file a one-time switch to play for the United States. A few names have been thrown around lately.

Malik Tillman seems to be the most mentioned. The German youth international is still just 19 and has been playing with Germany's U-21 team. He made four appearances with Bayern Munich's first team this year when the club rotated its squad. If Berhalter is going to bring in a "dual national" for the first time, Tillman makes the most sense. His resume is similar to Julian Green in 2014 - Bayern, German-American, attacking mid/forward. Like Green Tillman also played for the U.S. youth teams (the U-15 level) so there is some history there. But he has been playing with Germany's youth teams recently.

Timothy Tillman, the older brother of Malik, played nearly 2000 minutes in the Bundesliga this season but his team, Greuther Furth, was never competitive and was the first team relegated this season. Tillman, 23, had some nice moments but the 2.Bundesliga seems about his level. A former German youth international, the U.S really really need to recruit him anymore. It's a question whether he is good enough for the U.S. team.

Folarin Balogun, 20, got his first taste of regular minutes the past few months when he went to Middlesborough on loan from Arsenal. He earned a lot of attention with Arsenal's U-23 team and showed some impressive glimpses with Boro. He played with England's youth teams as recently as March - but England's full NT is a tough team to make. It seems like at some point he will be interested in the USA - but right now? He might still want to push for England because that is his dream. We also still do not have enough data to suggest how good he is.

Alex Mighten, 20, has been talked about as an option at winger but he was never considered an option to regularly start for Nottingham Forest and some in the local media were thinking he was going to go on loan before picking up a midseason injury. It seems like he will be more of a wait and see for the United States to determine if he is good enough.

Samuel Shashoua is a winger at Tenerife in Spain's Segunda. He will turn 23 this week and is a teammate of U.S. right back Shaq Moore. There were reports in January that he had switched his international affiliation from England to the USA but this was never announced (he was born in England to an American father, and has Venezuelan citizenship as well). He's done well in the Spanish second tier and the team is pushing for promotion. He has six goals on the season but isn't quite a regular starter - playing 1662 minutes. Despite the reports, interest from the U.S. seems like a long shot right now.

Kik Pierie is a defender on loan at Twente from Ajax. He was born in Boston while his father was a surgeon at Harvard. He's dealt with a wave of serious injuries lately and his interest in representing the US was always lukewarm.

 

Other Notes

 

I left a lot of players who are part of the U-20 team out because I think they will take part in U-20 World Cup/Olympic qualifying. This includes players like Gaga Slonina, Cade Cowell, Justin Che, Obed Vargas, Jonathan Gomez (if he accepts).

Daryl Dike is still recovering from injury. His Gold Cup teammate, Eryk Williamson, was solid last summer for the U.S. team but is still not back to his level before his ACL tear,

Nicholas Gioacchini, Tanner Tessmann, Cole Bassett, and Richard Ledezma all were in Europe this season but none of them played significantly. Alex Mendez has played quite a bit for Vizela in Portugal but I think the other midfielders listed above (Holmes, Pomykal, Sonora, Mihailovic) fit more with what Berhalter is looking for.

There are some players like Julian Green and Matt Miazga who have been with the U.S. team, although not in qualifying, but the past season was too tough to warrant an invite.

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