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Weekend kickoff

Who makes the USMNT March roster, Pulisic nears deal, White hot, weekend preview, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta previews the weekend in American soccer and looks at other issues such as Pulisic extending his time in Milan, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the USMNT March roster, and this weekend's top games
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
February 28, 2025
10:00 AM

HERE IS TO HOPING that everyone is ready for the weekend. To get everyone across the finish line, here are a few odds and ends with news from across the globe as it relates to the world of American soccer.

Let’s start with the national team

 

Predicting the USMNT roster for March

 

Earlier this week, we learned the USMNT’s preliminary roster for the Nations League final. That consisted of 60 players. But what will the final roster look like?

Here is my current guess as well as some thoughts.

Goalkeepers (3): Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte

Defenders (7): Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman

Midfielders (8): Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Tanner Tessmann, Jack McGlynn, Brenden Aaronson

Attackers (5): Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Alejandro Zendejas, Josh Sargent, Patrick Agyemang

There are some areas where I am struggling. In the November camp, Mauricio Pochettino elected to not bring backup fullbacks. He suggested that he was comfortable using players who play other positions be the backup fullbacks (such has Tim Ream or Weston Mckennie to backup at left back or have Miles Robinson, Tim Weah, Tyler Adams, or Yunus Musah to backup at right back).

The fact that John Tolkin left January camp early and is still new at Holstein Kiel, it probably means the November approach will continue.

I listed five central defenders. That also might not be the case but if Miles Robinson can play right back or Tim Ream at left back, then it might make sense. Also, if Pochettino wants to have the possibility of playing three in the back, then it might make sense. For now, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, and Miles Robinson seem to be the incumbents. The fifth centerback probably goes to Zimmerman given his ability to win balls in the air and with the fact he was just with the club. Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers are distinct possibilities.

Midfield has a lot of candidates with a big pool. Adams, McKennie, and Musah are locks with Cardoso being highly likely. Pochettino has been full of praise for Tanner Tessmann and Jack McGlynn impressed in January while also giving the team a different style of player (strong left foot who can pass/shoot from range). Brenden Aaronson also seems very likely given his energy and versatility.

Then there is Gio Reyna. He’s healthy but not playing much – again. It has been years since last played regularly. But he has done very well in the Nations League in the past. Will Pochettino tell Reyna to come back when he starts playing regularly, or will he want to give him a look based on his past? I think he gets in, but I am not all that confident. If not, perhaps that opens the door for Diego Luna or Paxten Aaronson.

At forward, Pulisic and Weah are locks for the wings. The backup winger positions again are wide open. There is no arguing with how well Zendejas has played recently. There is also the possibility that Aaronson (either, if Paxten makes it), Reyna, or even Musah can play there.  

Center forward is challenging due to the long list of injuries. Josh Sargent has to make it given his form. But Pochettino will need to take one more. Downs is red hot, but this might not be the time or place for a first call-up. That leaves Agyemang, White, or Vazquez who have all been involved under Pochettino. White is playing the best out of the three, but Agyemang might have caught his eye the most.  

 

CONCACAF: Brian White leads Vancouver

 

The first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup finished this week with MLS teams LAFC, Inter Miami, Vancouver, Seattle, and Cincinnati all advancing. Three MLS teams were eliminated. Colorado lost to LAFC and Sporting KC lost to Inter Miami.

The only MLS team to be eliminated by a non-MLS team was Real Salt Lake which conceded late at home in a loss to Herediano. Real Salt Lake is in bad shape. Between the CONCACAF loss and the 4-0 loss to San Jose in the season opener, tough questions need to be asked. They bled a lot of talent in the offseason and had no set plan to replace them.

One thing that caught my eyes was Brian White’s big game on Thursday as Vancouver rallied for a 2-0 win over Saprissa (3-2 aggregate). Brian White scored both goals. As he pushes on the fringe of the USMNT, performances like these help a lot.

Looking ahead, one MLS team is guaranteed to advance to the quarterfinals as Columbus and LAFC face each other in a matchup between the league’s best teams over the last several seasons. Columbus also bled a lot of talent and is not in as great of a position as they were in their run to the final last season.

Inter Miami will host Cavalier of Jamaica in a matchup that heavily favors Miami. Should they advance, they will face the winner of LAFC/Columbus – which paves a way for MLS to be represented in the semifinal.

There are three MLS vs. Liga MX matchups.

Vancouver will meet Monterrey in a matchup that favors the Mexican side.

Seattle will face Cruz Azul that should be a good matchup between teams that are amongst the best in their respective leagues.

The best matchup between Liga MX and MLS, however, is Cincinnati and Tigres as Cincinnati has reloaded and looks very impressive in the early parts of the season.

Finally, the defending champions LA Galaxy will now host Herediano but this is a big opportunity for Herediano to continue its run as the Galaxy aren’t well prepared to deal with their injuries at the moment.

 

Struggling AC Milan eye Pulisic extension

 

AC Milan dropped a 2-1 loss to Bologna on Thursday and Milan are in poor shape. For awhile, Christian Pulisic was almost propping them up but now even Pulisic isn’t playing well. Milan is now eliminated from the Champions League and is a bad spot in Serie A. Sitting eighth, Milan is three points out of Europe and eight points out of the Champions League.

But talk about where they are in the table is meaningless until they can play better.

Regarding Pulisic, his recent slump should be no cause for concern. We’ve seen what he can do over an extended period and there are bumps in the road.

But Milan’s technical director Geoffrey Moncada recently said Milan is close to signing Pulisic to an extension. 

“We’ve done everything to extend contracts with the players,” said Moncada. “The important thing is to have control over the players—we can never afford to lose them on a free transfer. We work hard, and it seems to me that the players are very happy to stay with us. Pulisic and Reijnders? We’re very close.”

Is this the right move for Pulisic? He’s had a great time since landing in Italy but Milan is in a bad spot.

Still, it’s probably the right decision. During these negotiations, he’s probably been given an indication over the direction of the club and the steps that will be taken. Plus, there is no guarantee that any new club he joins will not hit a rough spot as well. If he can stay on a lucrative deal with a club that has allowed him to play the best soccer of his career, he should lean towards staying.

 

Weekend lookahead

 

As for the games coming up, here is a bit of what I will be watching.

Josh Sargent has 8 goals in his last seven Championship games. This weekend gives him an important moment to score as Norwich visits a Blackburn team that holds sixth place (the final playoff position). A win would move Norwich within one point of Blackburn. These are the games for Sargent to prove his worth and a win reignites Norwich’s promotional effort.

Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United host fifth-place West Brom in a game between two good teams. A Leeds win could see them start to completely run away with automatic promotion.

In the Eredivisie, Paxten Aaronson is having a great season but has work to do in order to get into the USMNT picture. They’ve fallen from second place to fifth. This game is important for both Aaronson and Utrecht.

Johhny Cardoso and Real Betis will host Real Madrid on Saturday in a very high profile game in Spain. This will be a big test for Cardoso and a fun watch for USMNT fans.

Tanner Tessmann has been playing a lot more for Lyon in Ligue 1 and on Sunday they host ninth place Brest with a chance to climb into the European positions.

Sunday will see another edition of Croatia’s fierce Eternal Derby between Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. Rokas Pukstas started last weekend and could be in line for a start in this always intense game.

In MLS, one of the best games this weekend will be on Saturday when Philadelphia hosts FC Cincinnati. Cincinnati has come out of the game in strong fashion in MLS and in CONCACAF games and Pat Noonan’s team looks promising. Meanwhile, Philadelphia made big coaching change in the offseason and defeated Orlando away in the opening week. Miles Robinson has been great for Cincy as he looks to get into the USMNT March roster.

In the first MLS game of the weekend, Charlotte hosts Atlanta United in a game between two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. There is also a lot of American feel to this game. Tim Ream is important to Charlotte and he is trying not to age out of the USMNT pool. Patrick Agyemang, meanwhile, is trying to claw his way into it. Seattle has a new look and is deep across the board.

Another game that should be interesting is San Jose’s visit to Sporting KC. Sporting is struggling and is off to a tough start. Bruce Arena is trying to launch another major quick rebuild with San Jose and the early returns are strong.

Finally, I will be at the Red Bull vs. Nashville game. The Red Bulls weren’t bad in the 1-0 loss away to Cincinnati. The Bulls have another chance to be decent, yet again.

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