A friendly at altitude against a quality Swiss side opens a saturated summer of American soccer.
By Sanjay Sujanthakumar
A summer saturated with international soccer kicks off Sunday (USA Men vs. Switzerland, 2 PM, ESPN) and on the men’s side, the potential US-Mexico matchup with a trophy at stake will whet the American appetite for the buffet of football to follow.
Before the marquee European Championship and Copa América tournaments comes the inaugural Concacaf Nations League Finals in Denver. After failing to qualify for the Olympics in March for the third consecutive time left a bad taste in the mouth of the program, the USMNT needs an encouraging A-team performance against Honduras then its arch-rival to confirm it is on the right path ahead of World Cup qualifying in the fall. Friendlies vs Switzerland on Sunday and Costa Rica on June 9th in Utah bookend the USMNT’s first competitive games since November 2019. The Rossocrociati at altitude are a particularly clever and compelling test ahead of a prospective duel in Denver with El Tri.
Berhalter said that this heavily European-based squad is not necessarily the strongest possible one.
“Some of the roster decisions were made based on who’s available and what’s happening next in the summer. When in doubt, we leaned on the European guys because we knew that they’re gonna need rest and then (be) preparing for a preseason.” But the bottom line is that the varsity group is remarkably young and on the rise (and it could get even younger depending on how certain positional battles – which I’ll analyze below – unfold).
“Even I feel old, I just turned 21,” joked Tim Weah, adding immediate perspective on the youth of this American group.
Veteran DeAndre Yedlin, who’s in his first camp since 2019, said, “It’s amazing to see the talent that’s here. The age of some of these players is incredible, and how talented they are. We’re entering sort of a golden era for US Soccer, so it’s really exciting to be involved in it, and to have been watching it also. It’s great to see the steps that are being made.” When Yedlin was asked about assuming a leadership role as a veteran, he noted, “With this group, there’s a lot of natural leaders… you have so many natural leaders here with the younger guys.”
Youth is indeed taking ownership of this team.
The Gold Cup and possible transfers are other stimulating elements to a significant summer for the young pool, but it begins with a dress rehearsal of the congested qualifying calendar: a Sunday game in Europe followed by a transatlantic flight and three games in one week.
While we’ve been anticipating a showdown vs Mexico for a while, the friendly Sunday against Switzerland in St. Gallen should be a real litmus test. The Swiss’ FIFA ranking and Elo Rating – 13th and 15th, respectively – reflect the fact that today this is a quality side just outside the top tier. There’s no proof yet to be able to categorize the USMNT as the same, but on paper we’d like to think we’re almost at that level, and Sunday is a chance to demonstrate precisely that. Berhalter said about the Swiss, “Every starter will be playing in a top five league. For us, it’s a good evaluation. They’re preparing for the Euros. At the end of the 90 minutes, we’re gonna know a lot about ourselves.”
And there would be an exclamation point if/when we’re without our best player (Christian Pulisic) and one of our most valuable players (Tyler Adams, whose fitness is still being monitored).
A healthy John Brooks, who helped Wolfsburg to a Champions League berth, is a welcome sight.
A big summer for the US defense
– The US will definitely be without Aaron Long, and losing him for the rest of the year is absolutely gutting. Long’s desire to move to Europe before it’s too late in his unique, inspiring career is no secret, and he’s become a valued veteran presence for RBNY and the national team. Long’s speed made him the ideal RCB to partner with John Brooks entering The Ocho, and even if Chris Richards overtakes Long on the depth chart, Long would’ve started multiple qualifiers in the fall due to rotation. Long had the edge over Miazga, but now the door is wide open for at least two of Miazga, Richards, and Mark McKenzie – all of whom have logged minutes at LCB and can cover for Brooks if/when he’s not in the lineup – to have major roles in qualifying. Richards is out for the upcoming games so it’ll probably be Miazga or McKenzie alongside Brooks. Tim Ream is the elder statesman who could still get on the pitch if other CBs can’t prove they’re reliable.
Miazga’s national team career is reaching an inflection point. Without Long, his experience is that much more important but if he can’t stake his claim at RCB quickly he could be leapfrogged on the depth chart. It sounds like his Chelsea loan odyssey is nearing its end, telling American Soccer Now, “I’m 25. I kind of want to get that stability now.” Wherever he finds that (staying with Anderlecht and continuing to learn from Vincent Kompany) it must translate to minimizing his mistakes with the MNT in order to be the steady presence in his prime that we counted on Long to be.
Like Miazga, McKenzie is plying his trade in Belgium, and Richards also just enjoyed a very successful loan spell. McKenzie is not yet cemented as a starter for Genk but enters this camp with momentum having started their last three games, including Team of the Week outings in the last two.
Richards’ talent is not in doubt after a stellar second half of the season with Hoffenheim, which was impressive enough to leave us wondering whether he can actually crack Bayern’s lineup. Hoffenheim are hoping to keep Richards for at least one more year and there will be other suitors. Any club smaller than Bayern is the safer, nourishing option for the Birmingham native. But Bayern have officially bid farewell to David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, and Javi Martinez and they are reportedly “seriously considering selling Niklas Sule.” Lucas Hernandez can still deputize at CB, and the Bavarian giants did purchase star center back Dayot Upamecano as well as their new manager Julian Nagelsmann from Leipzig. Whether or not Nagelsmann will trust Richards remains to be seen, but with Aaron Long out, there’s less reason for Berhalter to take it slow integrating arguably the best center back prospect in MNT history in the fall, despite Richards missing these games.
– If there’s one name that stands out on the roster for the Switzerland friendly, it’s Justin Che. Che, 17, is expected to be the second FC Dallas export to Bayern Munich after Richards, and because Covid affected the U19 season, Che jumped to the reserve team and made eight appearances. He went 90 in six of them, and started the last 4 matches for Bayern II.
That he’s suddenly in a senior team camp eighteen months before the 2022 World Cup is remarkable. Sure, this is Gregg and Brian McBride being proactive about a dual-national – who has sounded interested in representing Germany – by giving him a taste of what’s brewing. Who knows how he’ll progress in Germany, but at this point, there’s no doubt why he’s with MNT.
“He’s confident, he’s tenacious, he’s aggressive, reads the game well, very good on the ball, good physicality. To me he’s a really good player, and it’s been fun to have him in camp,” said Berhalter, noting Che “wasn’t one of the most heralded players coming out of the club” and has made a “great progression” in the last year. Che is emerging at a position where the options for the remainder of this cycle seemed pretty stagnant.
The Gold Cup will be the time to kick the tires on the rest of the CBs. Berhalter acknowledged as much, mentioning Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman specifically. Cameron Carter Vickers is also due for a call-up. Robinson only has one US start (in January) and CCV only has one cap (prior to the 2019 Gold Cup, then he was dropped from the squad). It would be reassuring if at least one CB not in the current camp can emerge as a candidate for the unavoidable injury/suspension/rotation-induced qualifying minutes. CCV was a regular for Bournemouth during their push for promotion in the second half of the campaign and while he’s proven his resilience on loan in the Championship, he, like his 2015 U20 CB partner Miazga, needs to settle down somewhere. The good news is that could happen soon.
– I’d be very surprised if Sergiño Dest doesn’t start in Nations League at left back, regardless of Antonee Robinson’s fitness. Aside from Dest, no fullback has definitively distanced themselves from DeAndre Yedlin. When asked about Yedlin’s return to the fold, Tim Ream said, “It can only benefit guys to push each other, and that right back spot is just as much up in the air with him back in the mix.”
Reggie Cannon is the other candidate to start on the right, and he emphasized how much he’s learned from Yedlin and Dest and the constructive nature of competition. “There’s definitely a competition side of things in camp, but ultimately it’s about growth and this group is growing really well,” Cannon said.
Cannon is one of the young, natural leaders Yedlin was referring to, and it’s obvious when he discusses his relationship with fellow right back and FCD graduate Bryan Reynolds.
“Bryan has incredible potential,” Cannon said. “The thing that I view as most important is the support, because I didn’t necessarily have that support system in Dallas. Someone telling me I could get to that next level, I could make that jump overseas, I didn’t have that trailblazer ahead of me… when Bryan was behind me, I said ‘Dude, keep your head up, once I leave you’re gonna be next up. You’ve got such a bright future ahead of you…’ And I wanted him to take my spot because I knew he had a future with, not only European football, but the national team. And I think that’s what is gonna make US soccer great. Putting those selfish influences behind you, and doing what’s selfless. Bryan is obviously my direct competition now, coming from the same academy, same club. That’s what’s gonna make this team great. I push him now in camp, I pushed him in Dallas, and while I’m not gonna take responsibility for any of his success, having someone there for you is what really helps you make that jump and get eyes on you. I know he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Reynolds made three starts in five appearances for Roma (he was deployed at left back in the last two) and while he noticeably improved, his future under new manager Jose Mourinho is uncertain. Berhalter said Reynolds will feature vs Costa Rica (meaning he’ll stay with the group through this window), and be in Europe – not at the Gold Cup – in the summer.
“A young player like Bryan needs to be in preseason with a new coach- end of story,” Berhalter said. “It has to happen, and as much as I want him to come to Gold Cup I can’t do that to him. We’ve seen a ton of strides that he’s made this year. It’s really important that he’s with this group now to get this experience, and I think he’s gonna be a top player sooner rather than later.”
It’s highly likely Cannon will also spend the summer with a new manager after an inevitable transfer.
If Sam Vines and/or George Bello have a solid Gold Cup on the left, the US are in good shape on both flanks heading into The Ocho.
The deepest midfield pool ever?
Berhalter hinted that if Tyler Adams isn’t available, Jackson Yueill will get the nod this window.
While Yunus Musah may be a more obvious makeshift solution at the 6, considering the initial investment in Yueill this cycle, it makes sense. “Jackson’s a guy that we’ve grown with,” Berhalter told the media this week. “We’ve seen him make his debut against Jamaica in DC, and since then, he’s just kept improving, kept getting better. Games like this, Jackson is a guy who needs to be tested. Games like Switzerland, Nations league semifinals, hopefully finals, these are games that will test him. And that’s exactly what he needs.”
In possession, this is an enticing experiment where the US opponent may have to pick their poison: if Yueill is comfortably distributing well from deep and they decide to mark him out of the game, it leaves extra space for the 8s and others to progress the ball (especially on the dribble). There is plenty of quality now to take advantage of that situation against teams that aren’t bunkered.
Defensively, though, Yueill is definitely a gamble, with concerns about his athleticism and mobility amplified by the absences of CBs like Long and Richards. But even if it’s Kellyn Acosta at the 6 – Acosta being the other backup to Adams – the 8s and fullbacks will have to be more alert in transition. Acosta was excellent against Jamaica at the 6 then struggled as a holding mid in a 3-4-3 against Northern Ireland (his MLS preseason fitness level was, to an extent, to blame). But Berhalter was full of praise for Acosta on the recent U.S. Soccer podcast, and seems to have confidence in the Colorado midfielder.
While Acosta brings World Cup qualifying experience and versatility, there could simply be superior, younger alternatives at the 6 and the 8. An exciting aspect of this summer’s Gold Cup is the opportunity to unearth more depth pieces in the middle or, in the words of the gentlemen of the Scuffed podcast, “the second 6 and fourth 8” (McKennie, Musah and Lletget being the first three). Eryk Williamson, who was sent home from January camp and didn’t make the cut for Olympic qualifying, has been fantastic in a couple of MLS matches as Portland’s 6. It’s a small sample size, but both he and FCD’s Tanner Tessmann look intriguing deeper (Tessmann was the single pivot 6 over the weekend, often splitting the CBs in the build up), and NYCFC’s James Sands (who’s mainly been a CB in a back three so far) and Philly’s Leon Flach are in the mix to challenge Yueill and/or Acosta. Williamson and Tessman in particular could really blossom if their clubs commit to developing them there, and can easily rotate deeper when they’re 8s.
In terms of other 8s, if Paxton Pomykal is healthy his name is in pen on a full strength roster, and the silky Luca de la Torre, for whom a move to the Netherlands has done wonders, would be another reason to pay attention to the Gold Cup.
Jordan Siebatcheu’s surprise inclusion over Daryl Dike raised eyebrows. Will it provide a scoring solution for the US at forward?
Will the summer finally provide clarity – and a scoring option- at forward?
It’s clear the competition is only intensifying up top, too.
Josh Sargent was a lock, but Jordan Siebatcheu was surprisingly selected instead of Dike for Nations League, although Dike will travel with the team and can still feature in the Switzerland and Costa Rica friendlies.
Despite Dike’s torrid spring in England, Berhalter surprisingly told the media this week the decision was based “on current form. Jordan had an outstanding year playing for Young Boys. They won the title running away. He scored a lot of goals. We thought that his movement inside the penalty box is really good, and getting on the end of crosses is really good. And Josh is playing at a really high level. He’s playing in the Bundesliga every week, is competing, his minutes this year were off the charts. For us, it was very difficult. Daryl has a long future with us, and this is just a temporary setback for this tournament.”
Berhalter added that he liked Siebatcheu’s ability to combine, raising the possibility that he’s still not convinced about Dike’s. Two years after strangely not being picked for the Gold Cup or the U20 World Cup, Sargent is the default first choice 9 – even if his development at Bremen has been uneven – because he can naturally connect with teammates and is a more complete striker than the rest of the group. Whether that continues with permanent moves looming for both he and Dike is an open-ended question.
Now that Werder Bremen have crash-landed in the 2. Bundesliga, they’re reportedly willing to sell Sargent to cushion the financial blow. Sargent escaping to a team that will provide the consistent service crucial to consistent production may be the most important USMNT transfer of the summer. As for Dike, let me copy and paste what I wrote in March about Dike: “Unfortunately, Barnsley’s route one approach when he’s up front hasn’t been conducive to becoming a more well-rounded hitman. The loan served its purpose, with Dike scoring 9 goals in 22 appearances and putting himself in the Premier League shop window.
“You’re just excited to see how the whole thing plays out,” Berhalter said. “He’s done a great job at Barnsley, he’s also very valuable to Orlando, so we’ll see what happens there.”
If Sargent can seal his starting spot in these games, there will probably be room for two more strikers in a qualifying camp. “We’re gonna travel with more players because we wanna simulate what World Cup qualifying looks like where you can interchange the 23 each game day,” Berhalter said, explaining why he’s keeping Dike with the squad. Berhalter trusts Gyasi Zardes, meaning now is Siebatcheu’s chance to impress, even as Dike has the most upside.
We don’t have to play with two strikers anymore, but a striker who has the physical presence to shrug a defender off like this will always be an asset.
That wasn’t Puyol or Pique getting bodied by Jozy but you get the point. Dike is still raw but a battering ram problem for any opponent. Berhalter’s comments about him are similar to what Berhalter said about Sargent two years ago. The Orlando forward’s time will come– it just isn’t right now- yet.
The amazing Aaronson
No one arrived at this camp in better form than Brenden Aaronson.
Fresh off winning the double with RB Salzburg, the first chapter in his European career has gone so smoothly that it seems like a matter of when, not if, the Philly Homegrown export ascends to a bigger stage like Germany.
“I’m always focused in the moment,” Aaronson said this week. “When that time comes, that time comes. For me, it’s focused on Salzburg right now. I’m not really focused on transfers. I’m extremely happy with where I am at right now, and I think I’m in the perfect spot to continue to get better as a player… test myself, and go from there.”
In Austria, Aaronson believes he’s found the perfect spot on the pitch itself as well, gravitating from an 8/10 (prior to his USMNT debut in January 2020 he described himself as an “8.5”) to a winger/10.
“For me, the wing and 10, at club it’s kind of the same. Coming off the sideline, being between the pockets, that’s the game that I play. It’s turning between the lines and playing the final ball, or getting the final shot, so anywhere I can get in those positions is great. Playing left wing in the system we play in here is also like a 10, too, coming back to get it, turning in the pocket. So I don’t really see myself as a winger, I don’t see myself as a center attacking mid, you put me in those spots and I’m gonna do whatever I can do to get goals or assists.”
His manager agrees he’s versatile, but sees him more in the wing forward role.
“Brenden’s done a really good job in Salzburg this year playing in that winger role,” Berhalter said this week. “Having mentioned that Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris are out this camp, it’s more than likely that we see Brenden play (as a winger),” Berhalter said.
Youth movement on the wing
The same is true for Gio Reyna on the right.
“We like (Reyna) there, and we also think he can come centrally and receive the ball centrally. With both of those players, they give you a little bit of flexibility. One thing we’ll be looking for from both of them is still that they give us verticality and they stretch the field. They aren’t just getting the ball to their feet. That’s gonna be really important in this tournament.”
For Reyna, playing more vertically is a work in progress.
“Throughout my youth career I was always a player that was pretty one-dimensional. I’d always love to have the ball at my feet and take guys on, I’d always like to be the guy to make the final pass. But there’s so much more to the game that I’ve learned in the last year at Dortmund and also here and now. It’s just me trusting my teammates now to get me the ball in those moments, here and at Dortmund, cause I know both teams, we have the quality where I can get those final passes into my feet perfectly played, perfectly timed, and I could have a really good chance to create something,” said Reyna.
Of course, because of how young this team is, the trajectories of their careers can change and their primary positions can still evolve. Berhalter wisely recognizes that.
“I still think that a kid like Reyna is developing what his best position is gonna be. I don’t think he’s completely there yet. And it’s normal, he’s 18 years old. He’s good enough that we want him on the field and we choose to play him in the wing position right now, but that’s not set in cement. That could be altered over time.”
In the short, medium and long term, the key with the attack will be finding the right recipe with the wingers and 9 to ensure there’s sufficient runs being made. Tim Weah offers that verticality and can provide that balance irrespective of who the other winger is. A Ligue 1 champion, Weah is finally poised to contribute under Berhalter after a hamstring injury ruined his previous season.
“Coming into camp, I’m feeling really confident, and I just can’t wait to get going,” said the resilient Lille forward.
Deployed as both a striker in a 4-4-2 or a winger for Les Douges, Weah said he’s been training as a winger in camp, adding that he’s still finding himself on the field after missing last season.
Berhalter agreed. “I still think there he’s finding his footing a little bit in terms of what position he’s best at. Whether that’s a second striker, whether that’s a wide player.” Weah said that his preferred positions are wide, the 10 or – interestingly – the 8 (sliding Aaronson, Weah or Gio into the midfield three could be an ultra-attacking last resort). “I love when everything is in front of me. I hate playing with my back to the goal.”
Berhalter has observed a difference with Weah “particularly on the defensive end.”
“I can see that there’s structure in his game now that I haven’t noticed before… His team is very structured defensively, very well-drilled, he understands how to press and how to prevent certain passes from happening, build pressure at the appropriate time.”
Berhalter described Paul Arriola as “a mainstay in what we’ve been doing.” If he’s fit, he’ll be at the Gold Cup and he’s simply too valuable in the locker room and as a worker to not be called-up during qualifying. He’s trusted implicitly by Berhalter, meaning that no matter the injury/suspension situation on the wing, you can expect a role for Arriola.
As for the other names on this roster, it is a bit too early to determine if San Jose forward Cade Cowell projects as closer to a winger or a striker, but if his movement matures he could be a legit long-term vertical threat. Cowell, 17, was the youngest player in the January U23 camp and could be the youngest at the Gold Cup. In addition to Dike, Che, and Reynolds, goalkeeper Chituru Odunze, striker Matthew Hoppe and midfielder Julian Green were the other call-ups to the camp in Switzerland not named to the Nations League roster.
Green, the last American to score in a World Cup and still only 25, is listed as a midfielder, which suggests he’d fit in as an 8, and could thrive in this new version of the MNT, one aspiring to possess and control games. Green is headed to the Bundesliga with Greuther Fürth while Hoppe’s Schalke were relegated, meaning he could be on the move. There’s been plenty of rumors, and after not scoring since January when he burst onto the scene with five goals in three games, Hoppe came on for the second half of the penultimate match vs Frankfurt to notch an assist and a goal. Back in January Berhalter said he really liked Hoppe’s clever movement and finishing, and the MNT can weaponize that should he be in form.
Goalkeeper situation finally settled?
After 3 years of debate, the US finally appear to have settled their goalkeeper situation.
Zack Steffen will start in goal at the Nations League and Matt Turner, who is not in camp, will presumably get the keys for the Gold Cup. Ethan Horvath (still) needs to leave Club Brugge. David Ochoa is RSL’s starter and could make his MNT debut. It’s hard to not enjoy his daring distribution and his personality on the pitch.
We’re in new territory for the USMNT in terms of talent and therefore expectations for the youngsters, and Yedlin did caution, “Our country, we have a tendency to really hype up younger players because we’re excited about it, as we should be. But sometimes that can be a bit too much and it can put a bit too much pressure on these players and too much expectation on them.”
Cannon said the objective is to win the Nations League, but echoed Yedlin about the big picture. “We have to manage our expectations because at the end of the day it is a lot of potential, and this group hasn’t had a lot of time to work together.”
Indeed, cohesion on the pitch doesn’t happen overnight. As I wrote in December when comparing the age of a projected 2022 USMNT squad to those of semifinalists Germany in 2010 and England in 2018, there’s no guarantee this glittering core will click immediately… Croatia’s world class core in Russia didn’t do it on their first, second, or third try in a major tournament.
But in truth, that media and fan pressure doesn’t exist yet in the United States compared to international soccer’s superpowers. And as Weston McKennie acknowledged in a recent interview on The Crack Podcast, this generation is getting accustomed to pressure and expectation with their clubs, where silverware is the perennial benchmark.
This was a historic year for the ever-expanding contingent of Americans in Europe with ten winning 13 trophies, including the crown jewel of this generation wearing Chelsea’s No. 10 lifting the biggest one of them all on Saturday.
“It’s a really big step in US football,” said Aaronson.
On the significance for the MNT, Berhalter said, “It carries over a culture of winning to the US national team, and that’s what we’re looking for… We want guys that understand what it really means to win, and value what it means to win. But also having the expectation that winning is what we’re looking for. And anything less than that isn’t good enough. And we have a group that can do it.”
Next week, Yunus Musah will be cap-tied in the Nations League semifinal. When he was asked about Honduras, the 18 year-old Valencia midfielder said, “We can do really well against them because we don’t fear anyone. We respect everyone, but we don’t fear anyone.”
But for now, we will settle for a stern test in Switzerland, as the US kick off a spectacular summer of soccer.
Sanjay Sujanthakumar is a longtime TYAC contributor. He coaches soccer at the University of Southern California. Follow him on Twitter @https://twitter.com/tha_Real_Kumar.