The USA and Mexico renew their rivalry Thursday night at Allegiant Stadium.
Sanjay Sujanthakumar
LAS VEGAS – A USMNT that very much remains in a period of transition kicks off its busy summer with a Concacaf Nations League semifinal showdown against archrival Mexico in Las Vegas on Thursday night. The face of this transition is no longer Anthony Hudson, who abruptly left to take a club job in Qatar. “I knew that these were opportunities that [Anthony] was looking towards, but I certainly didn’t know that it was gonna happen this quick and this immediate,” BJ Callaghan, the new interim manager, told the media prior to camp.
After serving as an assistant to Gregg Berhalter and then Hudson, Callaghan suddenly found himself in the spotlight. “In professional sports, a lot changes in a short amount of time. We constantly say ‘next man up, next man up.’ At this point in time, my number was called. I’m honored to have the opportunity to step up.”
He had last week to prepare almost the whole squad in Los Angeles, then they headed to Vegas on Monday. The Callaghan era will be short. Sporting director Matt Crocker is supposedly casting a wide net in the search for the next head coach, who will surely be in charge for the FIFA window in September. And the Callaghan era could be sweet if the US defends both of its Nations League and Gold Cup titles. However, winning both competitions won’t necessarily define whether or not this summer is a success.
“We don’t know what the 2026 player pool is gonna look like, so it’s our responsibility to have as many players exposed to high level, knockout stage, group stage type of environments. And that’s gonna extend beyond the Gold Cup as well, when we look into 2024 and 2025. The Olympics, and Copa América,” Callaghan said. “You’re pressure testing your on field ability, each individual’s ability to handle the pressure, and you’re also pressure testing the culture.”
Here are my thoughts on the program ahead of Nations League and what we expect to be, between two squads, up to one whole month of the USMNT in action.
Christian Pulisic’s future remains in flux as the US face their biggest rival to open a big summer.
BLOCKING OUT THE TRANSFER NOISE
The vibes continue to be positive, even if individually – for several core players, as well as others in the pool – this is also a period of transition in terms of their club futures. Pulisic, of course, headlines the category.
“Obviously, it’s been an interesting journey at club level for me,” he said. “I thought it was a great couple years and the last couple years just haven’t gone at all how I’ve planned them to be. And right now my focus is obviously here with the national team. I’m just excited to get back playing and just enjoy myself and do what I love to do out on the field. And from there, this summer, we’re obviously going to have to see what happens.”
Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams (the only presumptive 2026 starter not available in Vegas), Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and the list goes on. There will likely be many moves that will prove far more important for results at the Copa América, Olympics and the next World Cup than any national team games this summer possibly can. But all the transfer speculation genuinely doesn’t seem to affect a generation of Americans accustomed to the constant scrutiny European club ball entails. The relentless rumors may be the new normal.
“I think it’s the norm now. I think you’re gonna see that every single transfer window, every single summer. Especially now with our national team playing at a higher level, guys get more eyeballs on them and more opportunities because of it,” Matt Turner said. “For American soccer fans, get ready to see more of the same in the future. It’s an important summer but only because there’s trophies to be won, rather than saying ‘guys are focused here rather than on their club side.’”
“Right now is a time where for everyone on the outside watching in, all of the fans are anxious and wanna know what’s next and everything. But at the end of the day, the players will figure out the best thing for them,” McKennie said. “The players will figure out their next move. The players will do what they think is right and at the end of the day, you guys will find out just like everyone else will. When that time comes, it’ll come.”
Folarin Balogun’s debut with the United States headlines a testy semifinal.
THE DEBUT OF BALOGUN
The time has come for the highly anticipated debut of Folarin Balogun. In a mostly forgettable season for Americans abroad, the Brooklyn-born forward bagged 21 goals on loan at Reims in Ligue 1 this season. The hope that he’d commit to the US exploded in March when he accidentally revealed with an Instagram post that he was in Orlando during the national team camp there. Balogun pledging his allegiance to the US became official in May, and now, he’s finally being integrated.
“I’m still getting to know my teammates on the pitch and off the pitch. And of course, this is not something that will come overnight. So there’s an element of patience that we all need to have in order to get the right relationships, but we’re definitely working towards that,” Balogun said.
One familiar face is former Arsenal academy teammate Yunus Musah. “It’s really nice to see that we’ve both landed here coincidentally. It’s really nice to share the field again, seeing the chemistry before we had as well,” Musah said. “As a person, he’s the same guy. Very nice guy. But as a player, he’s just gotten better. Sharpened his game even more, and he’s become a deadly striker this season. Hopefully he can carry that on.”
Goalkeeper Matt Turner was also familiar with Flo from the Arsenal first team environment. “I had a preseason with him at Arsenal, we developed a pretty good relationship but then he left to go on loan. He’s scored lots of goals in his loan spell and done really well. He’s someone to be excited about, and knowing his personality, he’ll fit in really well with the group. He’s gonna have to earn his right to play, just like everybody else does.
Indeed, despite all the hype, Balogun understood that a red carpet to the starting lineup wasn’t being rolled out. “In terms of my expectations and stuff like that, I know that me coming into this team, I’m coming in with a mindset that I need to earn my place. I’m not assuming I’m going to come in and start. That’s not really the mentality I have in life. I’m looking to just impress the manager and if he feels that it’s right for me to play, then that’s great. And if not, if he wants me to come on and try to make an impact, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Josh Sargent is injured, so Balogun is vying for the starting spot with Ricardo Pepi. “It’s going to make me better, I’m going to make him better. He’s a good guy. And on the pitch, we’re a team. We’re always trying to compete against each other. A lot of players here have competition in their own spots,” Pepi said.
After the Mexican-American striker’s mystifying exclusion from the World Cup squad, the primetime semifinal against El Tri is also a chance for him to definitively capture the attention of the country following an encouraging club season. Pepi tallied 12 goals for a terrible Groningen side, and he’s now set to join Dutch powerhouse PSV.
“He’s a player who’s had a good season, I’m a player who’s had a good season. We both want the starting spot. And we’re always going to be competing in a healthy way.”
And don’t rule out a Pepi-Balogun tandem up top, or perhaps Balogun being deployed as a wider forward in a 3-4-3 with Pepi as the No. 9. If Christian Pulisic and/or Tim Weah are out – or Weah is eventually deployed as a fullback or wingback – the lack of quality vertical forward options could prompt such an experiment. I’d like to see it regardless.
THE RETURN OF RICHARDS
In addition to the No. 9, center back seemed like an area of concern entering this cycle. The return of Chris Richards provides a huge boost. Injuries have prevented the Alabama native from featuring for his country since January 2022, but the most complete, promising center back in the pool has finally returned to the fold. And if you’re worried about how a lack of minutes with Crystal Palace could affect his sharpness against Mexico, his performances when he did get Premier League starts – notably his very first one against Manchester United – should erase those doubts.
“He really brings a sense of calm into the group,” Callaghan said. “On the field, we’ve seen him develop tremendously. Calm on the ball, his ability to dictate play from the first phase of our buildup. He’s just really matured from a young player into a player that is really ready to take the next step and have a big impact for us.”
Richards hangs out with Fulham and USMNT left back Antonee Robinson in London, but the two haven’t actually spent much time together on the pitch as the left side of the American defense. “It’s been a while since we did last play together, but I really enjoy playing next to him. He’s really comfortable on the ball, solid defending, so if we’re rolled out I’m sure it’ll be a lovely experience,” Jedi said.
Miles Robinson joined the squad late (he played with Atlanta United on Saturday night), so Walker Zimmerman will probably get the nod as the right center back partner for Richards. But if they’re both fit, we should see a Richards-Robinson tandem soon. That would be the highest ceiling center back pairing the US has had in a very long time.
“It’s obviously great to have him back in the camp. We’ve played a few games together, so it’s just about understanding what we like to do on and off the ball, defensively, offensively. I think we’ve been able to get a good pairing [going],” Robinson said.
A MIDFIELD WITHOUT ADAMS
Mexico will be the type of “pressure test” a midfield without Tyler Adams needs. Adams has been the consensus most valuable player for this side because of his quality but also his position. However, with McKennie seemingly more comfortable in a deeper role now, Musah set to leave Valencia for a club that we assume will always deploy him centrally, and a healthy Reyna plus other emerging prospects at the 10, maybe we’re not as reliant on Adams as we thought. How well they can counter-press and keep Mexico contained in transition is worth monitoring.
“It’s definitely gonna be a big challenge like always against Mexico, and without Tyler, we have to – he does a great job normally – try to do what he does basically. Working hard, having that 6 that really covers everything,” Musah said. “It’s gonna be a challenge but I feel like we’re capable of doing that.”
Adams is irreplaceable, but the question is whether the US can compensate for his role defensively while maximizing Reyna’s ball retention and danger in the final third. A Musah-McKennie double pivot with Reyna as the No. 10 seems like the default option.
“Tyler is a big part of the team, he’s one of those players that you can always rely on. Obviously, any player that steps into that role, the team has complete trust in them,” McKennie said. “Everyone has something different to offer, so I think whoever steps into that role will do just fine. We don’t know who’s gonna be in that role, so if it is [Yunus and I], if it is someone else, we’ll be just fine,” McKennie said.
LINEUP PROJECTION (4-2-3-1): Turner; Dest, Zimmerman, Richards, Jedi; Musah, McKennie; Weah, Reyna, Pulisic; Balogun
PREDICTION: 3-1 United States.