Daniel Seco
Bruce Arena has called in 27 players to represent the United States in two critical World Cup qualifiers to be held over a grueling four day stretch beginning June 8. The Yanks will face Venezuela in an exhibition on June 3 (Sandy, Utah) prior to next Thursday’s must-win match against Trinidad and Tobago in Commerce City, Colo. Play shifts to Mexico City where El Tri will clash with the MNT on June 11 in the breathless altitude of Azteca. As of writing, an injured hamstring has claimed the availability of Eintracht Frankfurt defender Timmy Chandler – shaving the requisite roster cuts down to three if Arena doesn’t name a replacement.
The roster itself is replete with both veteran and European-based players after March’s qualifiers featured a heavier mix of MLS’s best and brightest. Among the most notable omissions: LA Galaxy midfielder Jermaine Jones, out with a sprained right knee only exacerbated by recent struggles when partnered alongside Michael Bradley.
“I think we have a good group,” said Arena, who famously overcame early losses in hexagonal play before reaching the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002. “I’m still in the early goings with this team and I haven’t seen all of our players, so this camp gives me the opportunity to see six new faces we haven’t had in with the team yet, which is valuable.”
Most significantly, the return of Hamburg forward Bobby Wood, Newcastle United defender DeAndre Yedlin, and Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Fabian Johnson offers Arena myriad options come time to fill out the lineup card.
U.S. Roster By Position
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (11): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Bobby Wood (Hamburg)
Here’s our breakdown by position:
GOALKEEPER
Fully recovered from November’s season-ending groin surgery, Tim Howard’s status as the Yanks’ top option in net appears secure in the short term.
“As of now, it’s Tim Howard,” Arena said after Monday’s training session at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. “It’s two good games, and we’ll have to see how these guys look over the next couple weeks. But we have good goalkeepers here, so that’s the least of my worries.”
Brad Guzan, who previously held the No. 1 job under Jürgen Klinsmann thanks to Howard’s yearlong sabbatical, returns to the MNT after spending the EPL season as a backup with newly relegated Middlesbrough. A veteran with 13 World Cup qualifier caps, Guzan will spend the summer with Atlanta United FC and become eligible for play once the MLS summer transfer window opens on July 10.
Looking to the future, Ethan Horvath represents one of several intriguing possibilities for Arena after a successful debut late in the season at Belgian top-flight side Club Brugge. The 21-year-old Colorado native turned heads in October 2016 with his clean sheet in the Yanks’ victory over Cuba, but needs more seasoning before being called upon for matches of greater importance.
D.C. United’s Bill Hamid, MLS’s 2014 Goalkeeper of the Year, may have been omitted from Arena’s current roster, but remains relevant thanks to his unrivaled shot-stopping ability even amidst lingering injury concerns. Having played in 11 of his club’s first 12 matches, Hamid, 26, is on pace to reach the 30-game plateau for only the second time in the seven full seasons of his MLS career.
DEFENSE
For a player that hasn’t been in camp since November, momentum is on the side of DeAndre Yedlin. The 23-year-old defender helped guide Newcastle back to the EPL by securing the English League Championship title as any lingering doubts about a mid-season injury subsided with Yedlin notching an assist in the club’s final match of the season. Expect Yedlin to play a vital role against Trinidad and Tobago with an opportunity to lock down a starting job going forward towards Russia as he continues to earn Arena’s trust.
The pairing of Geoff Cameron and the on-the-move John Brooks continues to serve as the MNT’s strongest duo in the back since 2002, or perhaps ever. Such a luxury affords any club, but especially the United States, peace of mind with aging and/or out-of-form goalkeepers manning the net. Absence of Timmy Chandler aside, Arena’s defense is a unit of strength for the Yanks with former Maryland Terrapins Omar Gonzalez and Graham Zusi as just a few of many options in front of Tim Howard.
The ever-advancing age of DaMarcus Beasley remains a topic of conversation in training camp, but count Arena among the newly minted 35-year-old’s staunchest supporters, and for good reason.
“I think he’s had a great career and the longevity speaks for itself,” said Arena. “He’s still been a good player in Major League Soccer, and that’s why we still have him on the roster. We haven’t found any players that can push DaMarcus out of the position he has right now with the National Team. He’s not only a good player, he’s a good teammate and he’s going to do whatever is necessary to make our team successful. It’s a real plus to have him, and it would be a fabulous accomplishment if he becomes the first U.S. player to appear in qualifiers for five different World Cups. Looking down the road, it would be incredible if he played in another World Cup. My hat is off to DaMarcus. He’s had a terrific career.”
MIDFIELD
The omission of Jermaine Jones in concert with a quick turnaround between matches affords Arena greater experimentation with his midfield.
Enter Darlington Nagbe, who may find himself filling Jones’ role paired with Michael Bradley or on the left wing with Christian Pulisic tucked inside as the playmaker. If Arena slots Nagbe alongside Bradley, look for the United States to build possession from back with the Portland Timbers star dropping deeper in field to receive the ball. Pulisic, fresh off a DFB-Pokal championship, continues to demonstrate significant maturation as an 18-year-old winger after wrapping his first full season with Borussia Dortmund. With Nagbe on the left wing, it will be harder to focus on Pulisic for the defense.
| #TBT to a year ago today when @DarlingtonNagbe scored his first international goal for the #USMNT vs. Ecuador. pic.twitter.com/uNTKckVhm8
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) May 25, 2017
Fabian Johnson’s return to the MNT roster marks his 2017 Yanks debut after a torn thigh muscle sidelined him during March’s qualifiers. The versatile 29-year-old resumed training six weeks after the injury and saw action in the final two matches of the season for Borussia Monchengladbach, where he recently signed a contract extension.
Rewarded for a strong start to the season with the Chicago Fire, Dax McCarty’s presence on the roster spelled the omission of former New York Red Bulls teammate Sascha Kljestan, who has struggled in 2017 while wearing the armband in the wake of McCarty’s departure. Expect Dax to be more fortuitous in seeing the pitch than Kljestan, a healthy scratch in two March qualifiers after finding the net twice back in September.
FORWARD
Courtesy of U.S. Soccer
A healthy Bobby Wood provides Arena with three legitimate options to fill two lineup spots at striker after a balky back kept him off the roster in March. Wood, formerly a starter for the Yanks alongside Jozy Altidore in November’s World Cup qualifiers, may serve as a substitute in favor of Clint Dempsey, who can match Landon Donovan’s national team record for goals with his next scoring effort. Regardless of role, Wood recognizes the value of receiving tutelage from a player of Dempsey’s ilk.
“You can learn a lot from an experienced player, that’s why he’s there,” said Wood. “I’ll just try to pick off whatever he’s got for me.”
Altidore, 27, started the MLS season with a barrage of goals for league-leading Toronto F.C, but has cooled off of late as the calendar turns to June. Meanwhile in Seattle, Dempsey’s provided mixed results for a struggling Sounders club with one-third of the season already completed. Both veterans, regardless of role, will figure heavily into Arena’s plan of attack especially considering the challenges of altitude and minimal rest between matches.
The United States has a tough but achievable path to qualifying for Russia given the strength of its current roster under the guidance of a coach familiar with rising to the occasion amidst adversity. Look for the Yanks to secure three points against the Soca Warriors before playing to a tie against Mexico in a low scoring affair. As always, we appreciate your thoughts below.
Daniel Seco is the publisher for The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at dan@yanksarecoming.com or @danieljseco on Twitter.