By Sanjay Sujanthakumar
The USMNT roster release for upcoming friendlies against Ecuador and Chile was slightly underwhelming, and to an extent that’s understandable. Although there will also be U23 and U20 camps this month, that’s inadequate to calm the play-your-kids chorus aggrieved by the absences of Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah. On a conference call with the media, Berhalter said this squad is “just one team being called in for one group of games,” suggesting we shouldn’t read too much into these selections.
But it does feel like we’ve rerouted towards prioritizing the Gold Cup.
In December on MLS Extra Time Radio, Berhalter said, “I wouldn’t bring back a team of all veterans that can win the Gold Cup. We need to be developing players for 2022.” After revealing his first roster with the whole pool to pick from, Berhalter said, “When we are done with this camp, it’s important that we have a good idea of our strongest group of players heading into the Gold Cup.” Even if the Confederations Cup is extinct, establishing a winning culture is definitely important. And that applies to the youth national teams as well.
Qualifying for the Olympics in the fall – following the failure of the past two cycles – is a priority for the program. And after back to back U20 World Cup quarterfinal appearances in 2015 and 2017, at full strength this 2019 side for Tab Ramos could contend for a historic championship.
Still, the latest senior team roster isn’t the best possible one without Sargent and Weah. Sure, Sargent wasn’t in the 18 for Werder Bremen last weekend and was an unused sub the week before, while Weah’s minutes for for Celtic have waned since the manager who brought him to Scotland on loan, Brendan Rodgers, left for Leicester City.
But both are unquestionably a broader part of the US future. Sargent and Weah were the subjects of a debate during the transition under Dave Sarachan about whether a player who isn’t playing for their club’s first team should be called up. Eventually Sargent made his Bundesliga debut – about six months after his first cap for the MNT – and Weah went on loan. Still, according to Berhalter, they’re not playing enough right now to warrant senior team inclusion.
Berhalter explained that “we have some younger guys that aren’t getting the game time that they would have expected and they’re still age-eligible for the Olympics, so we think it’s a great opportunity for them to play two international games with the Olympic team.” Berhalter said younger players like Jonathan Lewis and Corey Baird impressed in January in games and this month was a reward for doing exactly what they were asked. Berhalter made it clear he valued the January camp and to carry its “themes” into this one, “to have some consistency in the personnel made a lot of sense.”
In the context of continuity and cohesion from the January camp Berhalter cited, Sargent’s exclusion can also easily be interpreted as an advantage for MLSers compared to the contingent based abroad due to the calendar. In effect, it’s unfair to the players who jump into the deep end. Tyler Adams encouraged this in a recent interview with ESPN FC. “It makes me very optimistic about what other [American] players can do if they step outside their comfort zone. It’s about testing your boundaries. How willing is a player to make the next step?”
It’s almost as if Sargent and Weah – who were expected to not only be called up but compete for starting spots – are being held to a different standard for taking this risk.
There’s a few reasons omitting Sargent is particularly strange.
Firstly, considering comments on Sargent by Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt, Sargent’s trajectory for his club so far isn’t surprising. When Sargent scored on his debut in December, Kohfeldt was keeping the hype train at the station. “We all must be careful what we expect from him. If he makes five, six Bundesliga appearances until the summer, it is a good a year for him.” Sargent has already surpassed that mark, and while his progress seems slower compared to the rising stars on this MNT squad – Pulisic, McKennie, and Adams – they’re anomalies in how soon they broke in professionally (or in the case of Adams, adjusted) to the Bundesliga.
There’s a plan in place for Sargent, who turned down offers from Bayern Munich and Dortmund and signed with Bremen. Sargent is behind a few veterans for now, but Kohfeldt said, “We want to develop our own top forwards. We wouldn’t have to buy them then. If, next summer, Josh is the one, we’ve done a lot of things right.”
If Sargent is a regular by next season then Bremen likely won’t release him for Olympic qualifying (a problem the US faced with Pulisic), so his involvement with the U23s in this window is less logical for the purpose of building that team for the games that will matter. But above all, with no Jozy Altidore or the struggling Bobby Wood a part of this roster, Sargent is the best option at the 9 for the present as well as the future. At the very least, he’s earned the chance to prove that. The continued inclusion of lesser talents, such as Gyasi Zardes, who understands Berhalter’s system and expectations but is not a player who will push high-level opponents, compounds the frustration.
Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez return to provide “veteran leadership” for Berhalter, while the younger center backs who can push them out of the MNT picture will also be with the U23s or U20s.
Michael Bradley can be more than a mentor in the midfield, but his role will depend on where Berhalter deploys Pulisic, Adams, and McKennie. Berhalter said Pulisic will be one of his two 10s, and he said last month that McKennie is an 8 defensively and a 10 offensively. The versatile Adams could be a 6, a right back moving into the midfield, or even an 8. Berhalter needs to put Pulisic, Adams, and McKennie where he can maximize their strengths and influence on the match. A midfield triumvirate of Pulisic and McKennie advanced and Adams as the 6 sounds appetizing. Add John Brooks and these four will be the core Berhalter can work with for the first time under the challenging circumstances of a condensed international break.
Sanjay Sujanthakumar is a coach and journalist based in California. He is writing specially for The Yanks Are Coming. Follow him on Twitter @the_Real_Kumar.