CONCACAF Nations League: Predicting the USMNT’s final 23-man roster
Never mind that it’s still February: The Summer of Soccer is coming into ever sharper focus for the U.S. men’s national team, which on Tuesday formally announced the marquee June Copa América tuneup match against five-time World Cup champions Brazil.
But before that high-profile exhibition and another pre-Copa friendly match against Colombia — before Copa captures the imagination of fans from coast to coast on the way to the July 14 finale in Miami — comes the CONCACAF Nations League finals, which kick off outside Dallas just three weeks from now.
The USMNT is looking to claim its third straight Nations League crown, with Jamaica standing between them and a possible date with blood rival Mexico inside a jam-packed Jerry World for the March 24 title bout.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter will name his roster for the Nations League about 10 days before then. Who figures to be on it based on their club play, their history with the USMNT program and the American squad’s current positional and tactical needs?
Our best educated guesses are below.
Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath, Drake Callender
Also in contention:Gaga Slonina, Zack Steffen
Turner might have lost his starting Premier League job with Nottingham Forest, but he’s still likely Berhalter’s first choice for now. (Turner was in goal for Forest’s FA Cup match on Wednesday, keeping Manchester United scoreless for the first 89 minutes of the 1-0 loss.)
Horvath is gaining on Turner following his mid-winter transfer from Forest to Cardiff City, where he’s now the No. 1 for the second-tier English side. It’s possible that Berhalter will summon presumed Olympic starter Slonina over Callender, who is off to a strong start to the season in MLS. But Slonina is more likely to be with the U.S. U-23 squad next month than serve as third string with the varsity. Meantime, Steffen had a nightmare return to the domestic league last weekend in Colorado’s 4-1 loss in Portland. While the veteran backstop wasn’t directly responsible for any of those goals, he probably needs a string of solid performances to climb back up Berhalter’s depth chart in net.
Fullbacks: Sergiño Dest, Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, Joe Scally, Kristoffer Lund
Also in contention:John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley, DeJuan Jones
Dest will be called in even though he’s suspended against the Reggae Boyz because of the inexplicable red card he took at Trinidad and Tobago in the Nations League quarters last November. Scally can man both right and left back, but he’s in line to start on the right versus Jamaica, just like he did for the suspended Dest in the 2023 Nations League final triumph over Canada last June. Jedi is entrenched on the opposite side, with fellow left-footer Lund his probable understudy.
Center backs: Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Miles Robinson
Also in contention:Auston Trusty, Walker Zimmerman
Richards has earned a starting job next month after playing 90 minutes in 13 straight Premier League matches, including the last three in a row in central defense for Crystal Palace. (Richards also scored his first Prem goal last weekend.) Ream was an unused substitute for Fulham’s big win over Man United, a result that could keep the 36-year-old on the bench for the Cottagers upcoming games. Carter-Vickers and Zimmerman both recently returned from injuries, while Robinson helped FC Cincinnati keep a clean sheet in his debut for the MLS Cup contender.
Midfielders: Weston McKennie*, Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Gio Reyna, Luca de la Torre, Malik Tillman
Also in contention: Lenny Maloney
McKennie’s availability is in doubt after he dislocated his shoulder playing for Juventus. Tyler Adams will almost certainly miss out; although the 2022 World Cup captain has rejoined full team training sessions with Bournemouth, he’s still several weeks away from returning to the field following hamstring issues that have sidelined him for almost a full year.
Fortunately for Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso remains en fuego in Spain’s La Liga, where he scored a beautiful goal (and set up another) in Real Betis’ last match.
[Related: Gregg Berhalter explains how breakout star Johnny Cardoso fits into the USMNT’s midfield]
Reyna is still barely playing even after joining Nottingham Forest on loan; he subbed on during second half stoppage time on Wednesday. That doesn’t necessarily mean Reyna won’t be in Berhalter’s lineup alongside incumbent Musah next month, especially if both Adams and McKennie are out. De la Torre, who’s having a career season with La Liga side Celta Vigo, and Tillman, who started PSV’s Champions League knockout stage opener last week, remain firmly in the mix.
Wingers: Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson, Kevin Paredes
Also in contention: Paxten Aaronson,Taylor Booth, Alex Zendejas
With Reyna and others also capable of playing out wide, it’s not impossible that Brenden Aaronson, who continues to endure a rough season in Germany despite scoring a game-winner for Union Berlin on Feb. 17, gets left out. It’s also possible that Parades, who would fill a major role at the Olympics if he’s released by Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, is instead dispatched to France for the U.S under-23’s March camp that includes a friendly against Les Bleus.
The Netherlands-based, Olympic age-eligible duo of Booth and Paxten Aaronson are both more likely to be with the U-23s (if their clubs release them, of course), while Zendejas will be a replacement candidate should one of the regular wingers get hurt.
Strikers: Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent
Also in contention: Brandon Vazquez, Jordan Pefok, Haji Wright
It’s hard to remember a time in the modern history of the national team when so many U.S. strikers were in top goal-scoring form. Depth at that position has always been an issue, so it’s a welcome problem to have for Berhalter. The coach will still find it difficult to choose just two.
So don’t be shocked if Berhalter finds a way to include three center forwards — especially since Pepi and Sargent both have experience on the wings if a formation tweak becomes necessary. Vazquez absolutely deserves an invite, too, following his blistering start in Liga MX. Unfortunately for him, the fierce competition for spots up top probably leaves him the odd man out once again.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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