In a few short weeks Mauricio Pochettino will announce his roster ahead of World Cup camp and the send off friendlies against Senegal and Germany. It is no doubt an exciting time for USMNT fans as years of hype, hope, disappointment, joy, fear, and more of that but in a different order or to varying degrees leads to hosting the World Cup. By now the core roster has chosen itself but who will make fans jump out of their seats this summer? Let’s look at the roster and see who will bring excitement
to USMNT games when the World Cup kicks off.
Folarin Balogun – The USA has been waiting and waiting and waiting for a no. 9 to step up and start banging goals… for a long time. So long. Jozy Altidore was the last forward we could count on being up top game in and game out. Say what you will about him but he fought for the team and bled red, white, and blue. Before you get upset about Balo being the next Jozy, the current no. 9 scores a goal every .32 USMNT matches while the no. 3 all time leader in program history netted one every .36 appearances. Now you can get mad.
Do we remember the Balo hype train? The one where the Athletic said he resembled a player that could look like the next Harry Kane?
It’s probably worth saying… Balo isn’t Harry Kane. Kane has 33 goals, (1.30) per 90 and leads in scoring, while Balogun has 13 goals (0.54 per 90) which is a lower but solid rate. That said – HE COULD BE HARRY KANE IF HE SHOWS OUT IN FRONT OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SCREAMING AMERICANS THIS SUMMER.
Weston McKennie – There’s something uniquely American about Wes. He’s pretty great at a lot of things while not being extremely great at any one thing. He’s the Leatherman of the team and has the kind of Jermaine Jones profile that is truly endearing to fans. The midfielder/striker/defender/winger/probably emergency goalkeeper is as likely to score a banger as he is get in a dirty foul that changes a game. He has an engine that won’t quit and can make any play when its least expected. Every time he’s on the field it’s exciting to think of what he is capable of and it’ll be fascinating to see how he puts it all together this summer. Thinking about how the USA stacks up to other teams, Wes is possibly the one American player who would find a spot on every nation’s roster in the World Cup.
Tyler Adams – His game against England in 2022 got him the nickname N’golo Yankee and he’s lived up to that in the four years since. Adams is an astute defender, great passer, and has amazing positional awareness. It will be interesting to see who he lines up next to and how Poch decides to use him in key matchups. He can shutdown an opponent’s midfield engines as he did with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham – 1v2: advantage Adams. Where’s Tyler Adams? He’s everywhere, even if he isn’t flashy he makes huge plays and will be worth paying attention to every second he’s on the pitch.
Chris Richards – The Crystal Palace center back is a boring pick because he plays defense and defenders are boring – scoring goals is exciting and this is boring. And that’s perfect. Richards should make things boring for the American backline with breaking up plays, keeping the defense organized, communicating with whoever is starting at keeper, and being tall on set pieces. He’s so exciting that he’s boring and the team needs him to keep things calm to be successful in the tournament.
Christian Pulisic – Is ending the season in Italy quietly and that might be concerning – except that CP10 has had his best games wearing red, white, and blue. Quite simply, he lives up to the nickname Captain America and shows out when the country is behind him. It’s weird to say it because at this point Pulisic has been on the senior team for a decade but this tournament will say a lot about what his legacy will be for the national team. The greatest players for the USMNT have come through in big moments in the World Cup. Pulisic was good in Qatar but will need to be great this year. It has been over a decade since the USA beat a top European team and that will have to happen if the team is going to make a successful run in the World Cup. It will be exciting to see what he does to make that happen.
Honorable Mention – The wingbacks. Jedi Robinson is – and this isn’t an exaggeration – one of the best left backs in the tournament. Sergino Dest is one of the most exciting wingbacks the USA has ever had and Alex Freeman is getting justifiably hyped going into the World Cup. Everyone loves an out of position attacker playing a more defensive role and Tim Weah fits that bill. Ultimately, it’s a pretty easy job – run up and down the flank, try to send in a cross or work a cutback, do a little soccer tricky thing, track back like a train with no brakes. How hard could it be? Pretty easy and that means maybe there will be a surprise name that pops up here since, as Jurgen Klinsmann once famously said, “We always have left backs; anybody can play left back.” Here’s lookin at you Gio Reyna.
There are 20+ other players that could make this list, who are you excited to see when the USA kicks off next month?
