The US Men’s National Team will head into the October friendlies trying to build on the recent win against Japan. Ecuador and Australia are teams that the USA should beat, especially at home, and along
the way Mauricio Pochettino can gain insight into where his squad stands. Arguably, the USMNT does not have a first choice team, at the very least it does not have a starting XI that picks itself. That said, there are players who are likely nailed while there is also competition for spots on the roster.
As far as players who can be counted on to appear first on the team sheet, the list is somewhat short. Christian Pulisic (LW), Tyler Adams (CDM), Jedi Robinson (LB), Chris Richards (CB), and Tim Ream (CB) seem like sure bets. Elsewhere the depth chart sees competition for starting roles in spots that are up for grabs.
Striker has been a position of need for… many calendars have changed over since striker was settled. Folarin Balogun scored against Japan and Patrick Agyemang seems to have what Mauricio Pochettino is looking for at no. 9. Elsewhere, Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, and Ricardo Pepi.
Attacking midfield is also a spot that the USA has cycled players through looking for the right skillset to fill the spot. Gio Reyna has been long thought to be the next player to claim that role, but his career has stalled and he’s been on the outside looking in on the national team in recent years. Malik Tillman has taken steps forward in his career and has been a frequent option for the national team, at this point it may very well be that CAM is his job to lose. Diego Luna has an edge to his game that Poch likes and has started in the role before, his game is still developing so would need to step up and make the job his.
On right wing there is competition for Poch to choose from. Tim Weah and Alex Zendejas are the front runners with the latter growing into one of the best players in LigaMX. Brenden Aaronson could find himself in the mix, but seems to have fallen out of favor with the national team manager.
The two central midfield slots seems like they belong to Weston McKinnie and Yunis Musah. However, the pair have not been available for recent national team rosters and may be displaced by Tanner Tessmann who has taken a step forward as a key player for Lyon this season and the veteran presence of Christian Roldan.
Sergino Dest and Joe Scally are not in camp, while Dest is injured he’s also less than reliable defensively. With goals hard to come by for the USA, Poch may look at other options for a first choice roster. That may leave 21 year-old Alex Freeman the top choice for the role when the World Cup rolls around.
Goalkeeper – It needs to be sorted out.
There is plenty of time before the World Cup, but very few games between now and then. Friendlies will continue to give Poch time to narrow down his roster and determine a first XI for the team. Finding the right fit for the roles up for grabs will be the difference between meeting, exceeding, or falling short of expectations next summer.
