The summer of 2021 has been a nice one for U.S. Men’s National Team fans, as they have seen the USMNT raise two trophies, both earned by defeating their bitter rival Mexico. The 3-2 CONCACAF Nations League win and the 1-0 CONCACAF Gold Cup win are still sweet victories that have given myself and other USMNT fans cherished memories this summer. However, it’s time to move forward - trophies are nice, as they show signs of improvement, but now it’s time to prove that things have truly changed since the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle. Last time around, the USMNT lost to Mexico, Costa Rica – twice - and Trinidad & Tobago. The end result was one of the most embarrassing moments in USMNT history: despite the overwhelming odds, they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The roster of that fateful final game against Trinidad & Tobago featured Tim Howard, Nick Rimando, DaMarcus Beasley, Clint Dempsey, and Benny Feilhaber, all of whom have since retired. The team also included the likes of Geoff Cameron, Chris Wondolowski, Ale Bedoya, Dax McCarty, Tim Ream, Graham Zusi, Brad Guzan, Michael Bradley, Matt Besler, and Omar Gonzalez, who are all now well into their 30s. If you counted, that is 15 players who are either approaching or have played their final USMNT cap. Some of these players haven’t even been in the USMNT conversation for well over two years – despite the fact that some of these players are absolute legends, this is a good thing. There are roughly 5 players from the 2018 World Cup cycle who are still in the USMNT group, which largely serve the role of elder statesman, providing leadership and experience for the young 2021 squad.
Now, after years of young U.S. stars making waves in the best clubs from around the world combined with a summer of meaningful USMNT games, it’s time to assemble the best squad available – veterans and youngsters alike. The USMNT begin their 2022 World Cup Qualifying run this week, facing El Salvador, Canada and Honduras the following week. These are all tough opponents in their own right. El Salvador have been steadily improving, as Head Coach Hugo Perez has called up U.S. dual-citizenship players like Alex Roldan, Eriq Zavaleta, and Joshua Perez. Canada is currently thriving, featuring stars like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, and Stephen Estaquio – Canada will be a handful for the USMNT. Finally, Honduras has a ton of hot talent as well, with Romell Quioto, Andy Najar, and Choco Lozano in the roster. These three opponents each have their own clear and obvious strengths, but have clear and obvious weaknesses as well. To be honest, I feel confident that we can come away with three wins and 9 points from these games. Though fans won’t be thrilled with 6 or 7 points, it’s hard to deny that this is a scary group of teams to start.
“The center-back pairings will surely need to rotate as well, but I would assume John Brooks will get the bulk of the minutes.”
For the USMNT, I expect that there will be some squad rotation, so I would expect to see a lot of players get meaningful minutes within the first three qualifying games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a different goalkeeper each match – I think Matt Turner could get the start against Canada, Zack Steffen against El Salvador, and Ethan Horvath against Honduras. When it comes to the defense, we will most likely see Sergino Dest, Miles Robinson, and George Bello get minutes at LB, and the same at RB with Dest and DeAndre Yedlin. The center-back pairings will surely need to rotate as well, but I would assume John Brooks will get the bulk of the minutes. Below are my predictions for the defensive lineup for the first three games:
Vs Canada: Turner - A. Robinson - Brooks - M. Robinson - Dest
Vs El Salvador: Steffen - Dest - M. Robinson - Zimmerman - Yedlin
Vs Honduras: Horvath - A. Robinson - Ream - McKenzie - Yedlin
“I think there are two that should and likely will get the start against Canada and El Salvador: Tyler Adams is our 6 forever… and Weston McKennie would be the 8 in front of him.“
The midfield is a bit easier to breakdown, considering the player that have been called in. I think there are two that should and likely will get the start against Canada and El Salvador: Tyler Adams is our 6 forever (forever? forever-ever?) and Weston McKennie would be the 8 in front of him. The third midfield and second 8 is still a topic for debate: Kellyn Acosta has shined and shown his versatility, Sebastian Lletget has been around the program for a while and is a leader within the group, and Cristian Roldan had a good Gold Cup showing. Below, are my predictions in the midfield:
Vs Canada: McKennie - Adams - Acosta
Vs El Salvador: McKennie - Adams - Lletget
Vs Honduras: Lletget - Acosta - Roldan
“Brenden Aaronson … has shined this season for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga.”
Finally, there are 8 attackers to sift through in this roster. There are the main staples in Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent, who Head Coach Greg Berhalter trusts. However, now the roster includes Gio Reyna, who has been tearing up the German Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund; Brenden Aaronson, who has shined this season for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga; and Konrad de la Fuente, who has broken into the Marseille first team in Ligue 1. Lest we forget, Jordan Pefok and Ricardo Pepi have been scoring in bunches for their club teams, too. With all that said, here are my predictions up top:
Vs Canada: Pulisic - Pefok - Reyna
Vs El Salvador: Pulisic - Sargent - Reyna
Vs Honduras: de la Fuente - Pepi - Aaronson
The USMNT and their fans are going to expect a lot from the players who have been selected to represent the nation over the next three games. The entire roster will need to earn their spot, show why they were called in and prove that they should be included in the next round of 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
How are you feeling about these upcoming matches? Let me know in the comments below!
