Baby Nats: Go Time

Eleven days from today, the U.S. Men's National Team ends an eight-year hiatus, opening their 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage play against Wales. Yesterday evening in front of a boisterous live crowd in Brooklyn, Gregg Berhalter and US Soccer unveiled the squad's 26-man roster. And today, you get a typically half-baked and self-centered G:TB view of the team and its prospects.

You can read or listen to a lot of well-informed takes on the squad's makeup online or via podcast. I get my straight soccer takes from Grant Wahl via his excellent Fùtbol with Grant Wahl podcast. He's the hardest working man in soccer journalism, and his newsletter is a bargain at $4/month if you're into footy. For what it's worth, I get my more colorful soccer viewpoints from Men in Blazers and The Week in the Tackle. And if you want a really well-executed six-part pod about the corruption surrounding this World Cup, I highly recommend the collaboration between MiB's Roger Bennett and Pod Save America's Tommy Vietor, entitled 'World Corrupt', available at fine purveyors of pod everywhere.

Those in the know say that Berhalter's selections included a handful of real surprises, highlighted by the decision to leave goalkeeper Zach Steffen off the roster entirely. Steffen started six of the 14 CONCACAF qualifying matches for the U.S., and was widely thought to be in a neck and neck competition with Matt Turner for the starting role in Qatar. The choice to leave both Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok off the squad raised some eyebrows as well - both struggled in qualifying but have played well in recent club matches for Groningen (Dutch first division) and Union Berlin (Bundesliga) respectively. 

Tim Ream is 10th in the EPL in blocks and
11th in interceptions

Turning to home (which in this case means our own selfish interests), another surprise made me big happy. Tim Ream hadn't been part of the U.S. setup since mid-2021, and was widely expected to be left off the World Cup roster, despite playing very well for Fulham this Premier League season. Not only did he make the team, but there's a decent chance he'll start as the left center back in Berhalter's 4-3-3 lineup. If so, it only makes sense to pair him with Fulham teammate and left back Jedi Robinson, which would mean that 22% of the U.S. eleven against Wales would be Cottagers. Gimme some of that.

It's also possible that 22% of that starting lineup could be from Leeds United in the form of Brendan Aaronson and Tyler Adams. The latter is a nailed-on lock to start - he's been one of the Premier League's most impressive holding midfielders this season, second in the league in tackles, and fourth in combined tackles and interceptions. Notably, Aaronson is listed on the USMNT roster as a midfielder, rather than as a forward/wing where he's been slotted in the past. I'm hoping this means Berhalter plans to play him in a central box to box role, where his otherworldly energy and willingness to press could cause havoc for opponents who want to possess the ball.

Fly, you beautiful Canary

Another G:TB beneficiary of a surprising call-up is our man Z. Josh Sargent has been playing extremely well as a striker for Norwich City, scoring eight goals and dishing out a pair of assists in 18 matches. His form and experience playing in the very physical Championship division earned the Canary a role in Qatar.

In other G:TB connection news, right back DeAndre Yedlin used to play for Marls' Newcastle, center back Aaron Long currently toils for Red Bull New York, right in Dave's back yard (and Aaronson and Turner are both from New Jersey), and backup keeper Ethan Horvath hails from Highlands Ranch, CO, not too far from the late, lamented TR.

Berhalter's got some interesting choices to make as the team prepares to take on Wales on November 21 at 2:00 ET (amazingly, all three of the USMNT's group stage games are at 2:00 ET, which is the best possible time for American viewers off all the options - what are the odds?). For me, our best player is Gio Reyna (who might be the first son of an American World Cup player to play in a Cup for the USMNT - someone should look that up). Reyna is extremely talented, and has been very fragile over the past few years at Dortmund. If he's healthy, he gives Berhalter all kinds of good problems in terms of choosing a side. Weston McKennie's health is a potential issue as well, and possibly the reason Aaronson's listed as a midfielder.

You might notice that I haven't spilled much ink on Christian Pulisic, and that's a measure of how much the rest of the team has grown. The Chelsea man remains the most accomplished American soccer player of all time, but he's not as indispensable to the project as he once was. He hasn't been great in England this year, struggling for time under managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. In fact, I'm hoping he gets a transfer somewhere he can play. His recent form may mean that expectations are lower for him, and that reduced pressure could be a good thing.

If it were up to me (and who's to say it's not?), here's how we line up against Wales, from front to back:

Sargent

Pulisic                                            Reyna

Aaronson        Musah

Adams

Robinson            Ream            Zimmerman            Dest

Turner

This dude terrifies me a little bit

The Welsh will be physical, fast, and big in spots. They'll have Michael Sheen's oratory ringing in their ears and coursing through their veins. Sargent's accustomed to playing physical battles, as are Aaronson, Adams, Robinson, and Ream. Musah's extremely good on the ball and creative, with him, Reyna, and Dest as a gifted trio on the right side, I'd hope for really enjoyable interchanges and chances created. Robinson can fly up the wing on the left, as well.

The U.S. roster is the second-youngest we've ever fielded. We have by some margin the most talented team we've ever taken to the World Cup, and despite its youth, the team has a great deal of international experience. Five of the players in that starting lineup have played in the UEFA Champions League, and McKennie and Tim Weah make two more. Notably, of that eleven, only Zimmerman plays in MLS, and other than him and Sargent, every player competes in one of Europe's top divisions.

Our group in difficult, but not impossible. According to FIFA's rankings (which are, like many things FIFA, a bit sketchy), we're ranked 16. In our group, Wales is 19, England is 5, and Iran is 20. Crapshoot, it would seem. If you assume form holds and we lose to England, it's vital that the U.S. get a result against Wales.

I hope Michael Sheen sprains a vocal cord.