The dust has established a new international break for the national team of the United States Heren and it could not have been more disappointing than Losing Panama and Canada While only a goal scores. With the World Cup, the list of questions for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT grows, but most of them center around one thing. How good is the depth around this team?
Things may have been different with Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson in the team, but when the USMNT has entered the most major tournaments with at least one core player who is injured, not enough members of that 12-18 range on the Roster have shown that they can be suitable replacements. It is only enlarged when talented players such as Gio Reyna cannot get a playing time for their squadrons and hurt even more.
It is not all bad, because some players showed flashes during this camp, but part of the concern about what the ceiling of this team is, will be justified with opportunities for competing games that take. Subsequently, friendly competitions opposite Türkiye and Switzerland in June prior to the Gold Cup, but even then Pochettino may not have his full selection because of the Club World Cup in which Juventus and Borussia Dortmund will participate.
For all that, let’s look at who may have improved their status after this international break:
USMNT player reviews: Important pieces that do not do enough, because USA Soccer loses from Canada in Concacaf Nations League
Chuck Booth
Stock -Up: Diego Luna
With Gio Reyna who struggled for playing time, Diego Luna showed that he can bring a spark to midfield and that he is not afraid to try things in a central position. It would have been a good challenge to see him against Panama, but the real Salt Lake man made his chances with an assist against Canada and a few daring fits that other midfield members may not even try. Without wing backs, creativity had to come from somewhere and Luna could provide it. There is more room to grow and a pressure in midfield to break in, but there is no reason why Luna should not be on the Gold Cup selection as long as it is healthy enough to do it.
Stock Down: Weston McKennie
Used as a 10 against Panama and then deeper in midfield to face Canada, it was not a great window for McKennie. His defensive challenges were fine, but he didn’t do enough with the ball. Teams were more compact against the USMNT midfield than what he would normally encounter, but it is a bit of the knock-on effect that this team suffers if they are not at their best. So many things should go well for the USMNT to win in unfavorable circumstances and when he looks at McKennie, because his position can shake so much, depending on what a coach needs him to do, his poorer versions usually go next to those for the entire team. There is no quick solution for it, but with limited midfield options it is worrying.
Stock -Up: Chris Richards and Tim Ream for defense
Until further notice we know who the top combination for the USMNT is in defense. Although that sounds great, the fact is that it is a 37-year-old center back and a often damaged concern. But when the USMNT is at full strength, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Chris Richards and Sergino Dest must be the first choice for Matt Turner. Joe Scally did well, but he doesn’t bring enough in the future. Ream is so calm and collected in his movement that everything breaks when he is not on the field and although Richard’s mistakes can make mistakes, he is fast enough to make them right, while he also has a short memory where they do not stay during the rest of the game. This is something that is again a complaint of the depth that Pochettino has available to him, but as we get closer to the World Cup, he can only play his best players, including Richards and Ream.
Stock down: Christian Pulisic
This team will go as far as Christian Pulisic can bring him and during the Nations League that was not far. It was one of the worst international breaks for Pulisic in a USMNT shirt. He bounces back from this, but if you are the star of the national team, it is difficult to win without constantly performing at the highest level. The pressure is extremely high on Pulisian, but unless someone else can be a match winner when he has days, it will stay at this level, or only get higher as the world cup approaches.
Stock -Up: Patrick Agyemang
When Patrick Agyemang is on the ball, there is a feeling that since the Prime Jozy Altidore it has not been seen that the USMNT Nine will go through what is on his path to score a goal. Now with three goals in four caps for the USMNT, Agyemang is firmly in the busy forward pool. His finish against Canada was not even a great one, but if you get enough photos of good positions, goals usually follow. Now that Ricardo Pepi is already able to bring speed from the bank, AGYEMANG can give a different look for USMNT Forward to torture the defense in matches.