Mauricio Pochettino’s bold squad assembly for this long international break could not have delivered much better results.
The Yanks won all four of their friendlies on home soil, toppling Peru and Chile while posting solid wins over North American rivals Mexico and Canada.
MORE — USMNT schedule: Results and upcoming fixtures
This is pretty good stuff for an experimental squad:
- vs Peru — Won 4-1 — Sept. 26 — Recap, highlights | Player ratings
- vs Chile — Won 4-2 — Sept. 29 — Recap, highlights
- vs Mexico — Won 3-0 — Oct. 3 — Recap, highlights | Player ratings
- vs Canada — Won 1-0 — Oct.6 — Recap, highlights
This was a terrific return to action after their Round of 16 exit from the World Cup, and a resounding response from the men called into a camp without notable names Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Timothy Weah.
And with those names and World Cup captain Tim Ream out of the picture, newly-permanent captain Tyler Adams was joined by Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, and Malik Tillman — amongst others — in shouldering the leadership load.
On top of that, the Yanks got multiple starring performances from teenage center forwards after Ricardo Pepi pulled out of camp with an injury and Folarin Balogun stayed back in Monaco.
It’s a new cycle and Pochettino’s going to get a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal tie with Haiti next month. Who’s going to make the cut?
Who will Mauricio Pochettino call up for USMNT matches with Haiti in the CONCACAF Nations League?
Obviously, players will have to be healthy and stay in form to be available — Haji Wright, for one, is unlikely to be ready — and there is a question as to how Pochettino and MLS clubs will view their players participation given the home leg against Haiti in Cincinnati is November 17 and the MLS Cup Playoffs can begin as early as a November 18 wild card match.
As it stands, several players from Pochettino’s September/October roster could see their clubs in those games, including Red Bulls stars Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti, Orlando City’s Justin Ellis, and Philadelphia’s Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, and Frankie Westfield (though the Union are flying right now).
Pochettino’s flexed plenty and has the power right now, but not calling in some of the big names for a second-straight window both starts a discussion no one needs and sacrifices an opportunity to see how Pulisic and friends respond to a September/October omission.
Goalkeeper will likely see Diego Kochen back in the fold as the lone European backstop in the pool. Matt Freese’s NYCFC could be in the wild card playoffs, so perhaps that could tilt the other spots to Brian Schwake (Nashville SC) and Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), whose teams will have relief on the playoff schedule. This is a bit easier if a couple of Freese, Andrew Thomas, Roman Celentano, or JT Marcinkowski were to miss the playoffs. There are only a few other American keeps in Europe: Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena) has been called up in recent windows, while Gaga Slonina is in the wilderness with Chelsea.
The list of no-brainers definitely includes Adams, Richards, Robinson, Tillman, Freeman, Giovanni Reyna, Sebastian Berhalter, and Balogun. Pulisic, McKennie, and Weah would be here any other window.
Presuming 23-25 call-ups including three goalkeepers, there are 20-22 spots for field players. Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, and Justin Ellis made big impressions at rewardable positions, and Hall would be cap-tied with an appearance in the Nations League.
Let’s not forget that Haiti present a threat with Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor and Wolves’ Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. At the World Cup, they played Scotland close in a 1-0 loss, were beaten 3-0 by Brazil and led Morocco twice before losing 4-2. They won three-of-four Nations League games this break, topping Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Dominican Republic before losing a return trip to Costa Rica.
Projected USMNT roster for November, v1: The ideal
Goalkeepers (3): Diego Kochen, Chris Brady, Brian Schwake
As stated above, so many other names could slide into these spots. Kochen playing abroad with no MLS Cup playoff concerns would seem nailed-on.
Defenders (8): Chris Richards, Auston Trusty, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, George Campbell, Max Arfsten, Mark McKenzie
Arfsten will be further settled at Middlesbrough and Pochettino can compare him with the three weeks he spent with younger prospects like Peyton Miller. Joe Scally could also be called into the mix, but we’re guessing Pochettino opts for a fourth traditional center back. Another look at Campbell and fresh eyes on Toulouse starter McKenzie could easily be swapped out for Miles Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, or Neil Pierre.
Midfielders (9): Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Sebastian Berhalter, Giovanni Reyna, Johnny Cardoso, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Tanner Tessmann, Brenden Aaronson
This one gets tougher by the window. We went with Europe-based players because it was so easy for that to break the tie with MLS playoff participants. Diego Luna could fit here if RSL are out of the playoffs.
Also, how did Pochettino rate Yunus Musah’s return to the team? Is Aidan Morris going to get a look? Were Weah, Aaronson, and or Tessman in doghouses or simply victims of numbers and/or well-known entities. when Pochettino opted for kids?
Forwards (5): Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Julian Hall, Cavan Sullivan
Ellis could easily stay in this group and Pochettino could also turn his eyes back to Liga MX star Zendejas or give another few matches to Dortmund playmaker Mathis Albert. Cole Campbell might be 100% fit and still starring for Elversberg afte having a limited camp these past few weeks. Maybe Zavier Gozo has a major breakthrough with Crystal Palace.
But we’re betting on the youth nods going to Cavan Sullivan and Hall. It would be very suprisingly if Hall doesn’t get cap-tied here as after wearing his mother’s surname on his first USMNT kit, as he is still eligible for Poland as someone appearing only in friendlies in still under the age of 21.
