Berhalter Includes 13 MLS Players on World Cup Qualifying Roster
Omissions: Scally, Brooks, Busio, Dike and Pefok
USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter released his 28-player roster on Friday for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras. The biggest surprise for me is that Berhalter has included 13 MLS players from his January camp—the highest number of MLS players for any of his World Cup qualifying rosters—even though MLS isn’t in season yet.
Omissions include Joe Scally, John Brooks, Gianluca Busio, Daryl Dike and Jordan Pefok.
Here’s the roster:
GOALKEEPERS (4): Sean Johnson (New York City; 9/0), Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 26/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 13/0)
My Thoughts: If Steffen is the No. 1, does that mean he starts all three qualifiers if healthy? Or would Berhalter consider starting Turner in perhaps one of them? Seeing the 17-year-old Slonina included makes me think there’s a competition on now for the No. 3 spot with Slonina and Johnson. Remember, three keepers will be on the plane to Qatar.
Notable Omission: It’s not unexpected, but a lot has happened since Ethan Horvath saved that big penalty against Mexico in the Nations League final last June.
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DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 22/1), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 15/2), Brooks Lennon (Atlanta United; 1/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 8/0), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim/GER; 6/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 15/3), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 15/3), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR; 71/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville; 23/2)
My Thoughts: Dest and Antonee Robinson appear likely to start as the fullbacks in the first game, with Miles Robinson and Zimmerman in the central defense. But expect some rotation with three games this window.
Notable Omissions: Joe Scally and John Brooks. Scally had a bout of Covid, but he had returned to play in recent games for Gladbach. And we’ll see what Berhalter says in his press conference, but Brooks (who has been playing regularly for Wolfsburg) appears to have his future with the USMNT increasingly in doubt. Tim Ream is another omission.
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 45/2), Tyler Adams (Leipzig/GER; 22/1), Luca de la Torre (Heracles/NED; 4/0), Sebastian Lletget (New England Revolution; 33/8), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 28/8), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 11/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 30/0)
My Thoughts: The U.S. central midfield is solid if it’s MMA (Musah-McKennie-Adams). If even one of those players is missing, there’s a significant drop-off.
Notable Omissions: Gianluca Busio has only started one of the last three games for Venezia, but he has had a better-than-expected season there, and I thought he’d be part of this USMNT camp. (NOTE: Berhalter said in his press conference that Busio was on the roster but got a Covid positive and had to miss out.)
FORWARDS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Salzburg/AUT; 15/5), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 42/8), Jesús Ferreira (Dallas; 5/2), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 40/10), Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg/GER; 7/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 42/17), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 18/2), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew; 66/14)
My Thoughts: With Pulisic finally able to start USMNT games for the first time since September in Honduras, the starters would seem to be Pulisic, Pepi and Aaronson. But keep in mind that Arriola provides the best cover defensively for Dest, and Weah (who got healthy just in time) has had a good run of games for the USMNT. I’ll be curious to see how much Berhalter uses Morris, who makes his first camp appearance this cycle after coming back from an ACL injury.
Notable Omissions: Daryl Dike and Jordan Pefok. Both players are fit and could bring something to the table at center-forward. Berhalter must really like Ferreira.
What are your thoughts on the roster? You can put them in the comment section below.
Sam Vines?!!!?
Perhaps Dike and Pefok need to stay with new teams to cement spots? Brooks' inconsistency with reliability has long been known - he's used all his passes.