The squad announced on Monday isn’t the official Copa America roster, but it does give us a very, very good idea of what that U.S. men’s national team group will look like in late June.
Gregg Berhalter named a 27-man squad ahead of picking a 26-man tournament team before the Copa; it doesn’t take a genius to see what’s going on here.
Largely, this will be the USMNT’s Copa America group and, generally, there are few surprises. The heavy-hitters are all here, save for the injured Sergino Dest. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson… all will be key players through the tournament in June and July.
There were some tough decisions, though. Berhalter had to make some difficult choices of who to bring and, just as importantly, who not to bring. Several players will be frustrated to be left out, while a few others will be eager to take their chance now that they’re in the squad.
GOAL takes a look at the biggest winners and losers of Monday’s roster announcement…
.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1)
WINNER: The strikers
For some time, the debate has centered around which strikers the USMNT would take to the Copa America. Would Berhalter go with two or three and which two or three would make the cut when all was said and done?
Well, the expansion of rosters to 26 took the drama out of that scenario a bit. As a result, all four striker options are in the squad, and each may have a chance to contribute this summer.
Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright are all in the team, answering the first part of that big striker question. Sargent’s inclusion is the most surprising, despite his success in recent months. The Norwich star is currently battling an ankle injury, but Berhalter believes he’ll be ready, so he’s in the team.
As a result of the number of options up top, Berhalter also says that Haji Wright will be seen primarily as a winger. He’s featured in the position plenty at Coventry City, where he scored 16 goals this season. With that in mind, Wright seems to be a perfect super-sub option that will give the U.S. tactical flexibility up top while letting Balogun, Pepi and Sargent battle it out for the starting gig.
Either way, it seems that all four will have their place in the team, giving Berhalter different options and styles to choose from this summer.
LOSER: Brandon Vazquez
It’s unfortunate for Vazquez, but he seems to be the fifth guy in a four-horse race.
The Monterrey star has already hit double figures this season for the Mexican club, but that wasn’t enough to get him into this pre-Copa America squad. He’ll be frustrated, but not all hope is lost ahead of a busy summer.
Berhalter said on Monday that Vazquez is one of several players being considered for a spot at the upcoming Olympics, where he could very well be the starting No. 9. He’d be competing with Duncan McGuire, but it’s safe to say he’d be much more likely to play a big role in Paris rather than in the Copa.
An Olympic spot wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize by any stretch, even if Vazquez will have been disappointed to miss out here.
WINNER: The Tillmans
Both Malik and Timothy Tillman have already played for the USMNT, but, in June, they’ll have the chance to do so together for the very first time.
Younger brother Malik is the more experienced of the two on the international level. He’s coming off a breakout season with PSV, one which earned him an Eredivise title for his resume and a permanent move to the Dutch giants.
Older brother Timothy seems like a potential odd-man-out when this squad does get trimmed down, but the LAFC midfielder will get the chance to earn a spot. And he may get to do so alongside his brother, which, from a personal perspective, has to be really, really cool.
The two are already the 10th set of brothers to both play for the USMNT and, if they feature together, they’d be the first since 1988 to take the field at the same time. That may or may not happen but, regardless, this will be a special camp for them.
LOSER: Auston Trusty
You can take it as a sign of how far the USMNT has come. A player who played 32 games in the Premier League wasn’t deemed one of the five best choices for this particular squad… what a thought that would have been a decade ago.
Trusty, of course, will feel hard done by that decision. Despite Sheffield United’s struggles this season, Trusty logged heavy minutes in the world’s most-watched league. He didn’t look out of place, either, as he did put in some solid shifts even as the ground collapsed around his club.
Unfortunately for him, someone had to be the odd man out. Chris Richards and Tim Ream felt like locks, while Mark McKenzie, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Miles Robinson were selected with the other three spots.
He could very well play this summer still though as an overage player at the Olympics or as an injury replacement.
WINNER: Tyler Adams
It’s been a rough year for Adams. Injury issues have kept him out for both club and country and, in the weeks since his CONCACAF Nations League golazo against Mexico, minor knocks prevented him from ending his first season at Bournemouth on a high.
He’s still fit enough to join the USMNT, though, which is great news for both him and the team as a whole.
When fit, Adams is an integral piece of this U.S. group. He’s a monster of a No. 6 and one heck of a leader, one that serves as the glue in the center of the midfield. It’s been a year and a half since we’ve seen the healthy version of Adams, though, and there’s a chance we won’t get to see it by the end of this summer, either.
Even so, Berhalter says Adams is fit and ready to train, even if he’ll need his minutes watched in the initial two friendlies. The key will be building him up for the Copa. The U.S. will need him before it’s all said and done.
The good news is that he’s relatively close and can now spend the next month building and building to be ready for the big moment.
.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1)
LOSER: Lennard Maloney
Like Trusty, Maloney will feel hard done given his club performances. Since making his USMNT debut last fall, the Heidenheim midfielder has proven himself in the Bundesliga, featuring 29 times for a team that finished eighth in the German league.
Unfortunately, Maloney too was left out simply due to the sheer volume of available options in his position.
You have the MMA midfield of Adams, Yunus Musah and McKennie, and that trio isn’t going anywhere. Gio Reyna is also now considered a midfielder, as is Malik Tillman. And, when you consider the performances of Johnny Cardoso and Luca de la Torre in La Liga, Maloney became the odd one out.
As with Trusty, there’s still a chance he can play a part this summer but, at the moment, Maloney is the victim of the USMNT’s midfield depth.
WINNER: Brenden Aaronson
When Aaronson was left off the initial squad for the Nations League, Berhalter said it was a hiccup, not a writing-off. Aaronson would be back when the time was right. At the time, it wasn’t.
Aaronson, of course, was ultimately called into the Nations League squad as an injury replacement. And, ahead of the Copa America, he’s back in the picture after turning his fortunes around a bit on the club level.
The midfielder has seen his performances improve with Union Berlin in recent weeks. Although the club won’t keep hold of him after his loan spell, his national team coach has been left impressed by his fight.
“Things aren’t always perfect,” Berhalter said, “and what we’re looking for when things aren’t perfect is the determination, the resiliency to keep going and keep battling. When you look at Brenden, in particular, I think the mindset that he showed throughout the course of this year has been outstanding. He worked his way to be a starting player. I don’t know if you saw, on the last day of the season, Union Berlin was able to survive and he played a big part in that. That goes a long way.
“We’re hoping that he can take this experience and continue to grow, continue to progress, but he’s been an important part of what we’ve been doing. We’re excited to have him in the group.”
