USMNT depth chart: Top 15 at each position entering Gold Cup

The Gold Cup was expected to beryllium Mauricio Pochettino's past accidental to pressure-test his A team. Could his players find a mode to power games and commencement generating a higher quantity and prime of chances astatine the aforesaid time? Who are the first-choice midfielders? Is Timothy Weah truly amended connected the near due to the fact that of his, uh, ascendant eye?

These were each questions that we thought mightiness get answered this summertime -- until the roster for the tourney came out.

The team's 2 champion players, Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson, are taking the summertime off, arsenic is Pulisic's AC Milan teammate Yunus Musah. Weah and Juventus teammate Weston McKennie, on with Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna, are skipping the Gold Cup successful favour of FIFA's caller competition, the Club World Cup. AS Monaco's Folarin Balogun and PSV Eindhoven's Sergiño Dest conscionable dropped retired due to the fact that of injuries. And 3 of the starters from the shocking 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Panama successful the Nations League, Borussia Monchengladbach's Joe Scally, Lyon's Tanner Tessmann and Norwich City's Josh Sargent, were besides near disconnected the roster.

That's determination betwixt 5 and 9 imaginable starters who won't beryllium astatine the Gold Cup. Any questions astir this team's apical cogwheel volition beryllium near unanswered until the World Cup.

But we will larn thing astir the USMNT this summertime successful presumption of the benignant of extent it has.

To get a consciousness of wherever things stand, we're moving backmost the aforesaid workout from last summer, wherever I ranked the apical 15 players astatine each presumption successful the USMNT subordinate pool. The rankings are a operation of form, imaginable and Pochettino's revealed preferences from his past mates of rosters. The intent present isn't to find who the 14th-best halfway backmost is; successful fact, the quality betwixt the 14th-best halfway backmost and the 30th champion is astir apt mode smaller than the spread betwixt No. 14 and No. 1. Instead, the constituent is to get each of the names retired there, to spot wherever the squad has stockpiles of endowment and wherever it could truly payment from idiosyncratic making a leap.

Goalkeeper

1. Matt Turner, Crystal Palace
2. Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew
3. Zack Steffen, Colorado Rapids
4. Matthew Freese, New York City FC
5. Chris Brady, Chicago Fire FC
6. Diego Kochen, Barcelona
7. Ethan Horvath, Cardiff City
8. Roman Celentano, FC Cincinnati
9. Jonathan Klinsmann, Cesena
10. Gaga Slonina, Chelsea
11. Brad Stuver, Austin FC
12. Sean Johnson, Toronto FC
13. John Pulskamp, Sporting Kansas City
14. Joe Willis, Nashville SC

Last summer, this is what I wrote:

This utilized to beryllium a presumption of spot for the USMNT, and present it's astir apt the weakest spot successful the full subordinate pool. But I'm not definite that's arsenic atrocious arsenic it seems.

Obviously, a squad astatine the USMNT's level -- determination successful the 15th-30th best-in-the-world scope -- specifically benefits from having a large goalkeeper. These teams are not going to predominate their mode to trophies. If 1 of these sides is to marque a heavy tally successful a large tourney -- similar Morocco astatine the erstwhile World Cup -- they are going to request to triumph a mates matches successful which the absorption creates the bulk of the chances. In those matches, you request your keeper to travel up big.

I basal by astir of this, and maybe adjacent the "I'm not definite that's arsenic atrocious arsenic it seems" part.

Turner played zero Premier League minutes this play for Crystal Palace. He made 3 FA Cup starts and 1 Carabao Cup start. And past helium played 4 matches for the USMNT successful the Nations League. In different words, helium has played 360 minutes for Palace and 360 minutes for the USMNT since August.

That's not a lot, but implicit that constricted agelong of time, Turner was ... really beauteous good? In those 8 games, helium faced 32 shots connected goal. And per Stats Perform's post-shot expected goals model, the mean keeper would beryllium expected to concede 10.46. Turner gave up lone 7 goals.

Listen, would you alternatively that your starting keeper played much Premier League minutes than the feline penning this article, your mailman, oregon the idiosyncratic who styles Timothée Chalamet's mustache? Yes, you would. But if your starting keeper is going to play lone 800 minutes crossed an full season, you'd privation those minutes to look similar the ones Turner enactment up.

And nary of the MLS options are banging down the door. Schulte continues to beryllium solid, but there's nary 1 putting up the kinds of performances that Turner did erstwhile helium was successful the league. With Barcelona's rumored determination for Joan García, Kochen isn't going to beryllium getting immoderate playing clip determination successful the adjacent future. Slonina besides has stalled retired astatine Chelsea.

Until he's intelligibly and actively making the squad worse, Turner is going to start.

Right back

1. Sergiño Dest, PSV Eindhoven
2. Joe Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach
3. Alex Freeman, Orlando City SC
4. Nathan Harriel, Philadelphia Union
5. Marlon Fossey, Standard Liege
6. Shaq Moore, FC Dallas
7. Bryan Reynolds, Westerlo
8. DeAndre Yedlin, FC Cincinnati
9. Reggie Cannon, Colorado Rapids
10. Griffin Dorsey, Houston Dynamo FC
11. Brooks Lennon, Atlanta United FC
12. Jake Davis, Sporting Kansas City
13. Bode Hidalgo, Real Salt Lake
14. Kyle Duncan, New York Red Bulls
15. Keegan Rosenberry, Colorado Rapids

The extent present is simply a small amended than it looks -- some Musah and Weah tin besides play the position. But it inactive feels similar "Dest oregon Bust."

Musah got connected the shot a ton against Panama, but helium looked similar a midfielder playing fullback: cutting wrong and keeping possession. Scally, too, ne'er adds overmuch to the onslaught erstwhile he's retired there.

Dest, though, is simply a genuine game-breaker astatine the planetary level for his position. Almost everyone successful the United States' starting lineup plays overmuch amended erstwhile the squad has little of the shot and tin make accelerated transitions. If we region Gio Reyna from the equation, Dest is truly the lone subordinate who tin consistently make unsafe moments against much blimpish antiaircraft structures.

It would beryllium large if idiosyncratic other emerged successful this presumption who could besides beryllium a positive with the shot -- possibly Freeman shows that astatine the Gold Cup. But Dest is simply a Champions League-level attacking fullback, and astir countries don't person 2 of those. It's bully that he's backmost connected the roster, but his show this summertime wouldn't person truly mattered. Pochettino conscionable needs him to beryllium steadfast adjacent year.

play

1:34

Who should beryllium Chris Richards' CB spouse astatine the World Cup for USMNT?

Herculez Gomez and Ryan O'Hanlon question whether Tim Ream volition play alongside Chris Richards for the USMNT astatine the World Cup.

Center back

1. Chris Richards, Crystal Palace
2. Tim Ream, Charlotte FC
3. Mark McKenzie, Toulouse
4. Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati
5. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic
6. Auston Trusty, Celtic
7. Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC
8. George Campbell, CF Montréal
9. Tristan Blackmon, Vancouver Whitecaps
10. Jalen Neal, CF Montréal
11. Noahkai Banks, FC Augsburg
12. Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders FC
13. Justen Glad, Real Salt Lake
14. Aaron Long, LAFC
15. Matt Miazga, FC Cincinnati

Who should spouse with Richards? And volition Richards ever play astatine a precocious level for the USMNT? These look to beryllium the 2 defining questions astatine halfway back.

Ream volition beryllium 38 astatine the adjacent World Cup, and I'm incredibly skeptical that he'll beryllium bully capable to beryllium starting for a squad that wants to scope the quarterfinals, if not deeper. Ream is 1 of the champion American halfway backs ever, but astir each shot subordinate to ever play the athletics astatine a precocious level has not been susceptible of competing astatine a World Cup astatine that age.

I sometimes wonderment whether nationalist squad managers marque center-back selections incorrectly. This is the presumption wherever 2 players are astir reliant connected each other. A manager should privation to effort to springiness aggregate pairings aggregate games of reps with each other. But it's besides a presumption with the highest punishment-to-mistake ratio, truthful astir fledgling partnerships don't get a accidental to turn aft a subordinate makes an mistake that instantly leads to a goal.

Ream-Richards is the lone CB pairing to log immoderate accordant minutes frankincense far, but I truly deliberation Pochettino would bash good to springiness McKenzie and Robinson aggregate looks with Richards. Robinson astir apt has the higher ceiling, but McKenzie has played overmuch much consistently astatine a overmuch higher level.

Left back

1. Antonee Robinson, Fulham
2. Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew
3. DeJuan Jones, San Jose Earthquakes
4. John Tolkin, Holstein Kiel
5. Kristoffer Lund, Palermo
6. Caleb Wiley, Chelsea
7. George Bello, LASK Linz
8. Ryan Hollingshead, LAFC
9. Kevin O'Toole, New York City FC
10. John Nelson, LA Galaxy
11. Andrew Gutman, Chicago Fire
12. Sam Junqua, Real Salt Lake
13. Marco Farfan, FC Dallas
14. Anthony Markanich, Minnesota United FC
15. Jonathan Gomez, PAOK Salonika

It's the Summer of Arfsten, baby!

At least, helium was the lone near backmost connected the archetypal Gold Cup roster -- Tolkin was since added, truthful presumably he'll beryllium getting a ton of minutes implicit the adjacent month. We'll spot if either of them tin beryllium a reliable backup to Robinson and perchance descent up of Joe Scally connected the existent left-back extent chart.

But ultimately, it's the aforesaid communicative arsenic connected the close side. It's Robinson, and nary 1 other is close. Yes, it's a bummer helium won't play this summer, but he's arguably the champion subordinate successful the full pool, truthful if his taking disconnected this summertime increases the chances that he's caller travel the World Cup, past it's perfectly worthy it.

Robinson is 1 of the 4 oregon 5 astir diversion near backs successful the world. Per PFF FC data, lone 2 players successful the Premier League registered a higher maximum velocity than helium did this past season: Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga and Manchester City's Erling Haaland. And he's 1 of lone 2 players successful the league, on with Crystal Palace's Daniel Muñoz, who covered much than 16 kilometers portion sprinting (moving astatine a velocity of 25 kph oregon more).

Oh, and helium besides created 10 assists; lone 3 players successful the league had more.

Robinson genuinely mightiness person been the champion near backmost successful the Premier League past season. Were he, accidental 3 years younger, there's a bully accidental he'd beryllium playing for Liverpool oregon Manchester City adjacent season.

Defensive midfield

1. Tyler Adams, AFC Bournemouth
2. Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis
3. Tanner Tessmann, Lyon
4. Sean Zawadzki, Columbus Crew
5. Aidan Morris, Middlesbrough
6. Maxi Dietz, SpVgg Greuther Furth
7. Emeka Eneli, Real Salt Lake
8. Lennard Maloney, Heidenheim
9. James Sands, St. Pauli
10. Santiago Castaneda, Paderborn
11. Keaton Parks, New York City FC
12. Kellyn Acosta, Chicago Fire FC
13. Edwin Cerrillo, LA Galaxy
14. Wil Trapp, Minnesota United FC
15. Daniel Edelman, New York Red Bulls

There's immoderate truly bully extent here, astatine 1 of the premium positions successful satellite soccer.

Adams was ever-present successful a Bournemouth squad that truly should person finished higher successful the Premier League array than it did (ninth). Now, Bournemouth's attack successful possession benignant of discarded the thought of a midfield altogether; they played agelong balls from the backline up to the forwards and past asked their midfielders to cleanable up everything. There was nary measured buildup play done the center. But we cognize who Adams is astatine this point, and the important happening is that helium played -- astir 2,000 league minutes aft making lone 1 commencement the play before.

Cardoso consolidated himself aft a palmy half-season with Real Betis the play before. He's a reliable passer who won't instrumentality excessively galore risks, tin dribble retired of pressure, and volition triumph the shot a ton. That sounds similar the perfect Diego Simeone midfielder, right? Well, conjecture who is reportedly Atletico Madrid's top people this summer?

The absorbing happening present is that these 2 don't truly marque overmuch consciousness arsenic a pairing -- not against immoderate squad the USMNT plays astatine the Gold Cup. But I bash deliberation they'd marque a batch of consciousness arsenic a antiaircraft treble pivot against immoderate of the teams the USMNT volition beryllium underdogs against astatine the World Cup. Do you fto them play unneurotic successful games successful which that mightiness wounded your chances of winning truthful that they get immoderate clip unneurotic earlier adjacent summer?

Elsewhere, Tessman became a starter astatine Lyon, Zawadzki was connected the archetypal Gold Cup roster and Morris had a truly bully archetypal play with Middlesbrough. In Qatar, the U.S. couldn't play anyone different than Musah, McKennie and Adams, but midfield has since go the team's main presumption of strength.

Central midfield

1. Weston McKennie, Juventus
2. Yunus Musah, AC Milan
3. Malik Tillman, PSV Eindhoven
4. Jack McGlynn, Houston Dynamo
5. Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake
6. Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund
7. Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United
8. Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union
9. Luca de la Torre, San Diego FC
10. Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps
11. Paxten Aaronson, Eintracht Frankfurt
12. Gianluca Busio, Venezia
13. Brian Gutierrez, Chicago Fire FC
14. Richard Ledezma, PSV Eindhoven
15. Benjamin Cremaschi, Inter Miami CF

Some of these players volition beryllium utilized much often successful helping roles, but if U.S. Soccer listed a subordinate arsenic a midfielder connected the archetypal roster, I slotted him into this section. Pulisic, too, could play arsenic a midfielder, down the striker, astatine the World Cup. In different words: a batch of options here.

McKennie is 1 the team's reliable stalwarts. Musah's vocation feels arsenic if it has stalled astatine AC Milan, but he's besides 22 years aged and inactive starting fractional of the Serie A matches. He could easy person a bounce-back play earlier the World Cup. I support waiting for Tillman to person a breakout show for the USMNT, and with the B team-ish roster astir him, possibly this summertime is erstwhile helium gets his chance.

In MLS, McGlynn, Luna and Sullivan are each some (A) truly breathtaking prospects, and (B) legitimately bully players already. I'd expect the erstwhile 2 to play a batch this summer, and it wouldn't astonishment maine if Sullivan besides gets connected the tract a bunch, acknowledgment to the constricted helping options connected the roster.

Beyond those guys, it's Reyna and a clump of players who play a ton successful MLS oregon are starters for European clubs conscionable extracurricular of the apical tier. Like I said successful the past section, midfield extent is not going to beryllium a occupation adjacent summer.

Wingers

1. Christian Pulisic, AC Milan
2. Timothy Weah, Juventus
3. Alejandro Zendejas, Club America
4. Griffin Yow, Westerlo
5. Matko Miljevic, Huracán
6. Kevin Paredes, VfL Wolfsburg
7. Cade Cowell, Guadalajara
8. Indiana Vassilev, Philadelphia Union
9. Paul Arriola, Seattle Sounders FC
10. Cole Campbell, Borussia Dortmund
11. Alex Muyl, Nashville SC
12. Emmanuel Sabbi, Vancouver Whitecaps
13. Taylor Booth, FC Utrecht
14. Konrad De La Fuente, Lausanne Sports
15. Jared Stroud, D.C. United

The load-bearing, ball-carrying, chance-creating, goal-scoring winger is the astir important subordinate successful soccer's existent era. Think astir the 4 starring Ballon d'Or candidates for this season: Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé -- winger. Barcelona's Raphinha and Lamine Yamal -- wingers. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah -- winger.

PSG won the Champions League successful utterly ascendant manner mostly due to the fact that they person four of these players: Dembele, Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola. Real Madrid has Vinícius Júnior. Arsenal has Bukayo Saka. Bayern Munich has Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala. Having astatine slightest 1 of these players is array stakes astatine the highest level of the sport.

(Side note: Four of these players are French. Kylian Mbappé is besides French. Good luck adjacent summer, everyone else!)

The bully quality for the USMNT: The champion American subordinate ever plays this position. He's not connected the aforesaid level arsenic immoderate of the wingers I've named, but Pulisic is bully capable to play the relation for a squad that qualifies for the Champions League much often than not.

Weah isn't this benignant of player, but he's a perfectly susceptible secondary enactment other Pulisic. After that, though? It's not great.

Zendejas and Yow aren't truly the 3rd and 4th options. Neither 1 is connected the Gold Cup roster, truthful I'd expect immoderate of the much attacking-midfielder types listed successful the erstwhile conception (Tillman, Sullivan, Luna and Aaronson) to instrumentality up astir of the helping minutes this summer.

Apart from Sullivan, who has zero USMNT caps, nary of the different options comes adjacent to providing the aforesaid speedy, carnal menace that Pulisic and Weah do. Aaronson has each the carnal tools, too, but astir each his worth comes erstwhile the squad is retired of possession.

Thoughe I bash deliberation Pulisic sometimes devolves into playing hero-ball with the U.S. -- dropping heavy and trying to bash everything, alternatively than staying precocious and trusting his teammates to get him the shot successful much unsafe positions -- he's by acold the champion attacker connected the team. It's astir apt a bully happening that the squad volition get immoderate competitory reps without him connected the tract this summer, but if he's not astir adjacent summer? There's nary mode to lick that problem.

play

0:55

Could Agyemang go the USMNT's fig nine?

Herculez Gomez and Ryan O'Hanlon comparison the USMNT's striker options up of the World Cup.

Center forward

1. Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco
2. Ricardo Pepi, PSV Eindhoven
3. Patrick Agyemang, Charlotte FC
4. Haji Wright, Coventry City
5. Brian White, Vancouver Whitecaps
6. Damion Downs, FC Cologne
7. Josh Sargent, Norwich City
8. Brandon Vázquez, Austin FC
9. Jesús Ferreira, Seattle Sounders FC
10. Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders FC
11. Jordan Pefok, Stade de Reims
12. Daryl Dike, West Bromwich Albion
13. Jeremy Ebobisse, LAFC
14. Samuel Adeniran, LASK Linz
15. Nicholas Gioacchini, Asteras Tripolis

If we look astatine each the players successful Europe's Big Five leagues who person played 90-minute chunks of matches astatine slightest 25 times implicit the past 2 seasons, Balogun ranks 21st successful non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes.

He's averaging astir 0.5 expected goals (xG) per game, and his changeable representation is adjacent to perfect: astir thing from extracurricular the box, and truthful overmuch from wrong the extremity posts. There are nary wasted possessions:

Some players helium ranks up of successful per-90 xG implicit the past 2 seasons: Raphinha, Salah, Diogo Jota, Lautaro Martínez, Ollie Watkins and Vinicius Junior.

But what if we grow our hunt beyond the Big Five leagues -- to each of the leagues for which the website FBref has precocious data? And past what if we driblet the minutes threshold down to lone 10 90s?

If we bash each of that, there's 1 subordinate astatine the apical to mean 0.9 non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes implicit the past 2 seasons. That subordinate is Pepi.

Now, determination are each kinds of issues with these numbers. Balogun hasn't been a accordant starter implicit the past 2 seasons, and helium has been stuck successful a finishing slump. Pepi, meanwhile, astir ne'er starts portion playing for a squad that's importantly deeper than astir each of its opponents and plays successful a defensively anemic league.

But bash you retrieve the 2022 World Cup? When Gregg Berhalter had to rhythm done antithetic center-forward options each crippled -- and for the lone extremity scored by a striker to beryllium an accidental deflection disconnected of Wright's heel?

Even if Balogun and Pepi are some imperfect, they're some truthful overmuch much promising than immoderate of the options the USMNT has had successful a agelong time. Provided they're some steadfast adjacent summertime -- not a fixed since some are presently injured -- divvying the center-forward minutes betwixt the 2 of them should springiness the squad capable firepower successful that position.

And beyond those two, the options truly aren't each that bad. Agyemang and White person shown immoderate flashes to suggest they tin lend astatine this level. Wright is simply a bully subordinate successful the Championship and wholly serviceable arsenic depth. Sargent continues to beryllium the astir strangely polarizing USMNT subordinate I tin remember. And Downs conscionable had a truly bully twelvemonth for the champion squad successful Germany's 2nd division.

Strangely, I deliberation the team's attacking extent has shifted successful an inopportune way. There are present a clump of decent striker options, portion the helping extent has thinned. The occupation with that: lone 1 halfway guardant tin play astatine a time.