Weston McKennie, Josh Sargent, Sean Johnson, and others are going to the World Cup, and they're going to hear about it from the coach. There is a break between 1:45 and 1:45. On the day before the World Cup, there is a temptation to pick apart a coach's decision. In the lead up to the tournament, it is part of the process. It is a public relations exercise. As the tournament draws closer, there is an opportunity to build excitement. When the World Cup rosters were 23 players, that was the case now as the rosters have grown to 26. The reality is that anyone who was on the fringes of a roster like this wasn't going to factor into the tournament. If someone wants to argue for adding a fourth attacker or changing a seventh player, that's their prerogative, but any assertion that those changes will affect how a team performs is intellectually dishonest. It is worthwhile to try to understand why the decisions were made. The final roster shows how a coach sees his players. Berhalter, who coaches the United States men's national team, doesn't speak publicly about his preference for one player over another. The Gold Cup and the Nation's League have experimental rosters built with an eye towards the World Cup. In qualification, the stakes are real, but there's still mixing and matching going on. The World Cup rosters are not the same. It's a zero-sum game. We learned a lot from the U.S. roster release. There are three goalkeepers. In: Sean Johnson ( NYCFC). The person out is the one who is from Middlesbrough. For a long time, there was a feeling that the guy was Berhalter. When healthy, he was the preferred option for most of the cycle. It's difficult to say how much injuries might have played a part in his omission but it was surprising. Turner is the preferred No.1, Berhalter values Horvath's track record of being ready when called upon, and Johnson has been with the team for a long time. Berhalter explained why he left the two off the World Cup roster. Defenders are numbered nine. Reggie Cannon, Mark McKenzie, and Chris Richards are out. The only question is who Berhalter is going to start next to: Ream or Long. Since the team qualified, Long has played more minutes than any other U.S. player, while Ream has not. The way Berhalter spoke about Ream indicated that he was a top performer for his team. It's difficult to ignore that. He has been with us since the beginning. I think Tim is ready to play in the World Cup. Cannon's exclusion is noteworthy, even though it is not shocking. Cannon has been selected over Moore over the course of the last year. It's not easy to have a strong opinion about one or the other when neither of them are present. Injuries prevented Richards orMiles Robinson from being considered. Sam talked to Gio about his mental health and his injuries. There are sevenMidfielders. Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Kellyn Acosta, Luca de la Torre, and Roldan are in.
Out: Malik Tillman (Rangers)
Keeping in mind the 26 man roster size and the good health of the pool, both of them are not in a position to contribute on the field. He is going to be a locker room presence.
It's noteworthy that when he's been grouped with the forwards, he's been listed at the center of the field. He can play on the wing or central for the U.S. There is a chance that he could push into the starting XI because of his flexibility. He's going to be one of the first two players off the bench.
The USMNT can beat anyone in the World Cup, according to Christian.
The wingers have four.
Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna, Jordan Morris, Timothy Weah, and others are in.
Out: Paul Arriola (FC Dallas)
Arriola has appeared more for the US under Berhalter than any other player. "For one reason or another, we haven't always had our wingers fit and available," Berhalter said. As we get closer to the World Cup, every one of those players is fit and available, and it just made Paul out.
It was going to be either him or Morris for that fourth wing spot, and it should be seen as the No. 5 wing spot. It's like a miracle for the U.S. to have three healthy players for the World Cup. It's unusual depth and after months of pessimism about the team's attack, it's one reason to be hopeful.
Sam and Jesus took a break from discussing soccer to talk about the USMNT forward's love of animals.
Joshua Sargent, Haji Wright, and Jesus Ferreira are in the picture.
Out: Jordan Pefok.
The way Berhalter explained it, the coaching staff had two different player profiles to choose from.
The full explanation on Wright's inclusion is worth reading since he is the most surprising name on the entire roster. We thought Haji was in a great goal scoring form.
Both of them are strikers. Haji has pace, he can go one v. one and he is doing well in the Turkish league. Michy Batshuayi, the starter for Belgium, has five goals in the Turkish league and Haji, the starter for Belgium, has nine goals in the Turkish league.
It is an intriguing explanation. In calendar 2022, Wright scored 20 goals in the Turkish league, which is the most goals scored by an American in that time period. He has scored nine times this year.
After scoring five goals in eight appearances in the Dutch league, the impression was that he had rehabilitated his form and had a good chance to be included, but Berhalter said he went with Sargent primarily because he has shown he can be effective in a more physical league.
The starter will be a mystery. He is the worst of the three. He hasn't scored in seven appearances and hasn't gotten into dangerous positions.
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