Moving Forward with the USMNT

I'm not even going to talk about the embarrassing loss the USMNT just suffered to Belgium. Time to think about what is next. The upcoming cycle will be a big one, with the Nations League and Gold Cup, important youth competitions, a home Olympics, a possible Copa America, and actual World Cup qualifiers. Many of the 26 members of this World Cup will be nearing the dreaded age of 30, which is typically the start of a players decline. Many of the 26 members of this World Cup will still be valuable members of the next cycle. Both statements are true. The fact of the matter is I think it is important to create an identity for the National Team. No matter who is in the squad, we play a similar brand, with similar passion. Which is why I hope whoever is at the helm of the USMNT for the next four years finds it important to have roster continuity. I do not care if the "smaller competitions" should require less talent, I want my team to play together as much as possible. Now I am not naive enough to think that every friendly or every camp will have every single one of our top players available during their important club seasons, but I do want to see as much chemistry grow as possible. This starts in September, with the Nations League. Now the Nations League is a qualifier for the Gold Cup, but both competitions nowadays are seemingly "less important". While this might not be a major competition for the US, I do want it to have some value. I do not expect all of our "stars" to play in the Nations League, but I would like to see 5 to 6 of our more important players with experience to be there to bring that continuity and to grow the team as a whole. Below I am providing a list of the 50 players that I would consider to be apart of the next cycle if I were the manager. I am well aware this list is being made in the heat of the moment and so much can change in a matter of months, let alone four years. Surprise players will appear, players will lose form, we will win and lose dual-nats. But as for now these are the players that would personally be under consideration. Along with the 50 names, I am going to tier each player to where I think their importance stands right now to the big picture, as well as my 23 man (I do not know why Nations League is not 26) roster for the September camp. Please comment your thoughts and feelings about the USMNT and what you are looking for as we move forward as a soccer nation!


Current 50 Prospects

 (Name, Current Age, Current Club/Loan Club)
GK
1. Diego Kochen (20; Barcelona/Lyngby Boldklub)
2. Gaga Slonina (22; Chelsea)
3. Leonard Prescott (16; Bayern Munich)
4. Andrew Rick (20; Philadelphia Union)
5. Chris Brady (22; Chicago Fire)

CB
6. Chris Richards (26; Crystal Palace)
7. Noahkai Banks (19; FC Augsburg)
8. Auston Trusty (27; Celtic)
9. Neil Pierre (18; Philadelphia Union/Lyngby Boldklub)
10. Josh Wynder (21; Benfica)
11. George Campbell (25; West Bromwich Albion)
12. Jalen Neal (22; CF Montreal)
13. Mark McKenzie (27; Toulouse)
14. Matai Akinmboni (19; AFC Bournemouth)

RB
15. Alex Freeman (21; Villareal)
16. Joe Scally (23; Borussia Monchengladbach)

LB
17. Antonee Robinson (28; Fulham)
18. Peyton Miller (18; New England Revolution)
19. Luca Bombino (19; San Diego FC)
20. Max Arfsten (25; Colombus Crew)
21. John Tolkin (23; Holstein Kiel)

MID
22. Malik Tillman (24; Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
23. Weston McKennie (27; Juventus)
24. Tyler Adams (27; AFC Bournemouth)
25. Sebastian Berhalter (25; Vancouver Whitecaps)
26. Gio Reyna (23; Borussia Monchengladbach)
27. Tanner Tessman (24; Olympique Lyonnais)
28. Johnny Cardoso (24; Atletico Madrid)
29. Yunus Musah (23; AC Milan/Atalanta)
30. Gianluca Busio (24; Venezia)
31. Aidan Morris (24; Middlesbrough)
32. Jack McGlynn (23; Houston Dynamo)
33. Adri Mehmeti (17; NY Red Bulls)
34. Cavan Sullivan (16; Philadelphia Union)
35. Rokas Pukstas (21; Hajduk Split)
36. Benjamin Cremaschi (21; Parma Calcio)

WING
37. Christian Pulisic (27; AC Milan)
38. Sergino Dest (25; PSV)
39. Tim Weah (26; Olympique de Marseille)
40. Zavier Gozo (19; Real Salt Lake)
41. Diego Luna (22; Real Salt Lake)
42. Mathis Albert (17; Borussia Dortmund)
43. Cole Campbell (20; Borussia Dortmund/Elversburg)
44. Brenden Aaronson (25; Leeds United)

FWD
45. Folarin Balogun (25; AS Monaco)
46. Ricardo Pepi (23; PSV)
47. Patrick Agyemang (25; Derby County)
48. Haji Wright (28; Coventry City)
49. Julian Hall (18; NY Red Bulls)
50. Damion Downs (22; Southampton/Hamburger SV)

PLAYER TIER RANKINGS

LOCKED IN STARTER

CB: Chris Richards
RB: Alex Freeman
CM: Malik Tillman
CM: Weston McKennie
ST: Folarin Balogun

VALUABLE PIECE

CB: Noahkai Banks
LB: Antonee Robinson
CM: Tyler Adams
CM: Sebastian Berhalter
CM: Tanner Tessman
FWD: Christian Pulisic
FWD: Sergino Dest
ST: Ricardo Pepi

ROTATION PLAYER / PROVE YOUR WORTH 

CB: Auston Trusty
CB: Josh Wynder
RB: Joe Scally
LB: Max Arfsten
MID: Gio Reyna
CM: Johnny Cardoso
CM: Yunus Musah
CM: Aidan Morris
CM: Rokas Pukstas
FWD: Tim Weah
FWD: Diego Luna
ST: Patrick Agyemang
ST: Damion Downs

LIKELY PHASING OUT

CB: Mark McKenzie
FWD: Brenden Aaronson
ST: Haji Wright

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

GK: Chris Brady
CB: George Campbell
CB: Jalen Neal
LB: John Tolkin
CM: Gianluca Busio
MID: Jack McGlynn
CM: Benjamin Cremaschi

YOUTH MOVEMENT

GK: Diego Kochen
GK: Gaga Slonina
GK: Leonard Prescott
GK: Andrew Rick
CB: Neil Pierre
CB: Matai Akinmboni
LB: Peyton Miller
LB: Luca Bombino
CM: Adri Mehmeti
CM: Cavan Sullivan
FWD: Zavier Gozo
FWD: Mathis Albert
FWD: Cole Campbell
ST: Julian Hall

September Nations League Roster

Like I mentioned earlier, I won't pretend this is the most important camp ever, but I do think it can be an important one. I would like to see some of our important World Cup players, some players who absolutely need to prove that they belong in contention, as well as giving some of our young players their first experiences with the senior team.

Goalkeepers: Diego Kochen, Gaga Slonina
Defenders: Alex Freeman, Auston Trusty, Joe Scally, Luca Bombino, Neil Pierre, Noahkai Banks, Peyton Miller
Midfielders: Aidan Morris, Gio Reyna, Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Rokas Pukstas, Sebastian Berhalter, Tanner Tessman, Yunus Musah
Attackers: Cole Campbell, Damion Downs, Julian Hall, Mathis Albert, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah 

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