Gregg Berhalter has made his first big tactical move of the World Cup – a reverse Landon.
Remember the shocking 2014 squad, when Jurgen Klinsmann picked Aron Jóhannsson but not Landon Donovan? For 2022, the US men’s head coach suppressed his preference for youthful dynamism by picking old-timer and apparent international has-been Tim Ream rather than a younger option.
While Klinsmann appeared to be a tactician inspired by the Beach Boys – his impulsive process based on picking up good vibrations – Berhalter is a more deliberate, cautious and cerebral character. So welcoming Ream in from the wilderness only 12 days before the Group B opener against Wales is about as bold as he gets. And this less than two months after telling reporters exactly why Ream was a bad fit for the system.
Given the overall youth of the roster, adding a veteran can’t hurt. Berhalter has repeatedly stressed that he’d be influenced by form as well as how players fit into his tactics. And stale displays against Japan and Saudi Arabia in September’s final warm-ups must also have weighed on his mind and motivated him to shake up the squad around the edges.
The other dramatic moves from Wednesday’s announcement were Berhalter dropping goalkeeper Zack Steffen and striker Ricardo Pepi, who had featured prominently in qualifying. Two highly contentious omissions, even if neither player was likely to start. And if the Americans struggle to score, taking only three strikers might look questionable.
Predicted starting line-up v Wales (4-3-3): Turner; Dest, Zimmerman, Long, Robinson; Adams, Musah, McKennie; Aaronson, Ferreira, Pulisic
Goalkeepers
• Matt Turner (Arsenal, 20 caps)
• Ethan Horvath (Luton Town, 8)
• Sean Johnson (New York City, 10)
It’s pretty clear that Turner is Berhalter’s first choice and has been for a few months, so we’re debating here about shuffling between reserves. But stranding Steffen was still a ruthless move that leaves the coach open to criticism.
Turner recently missed three games with a groin injury and was on the bench on Wednesday when Arsenal lost to Brighton in the Carabao Cup. His absence is a particular setback since he’s short of first-team action, having only played in the Europa League since joining Arsenal from the New England Revolution in the summer. Should Turner flop, expect the word “rusty” to be on the lips of critics as he’s played only six times all season.
Steffen, meanwhile – who was coached by Berhalter when they were at the Columbus Crew – has made 16 appearances for Middlesbrough on loan from Manchester City. That said, Turner went the full 90 against Japan and Saudi Arabia and looked solid while Steffen has been shaky in his recent US games. All the same, he’s slipped from being the number one early in World Cup qualifying to not making the top three. Addressing the issue in a curiously vague manner at the made-for-TV squad reveal event in Brooklyn, Berhalter said that Horvath is “competing at a good level at Luton in the Championship” – but that’s equally applicable to Steffen.
The 33-year-old Johnson is a known quantity: an all-round capable goalkeeper who made his senior international debut back in 2011, even if he’s only accrued ten caps to date.
Defenders
• Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic, 11 caps)
• Sergiño Dest (AC Milan, 19)
• Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls, 29)
• Shaq Moore (Nashville, 15)
• Tim Ream (Fulham, 46)
• Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 29)
• Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 3)
• DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami, 75)
• Walker Zimmerman (Nashville, 33)
Berhalter turned to the 35-year-old Fulham defender after the hamstrung Crystal Palace center back Chris Richards confirmed he won’t recover in time for the tournament.
Aging, sedate and unexceptional on set pieces, Ream doesn’t fit the Berhalter mold. He hasn’t played for the national team since September 2021. But his experience, passing and decent form for a mid-table English Premier League team – where he usefully plays alongside Robinson, the first-choice US left back – made him a prudent choice.
Given Ream’s lack of recent international caps and call-ups, Berhalter may still prefer that Long partners Zimmerman in the opener against Wales. If that goes south he could bring in Ream for the England game, where his experience and familiarity with the opponents should be handy.
Although Ream has 46 caps, Yedlin, the 29-year-old understudy to Dest at right back, is the only player on the roster with prior World Cup experience.
Sam Vines suffered a broken tibia last week, eliminating him from contention as reserve left back. Full backs Moore of Nashville and Borussia’s Scally were selected ahead of Boavista’s Reggie Cannon but aren’t likely to see any action in Qatar.
Midfielders
• Brenden Aaronson (Leeds, 24 caps)
• Kellyn Acosta (LAFC, 53)
• Tyler Adams (Leeds, 32)
• Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo, 12)
• Weston McKennie (Juventus, 37)
• Yunus Musah (Valencia, 19)
• Cristian Roldan (Seattle, 32)
The easiest outfield group for Berhalter, since he already knows his first-choice trio: Adams, Musah and McKennie. So the intrigue, such as it was, surrounded who he’d pick as back-up options. Acosta, fresh from winning MLS Cup with Los Angeles FC, was an obvious choice and is most likely to slot in if one of the above trio gets injured. Roldan is versatile, while De La Torre, a playmaker, suffered a leg muscle injury last month that clearly isn’t serious. Students of Berhalter’s often subtle hints about his plans (Greggologists?) might want to note that Aaronson was named in midfield for this roster though he’s previously been grouped in with the forwards. Berhalter didn’t draw his wild card, the exciting, if raw, 20-year-old Rangers attacking midfielder, Malik Tillman.
Forwards
• Jesús Ferreira (Dallas, 15 caps)
• Jordan Morris (Seattle, 49)
• Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, 52)
• Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund, 14)
• Josh Sargent (Norwich, 20)
• Tim Weah (Lille, 25)
• Haji Wright (Antalyaspor, 3)
Berhalter is blessed with an abundance of exciting options on the wings but saddled with a dearth of high-caliber choices at striker. He’s made a pragmatic choice by opting for Wright ahead of last year’s emergent hope, Pepi, who’s back in goalscoring form but with Groningen but similar to the likely starter, Ferreira (who last scored on 10 September). That’s to say, young, lively and busy off the ball, but inconsistent and not a conventional center forward.
Wright is a selection with plan B in mind. After September’s two discouraging friendlies, perhaps Berhalter’s accepted that the US will spend periods chasing games and struggling for possession so it’s smart to have the option of banging the ball to a target man, uncouth though it may be.
At 6ft 3in, Wright can be effective in the air, act as an outlet and hold the ball up. The 24-year-old has long been viewed as a promising prospect but didn’t make his senior debut until June. He scored a penalty against Morocco in a friendly that month. Berhalter cited his “great form” and Wright is indeed a prolific scorer for Antalyaspor in the Turkish league, with nine goals this season.
The experience and terrier-like tenacity of the 28-year-old Morris could make him useful off the bench, though Paul Arriola of FC Dallas offers many of the same scampering qualities but misses out. With eight goals this season for Norwich City - albeit in the second tier – Berhalter clearly views Sargent as a hot hand, while Jordan Pefok of the Bundesliga’s Union Berlin is overlooked. He started the campaign well but hasn’t found the net in 10 matches.
