For the USMNT, it was more of the same: a “bounce back” performance against Panama (2-0 win) and then a flat and poor game against Mexico (0-2 defeat). Worse yet, it was a Mexican side that could have been beaten by the team fielded by Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday, even with key players missing.
The USMNT looked lively against Panama, playing with purpose, stringing passes together with intent. True, Christian Pulisic was on the field, and Gianluca Busio and Yunus Musah were playing their best game in a US kit; it was the best performance in months for the team.
Then came a trip to Mexico, minus various players, and once again many underperformed and were run off the field. For Mauricio Pochettino, these should be his key takeaways from his first USMNT camp.
A Team vs. B Team
The USMNT clearly is a team with no depth, and Mauricio Pochettino will have to work hard to create it. When players like Weston McKennie, Sergiño Dest, Tim Weah, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, and Folarin Balogun are missing from the lineup, things come crashing down considerably.
The understudies continue to produce little for the national team, especially the likes of Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Malik Tillman, Josh Sargent, and Brenden Aaronson, who continue to get chance after chance with the national team but remain flat. Even with an ACL injury, Dest, for example, can rest easy knowing that Scally did little to challenge for his spot on the team.
In the search for players in MLS, US Soccer must make sure Pochettino is aware of ignored young talent in Europe.
One thing that stood out a lot from Pochettino’s press conference is that he wants to search in MLS for talents for the national team. The problem is that realistically only two or three players could get looks. There is a group of players, all very young, in Europe who really need a chance in favor of the old guard players who continue to fail to produce.
Pochettino has to find a way to take a look at Diego Kochen, Gabriel Slonina, Lennard Maloney, Paxten Aaronson, Kevin Paredes, Taylor Booth, and Rokas Pukštas. Some players may overlap, but none of these players have been given a major opportunity on the national team.
At the MLS level, the biggest name the program needs to see is Diego Luna, followed by Brian Gutiérrez, and on a lesser scale, John Tolkin, Roman Celentano, and James Sands.
For some odd reason, I can’t shake the notion that Benjamin Cremaschi will find his way to the national team, whether he deserves to be there or not.
Matt Turner It Is
Matt Turner is one lucky guy. Through two full head coaches and a few interim coaches, he always seems to be the number one for the USMNT. It was telling that in a camp that lasted a week, one goalkeeper was sent home, and Patrick Schulte wasn’t given a start. Turner and his lack of minutes seem to be ahead of everyone, which is worrying.
Positives from the Camp
Gianluca Busio is a player that the US cannot let slip by. He has a soccer brain, is a good passer of the ball, and when paired with good players around him, he has the talent to be more than just a physical presence or “hard worker.” The US needs more “soccer players” and fewer “hard workers.”
Marlon Fossey didn’t play this camp, but his stock is up as one of the few who truly grabbed the chance to play for the US.
Aidan Morris can be a solution for the team—not as a starter, but as a second option. Today, Morris showed he can beat out Luca De La Torre for a national team spot.