It Gets Real
One of the things that intrigues me most about the USMNT as we get ready to watch it play a pair of friendlies against two top 10 nations is that we have no clear notion what are our expectations should for this year's World Cup.
There's a certainly a ceiling on the performance level for the Americans, and it would be silly to suggest that ceiling puts them in a category populated by the likes of Spain, France, England, Portugal, etc.
But performance and results don't always line up, particularly in the World Cup and particularly when you've got home field advantage. The USMNT is definitely potentially more "South Korea 2002" than "France 1998", but if we're parsing some home cooking vibes for Morocco during the Qatar festivities of 2022, than maybe the USMNT can hope for a similar, last four-type of run.
What I mean by that is that the USMNT isn't suddenly going to become of the best teams in the world when the games begin in June. But what we should hope for is an increase in level that is a response to the moment, one that could (with a healthy does of luck) land push them deeper in to the tournament than the nation has been since the days of steamship travel.
Tomorrow's test against Belgium can only tell us so much. Don't get me started on how hard it is to hone in on the value of a friendly. No one who understands the exercise even a little bit take big things out of the scoreline.
There will, of course, be segments of the game and individual moments we'll load up with meaning as a way to better understand what's possible in the summer. And we can't help the emotional impact the scoreline Saturday (and next Tuesday against Portugal) will have on our moods.
I'd like the USMNT to win because winning is better than losing. More that that, I'm praying we avoid blowout(s).
My questions for Saturday night in Atlanta:
- Will there be any positional surprises?
There's long history in the USMNT of players with somewhat established positions (or area of the field) getting moved into different spots in an hour of American need. A few possibilities that come to mind for this camp include a run at centerback for Tanner Tessman (proposed by the Call It What You Want crew) based on his deputizing at that spot for Lyon in recent times. With Tim Ream slowing down and Pochettino turning to a back three as the USMNT's primary formation, it's also an area of need for the Americans.
Having a passer of Tessman's quality at centerback is intriguing, even if it's unclear to me how you replace his athleticism in a Tyler-less midfield in this camp.
- Does Weston bring his Juventus level to the national team?
There's no good argument for leaving Weston McKennie out of the starting lineup for the USMNT—the only argument is over where he should play. I agree with everyone who has already discussed Weston's role that putting him in an attacking role makes the most sense—over his career with the national team, I've always preferred him playing in-and-around the box. The more work Weston has to do in the middle third, the less effective he is and he can be sniffing out space on the attacking end. Pochettino has said as much about his view of Weston, so maybe there's no real mystery here. And as long as Gio Reyna is barely a part-timer with Gladbach and Malik Tillman is a hot-and-cold mystery, McKennie should be in the lineup as one of the front three.
- Can Matt Freese build more confidence that he's the guy in goal?
Because there are questions across the outfield portions of the team, the goalkeeper situation doesn't get as much attention as maybe it deserves; but the fact remains that the position isn't exactly one of strength for the USMNT two-and-half months from the World Cup. This isn't all that different from 2022, when Matt Turner's rise to the number one spot came with concerns about his abilities on the ball and a propensity for gaffs. Freese is an upgrade over Turner in the former, but it remains to be seen if he can avoid the latter with the pressure against top-level opposition. I don't think there will be a change in the goalkeeping hierarchy at this late date (despite former number one Turner lurking behind Freese) but I would like to see Freese a) make a few big saves because those moments will come at the World Cup and b) be clean on the ball in a way that benefits the buildup.
There's a new episode of The Best Soccer Show out that covers a lot of the above and a little more. Jonathan Tannenwald of The Philadelphia Inquirer joined me from his hotel room outside of Atlanta to talk about the roster, the lineup questions, and what we should expect to see against Belgium.
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The Best Soccer Show has a Patreon page where you can get bonus content from, become part of the Besties community on Slack, and see the occasional appearance of Jared DuBois.
Last night I posted a watchalong of Gio Reyna and Joe Scally's USMNT media availability. Those guys are very funny together.
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