US Men’s National Team is set!

The US Men’s National Soccer team made their announcement for the 26 men who will represent our nation in the 2022 World cup in Qatar.

 

Here are the men chosen to represent the US:

 

Our 2️⃣6️⃣.

Full Roster Details » https://t.co/bQXU2MBjVh#USMNT x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/8N5kVwjrIp

— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 9, 2022

 

In this article, we will just share the observations for the defense. In subsequent ones, we will go into detail on each position, especially midfielders and forwards. But let’s start with the most important role on the club: Goalkeeper!

 

Goalies

 

Player	Club/Country	CAPS	Hometown
Ethan Horvath	Luton Town/ENG	8	Highland Ranch, CO
Sean Johnson	(New York City FC/US)	10	Lilburn, GA
Matt Turner	(Arsenal/ENG;	20	Park Ridge, NJ

 

Most Likely starter? Matt Turner.

 

Left off? Zach Steffan. Leaving off Steffan is a huge gamble. Tony Meola and Eric Wynalda, both former USMNT players, made a great point on their show, Counter Attack on Sirius XM: It’s possible Stefan didn’t like the fact that Turner would be the #1. And does this team need a backup who thinks he should start? Horvath and Johnson are solid backups. But this team will ride with Matty!

 

GK Union represent 🧤 🇺🇸#USMNT x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/BZ1VJywPnQ

— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 9, 2022

 

 

Defenders

 

Player	Club/Country	CAPS/Goals	Hometown
Cameron Carter-Vickers	Celtic/SCO;	11/0	Southend-on-Sea, England
Sergiño Dest	AC Milan/ITA	19/2	Almere, Netherlands
Walker Zimmerman	Nashville SC/USA	33/3	Lawrenceville, GA
DeAndre Yedlin	Inter Miami/USA	75/0	Seattle, Wash
Joe Scally	Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER	3/0	Lake Grove, NY
Antonee Robinson	Fulham/ENG;	29/2	Liverpool, ENG
Tim Ream	Fulham/ENG;	46/1	St. Louis, MO
Aaron Long	New York Red Bulls/USA	29/3	Oak Hills, CA
Shaq Moore	Nashville SC/USA	15/1	Powder Springs, GA

 

This group will be a vital part to keeping teams from scoring. Hard to believe that Yedlin is the elder statesman. He’s only 29! They bring speed, youth but also some uneasiness. Can they be a unit in 11 days? That’s a big question mark. Gregg Berhalter, the men’s coach, made the decisions with his coaches over the past few weeks.

Starters?

Dest, Robinson, Zimmerman and Ream would be the best bet to start together.

Fullbacks

Robinson, Yedlin and Dest are true fullbacks. They will be asked to man the touch lines but also get involved in the offensive plays by their runs. 

 

Center Backs

Vickers, Zimmerman, Ream, Scally, Long and Moore are the center backs. Five of these are true right backs. Only one left back? Injuries had an impact on who made this team. Miles Robinson (Achilles) and Chris Richards (hamstring) would have been the natural locks, but they will watch from home.

 

Reactions

Here are some of the Social Media responses. Good luck listening to some that are over 56 minutes long!

 

USMNT World Cup roster reaction | Allocation Disorder https://t.co/uqVwENCVHF

— The Athletic Soccer (@TheAthleticSCCR) November 10, 2022

 

 

The Banter is Back…in World Cup Form! Brams & Geslin (and a special guest!) have instant reaction to the the USMNT squad heading to Qatar. Enjoy this quick mix of hot takes, cogent analysis, and placid optimism about what's possible in the tournament:https://t.co/joZPppGs0D

— Charlotte Soccer Show (@ForTheCrownBaby) November 10, 2022

Berhalter hopes he and his coaches have grabbed the best 26 men, as opposed to the 26 best men. He reiterated his goals today:

 

“It’s not time to change who we are,” Berhalter said. “We’re an aggressive team, a high-pressing team. We want to use the ball, and we’re gonna find out if we can be successful doing that.”

 

First Game

USA vs Wales, November 21, 2022 at 2:00 PM at the Ahmid Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar.

 

Next Article

Offense!