By AnnaGrace Hale | Sports Writer
The mass migration to Qatar has begun. With the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off in the Arab country on Nov. 20, pre-tournament preparation is wrapping up, and it’s almost time for it to begin. New jerseys have been revealed, club games have been put on pause and final 26-man rosters have been released.
The highly anticipated lineup for the United States Men’s National Team dropped Nov. 9 and features the youngest team in the tournament and the second youngest squad in USMNT history (25 years, 216 days). Defender DeAndre Yedlin is the only leftover player from the 2014 World Cup and the other 25 Americans journey into uncharted territory. The big question is if they are ready.
Back in April, I said they won’t be prepared come November. Now, I’ve changed my mind, but only slightly.
The USMNT is ready individually.
Recently, American players have put up great performances on the club level. Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams have been making history over in Leeds. Weston McKennie is striding alongside the Italians at Juventus. Christian Pulisic is braving the fire at Chelsea, and keeper Matt Turner has claimed some minutes between the Arsenal goal posts.
That being said, the true test will be how these talented athletes can come together as a unit.
The team just hasn’t had that much experience together, and unfortunately if something doesn’t click within the next week at training, the lack of chemistry will be the downfall of the U.S. squad in this World Cup.
This weakness was obvious after disappointing results in September against Japan and Saudi Arabia. It’s apparent that head coach Gregg Berhalter wasn’t happy with those outcomes, and he made some changes to the roster.
Some of the alterations on the newly released list were drastic, such as the omission of Manchester City keeper Zack Steffen. Steffen has historically been Berhalter’s go-to goalie, but after some poor performances and missed matches, the keeper is no longer at the top.
The other notable cut was forward Ricardo Pepi.
He put up some memorable performances in qualifying matches, but it seems like the 19-year-old striker still has some growing to do. This year he’s moved from the MLS to the Bundesliga and has taken some time to get used to the German speed of play. Now on loan to the Eredivisie club, FC Groningen, the El Paso native is still gaining experience. Berhalter said forwards like Josh Sargent were a better choice because of the physicality of the English league. I guess 2022 just isn’t Pepi’s time.
Despite these exclusions, the squad looks promising.
Hopefully Berhalter’s team can put something together as the world is watching. The U.S. soccer fans sure would appreciate it.
