Comment NEW YORK — After four years and 56 games, 88 player auditions, countless scouting missions and video sessions, two regional trophies and a tough qualifying campaign, Gregg Berhalter on Wednesday revealed his World Cup assignment for the USA. Most of the 26 players headed to Qatar for the quadrennial football festival are young and employed by European clubs and have been cornerstones of the revamped men’s program since Berhalter took over after the US failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. Most of the options have been certain for a long time and some were foreshadowed by recent calls. But there was one big surprise: Zack Steffen, Berhalter’s starting goaltender for much of his tenure, didn’t make the cut. “Zach has been there for me many times and to tell him he’s not going to be on the World Cup team was heartbreaking for him,” said Berhalter, who coached Steffen with MLS’ Columbus Crew in 2017- 18. “It’s more about who we have and the comfort level with the guys that are on the roster. We felt very comfortable with Matt [Turner] and Ethan [Horvath] and Sean [Johnson]. And this is the direction we decided to go.” Steffen, a former University of Maryland star now with Middlesbrough in England’s second division, started six of the 14 World Cup qualifiers but also missed several camps with illness and injury. He has been mostly fit this season, starting 16 of Middlesbrough’s 20 league games. Berhalter declined to elaborate on what factors contributed to the decision. Stephen considered competing with Turner, a back-up at Premier League club Arsenal, for the starting job in Qatar. With Stefan out, Turner looks almost certain to take over the starting role, although he is nursing a minor injury and has not played since October 20. “It’s easy to read [Steffen’s absence] and say Matt is probably number one in the World Cup,” Berhalter said. “I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.” For 30 years, the job of goalie was pretty straightforward, with stars like Tony Meola, Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tim Howard. Steffen was the natural successor to Howard, who starred at the 2014 World Cup. “Zach was an integral part of the group,” said defenseman DeAndre Yedlin, the only member of the roster with World Cup experience. “So obviously you’re sad to see him lose, but that’s the job and that’s the sport, so we’re moving on.” Other notable absences were midfielder Malik Tillman, winger Paul Arriola and forwards Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok. Graphic: A closer look at the USMNT The list was revealed hours before nine MLS players and coaching staff were scheduled to fly to Doha, where they will be reunited with 17 European-based siblings at the weekend. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams star in the team, which will open Group B on November 21 against Wales and later play England and Iran. Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah and Brenden Aaronson are in. So are Tim Weah, Walker Zimmerman, Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest. “It feels real now, for sure,” Adams said. There was some unexpected intrigue. Tim Ream, a 35-year-old centre-back from Premier League side Fulham, made the list despite not receiving a call-up since last autumn. “He’s playing in the best league in the world and he’s playing at a very high level,” Berhalter said. The decision is not “hard”. Luca de la Torre, who provides depth in central midfield, made the cut despite a leg injury that was set to sideline him until the first leg. McKennie and Dest are nursing injuries that were not deemed serious enough to warrant leaving the roster. With the European championships in action this weekend before the World Cup break, Berhalter is not out of the woods on the injury front. He has until Monday to formally submit the roster to FIFA, the sport’s world governing body. In addition, roster changes required due to injury are permitted 24 hours prior to kickoff. Since September: The US looks shaky. The World Cup is near. Can Greg Burhalter fix it? Jordan Morris beat out Arriola for depth on the flanks and Cristian Roldan got the Tillman nod. Always big on team chemistry, Berhalter referred to a few players as “stickies.” Zimmerman said, “We’ve developed a really strong brotherhood. We use this word a lot and don’t use it lightly. There are guys that definitely fit the bill and provide a lot of intangibles that people may not see every day, but are a big part of our success. Chemistry is definitely one of our strengths and that’s something we can control.” Unsettled for much of four years, the World Cup’s forward crew didn’t take solid shape until the last few months. Jesus Ferreira, 21, has been a regular in the squad and Josh Sargent, 22, has secured his place with a resurgence this season with Norwich City in England. Pepi also considered getting the call-up amid a strong campaign in Holland, and Pefok plays regularly for Bundesliga club Union Berlin. Berhalter, however, opted for Haji Wright, a Turkey-based forward in excellent form this fall. Pefok’s production has been falling of late. “If we had made the decision in mid-September,” said Berhalter, “[Pefok] it would probably be a lock.” The World Cup is coming up later this month. Will Qatar be ready? With an average age of 25.5, Team USA is expected to have one of the youngest — if not the youngest — rosters in the 32-team field. Five call-ups did not appear in any of the qualifiers: Horvath, Johnson, Wright and defensemen Cameron Carter-Vickers and Joe Scally. “This is a great opportunity for us,” Berhalter said. “It’s a great opportunity for new players, for old players, for everyone. I just hope that when we get there, we’ll be ready to take advantage of it because we really see that as a responsibility. It all starts now.” Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Arsenal). Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Tim Ream (Fulham), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach) , DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC). MidfieldersBrenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC), Tyler Adams (Leeds United), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders). . Front: Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reina (Borussia Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Lille), Hadji Wright (Andalusispor).
