The list included a few surprises, most notably the omission of goalkeeper Zack Steffen and the introduction of striker Haji Wright and centre-back Tim Ream. Much of the roster was as expected. Stars Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna were never in doubt. Neither were expected players like Yunus Musah, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Turner and Tim Weah. There were some key position battles, however, and calls that came down to the final weeks and days of selection.
Key inclusions and omissions
Among the notable decisions were Berhalter bringing in Nashville SC right back Shaq Moore over Boavista’s Reggie Cannon, Seattle Sounders winger Jordan Morris over FC Dallas veteran Paul Arriola and Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldán over of Rangers youngster Malik Tillman. No decision, however, was as surprising as the exclusion of Steffen, the Manchester City goalkeeper who entered World Cup qualifying as the USMNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper. Injuries limited Steffen during qualifying and allowed Turner to earn the top spot on the depth chart. However, it was widely expected that Steffen would make the team as a backup. The last few months, however, have hinted at a change. Steffen pulled out of the June camp for family reasons and then left Manchester City on loan to move to Middlesbrough where he would get more games. He was left out of the U.S. roster for September’s friendlies as well, despite being healthy enough to start Boro’s final game before the FIFA window opens. Berhalter opted not to bring Steffen to Qatar, instead calling up Luton Town’s Ethan Horvath and NYCFC’s Sean Johnson. Before Wednesday’s roster announcement, much of the attention focused on two position groups: center back and forward. Berhalter delivered surprising inclusions at both spots. Ream, 35, had not been called up by the US since last October. He withdrew from that qualifying camp for family reasons and has not returned to the US since. With Chris Richards out through injury, however, Berhalter opted to bring in the veteran defender over other options such as Genk’s Mark McKenzie or Troyes’ Eric Palmer-Brown. Going forward, it was thought to be a battle between Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok for two of the final three spots. Berhalter brought in Sargent but opted to leave both Pepy and Pefok at home and instead called on Wright, who has scored four goals in his last four games and has nine on the season in the Turkish Super League with Antalyaspor. Wright returned to the U.S. team during the June window, his first call-up since 2019, after good form that had seen him score 25 goals over the past two seasons. Wright scored a penalty in his first game for the USA against Morocco in June, but Berhalter also criticized the 24-year-old’s performance after replacing him at half-time of a Nations League game against El Salvador later in the window. Pefok has had a hot start to the Bundesliga season with Union Berlin but has not scored since September 18. Pepi, meanwhile, has five goals and two assists in nine games since joining Groningen on loan this summer, but it hasn’t been enough to make the World Cup roster. Sargent has eight goals and two assists this season for Norwich in the English league. Jesus Ferreira made the squad despite failing to score in his last seven games of the MLS season and not having played a game since FC Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs on October 23. The USA will open the World Cup on November 21 against Wales. They face England on Black Friday, November 25, and close the group stage on November 29 with Iran. It is worth noting that this roster becomes official on November 14, when the final teams are submitted to FIFA. Players will continue to play in games for their clubs this week and there is time for injury replacements if needed.
Launch Preview XI
Based on the qualifiers and the line-up we saw in the last six games in June and September, there’s a pretty clear idea of what Burhalter will think about his first-choice line-up against Wales. That said, Berhalter has provided enough surprises in his full roster to leave us a little unsure about two key areas: center back and up front. Here is our predicted line-up against Wales:
Formation: 4-3-3 Goalkeeper: Matt Turner Defensive backs (left to right): Antonee Robinson, Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman, Sergiño Dest Central Midfield: Tyler Adams, Weston McKenney, Yunus Moussa Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Jesus Ferreira, Tim Weah
A place to watch
It has to be No. 9. The US couldn’t find a forward they could rely on for consistent production, and Berhalter’s surprise inclusion of Wright adds another wrinkle to the mix. Ferreira, as previously reported, has not scored in his last seven games for FC Dallas and has not played since his team was eliminated from the MLS playoffs on October 23. Sargent, meanwhile, has eight goals this season for Norwich in the English Championship but was injured at the end of October and missed two games and has not scored since October 15. Wright, meanwhile, enters the tournament as the team’s hottest scorer. He has four goals in his last four games in the Turkish Süper Liga and has nine so far this season. How Berhalter chooses to use those three options remains to be seen, but there is no obvious pick or lock option.
Expectations for the group stage
The young stars at the core of this team have created excitement around this team, but it’s important to remember just how young this USA team is. The USA team that qualified from CONCACAF had an average age of 24.07. Its original figure was even younger: 23.82. The average age of this full squad when they take the field against Wales will be slightly older (as would be expected, especially with the inclusion of Ream) at 25 years, 175 days. However, there is only one player in the squad with any World Cup experience: Yedlin. The 2022 team also tied the 1990 USA team for the most under-23 players on a USMNT World Cup roster with nine: Adams (23); Aaronson, Dest, Josh Sargent and Weah (22); Jesus Ferreira (21); Musah, Reyna and Joe Scally (19). The history of the World Cup shows that there is a ceiling for young teams. Only one country in the last five editions of the tournament has reached a semi-final with an average squad age of less than 25.9 years: Germany in 2010. That team reached the semi-finals in South Africa and then brought back many of the same players for four years later and won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. There will be a learning curve, but that doesn’t mean the floor shouldn’t be set to a certain level. For most, this means leaving the group. “I don’t care how old they are, I don’t care,” U.S. men’s national team legend DaMarcus Beasley said in an interview on “From Couva to Qatar: Remaking the USMNT,” a narrative podcast for The Athletic. “I have expectations that they will do well. I think they will. I 100% believe they will leave the team. I think they will silence a lot of critics.” The four countries in Group B (USA, Wales, England, Iran) are ranked 15th on average, the highest of any group in Qatar.
Full USMNT World Cup Roster
USMNT World Cup 2022 Team PositionPlayerClubAgeCaps GK Matt Turner Arsenal 28 20 GK Ethan Horvath Luton Town 27 8 GK Sean Johnson NYCFC 33 10 DEF Antonee Robinson Fulham 25 29 DEF Joe Scully Borussia M’gladbach 19 3 DEF Sergiño Dest Milan 22 19 DEF Zach Moore Nashville SC 26 15 DEF DeAndre Yedlin Inter Miami 29 75 DEF Cameron Carter-Vickers Celtic 24 11 DEF Aaron Long NY Red Bulls 30 29 DEF Tim Reem Fulham 35 46 DEF Walker Zimmerman Nashville SC 29 33 INSIDE Kelly’s Acosta LAFC 27 53 INSIDE Tyler Adams Leeds United 23 32 INSIDE Luca de la Torre Celtic Vigo 24 12 INSIDE Weston McKenney Juventus 24 37 INSIDE Yunus Moussa Valencia 19 19 INSIDE Christian Roldan Seattle Sounders 27 32 INSIDE Brendan Aaronson Leeds United 22 24 FWD Jordan Morris Seattle Sounders 28 49 FWD Christian Pulisic Chelsea 24 52 FWD Gio Reyna Dortmund 19 14 FWD Tim Weah Lil 22 25 FWD Jesus Ferreira FC Dallas 21 15 FWD Josh Sargent Norwich City 22 20 FWD Hadji Wright Antalyaspor 24 3
Required reading
(Photo: Orlando Ramirez/USA Today)
title: “Usmnt 2022 World Cup Roster Goalie Zack Steffen Out Forward Haji Wright Goes To Qatar " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-06” author: “Edna Colon”
The list included a few surprises, most notably the omission of goalkeeper Zack Steffen and the introduction of striker Haji Wright and centre-back Tim Ream. Much of the roster was as expected. Stars Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna were never in doubt. Neither were expected players like Yunus Musah, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Turner and Tim Weah. There were some key position battles, however, and calls that came down to the final weeks and days of selection.
Key inclusions and omissions
Among the notable decisions were Berhalter bringing in Nashville SC right back Shaq Moore over Boavista’s Reggie Cannon, Seattle Sounders winger Jordan Morris over FC Dallas veteran Paul Arriola and Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldán over of Rangers youngster Malik Tillman. No decision, however, was as surprising as the exclusion of Steffen, the Manchester City goalkeeper who entered World Cup qualifying as the USMNT’s No. 1 goalkeeper. Injuries limited Steffen during qualifying and allowed Turner to earn the top spot on the depth chart. However, it was widely expected that Steffen would make the team as a backup. The last few months, however, have hinted at a change. Steffen pulled out of the June camp for family reasons and then left Manchester City on loan to move to Middlesbrough where he would get more games. He was left out of the U.S. roster for September’s friendlies as well, despite being healthy enough to start Boro’s final game before the FIFA window opens. Berhalter opted not to bring Steffen to Qatar, instead calling up Luton Town’s Ethan Horvath and NYCFC’s Sean Johnson. Before Wednesday’s roster announcement, much of the attention focused on two position groups: center back and forward. Berhalter delivered surprising inclusions at both spots. Ream, 35, had not been called up by the US since last October. He withdrew from that qualifying camp for family reasons and has not returned to the US since. With Chris Richards out through injury, however, Berhalter opted to bring in the veteran defender over other options such as Genk’s Mark McKenzie or Troyes’ Eric Palmer-Brown. Going forward, it was thought to be a battle between Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok for two of the final three spots. Berhalter brought in Sargent but opted to leave both Pepy and Pefok at home and instead called on Wright, who has scored four goals in his last four games and has nine on the season in the Turkish Super League with Antalyaspor. Wright returned to the U.S. team during the June window, his first call-up since 2019, after good form that had seen him score 25 goals over the past two seasons. Wright scored a penalty in his first game for the USA against Morocco in June, but Berhalter also criticized the 24-year-old’s performance after replacing him at half-time of a Nations League game against El Salvador later in the window. Pefok has had a hot start to the Bundesliga season with Union Berlin but has not scored since September 18. Pepi, meanwhile, has five goals and two assists in nine games since joining Groningen on loan this summer, but it hasn’t been enough to make the World Cup roster. Sargent has eight goals and two assists this season for Norwich in the English league. Jesus Ferreira made the squad despite failing to score in his last seven games of the MLS season and not having played a game since FC Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs on October 23. The USA will open the World Cup on November 21 against Wales. They face England on Black Friday, November 25, and close the group stage on November 29 with Iran. It is worth noting that this roster becomes official on November 14, when the final teams are submitted to FIFA. Players will continue to play in games for their clubs this week and there is time for injury replacements if needed.
Launch Preview XI
Based on the qualifiers and the line-up we saw in the last six games in June and September, there’s a pretty clear idea of what Burhalter will think about his first-choice line-up against Wales. That said, Berhalter has provided enough surprises in his full roster to leave us a little unsure about two key areas: center back and up front. Here is our predicted line-up against Wales:
Formation: 4-3-3 Goalkeeper: Matt Turner Defensive backs (left to right): Antonee Robinson, Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman, Sergiño Dest Central Midfield: Tyler Adams, Weston McKenney, Yunus Moussa Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Jesus Ferreira, Tim Weah
A place to watch
It has to be No. 9. The US couldn’t find a forward they could rely on for consistent production, and Berhalter’s surprise inclusion of Wright adds another wrinkle to the mix. Ferreira, as previously reported, has not scored in his last seven games for FC Dallas and has not played since his team was eliminated from the MLS playoffs on October 23. Sargent, meanwhile, has eight goals this season for Norwich in the English Championship but was injured at the end of October and missed two games and has not scored since October 15. Wright, meanwhile, enters the tournament as the team’s hottest scorer. He has four goals in his last four games in the Turkish Süper Liga and has nine so far this season. How Berhalter chooses to use those three options remains to be seen, but there is no obvious pick or lock option.
Expectations for the group stage
The young stars at the core of this team have created excitement around this team, but it’s important to remember just how young this USA team is. The USA team that qualified from CONCACAF had an average age of 24.07. Its original figure was even younger: 23.82. The average age of this full squad when they take the field against Wales will be slightly older (as would be expected, especially with the inclusion of Ream) at 25 years, 175 days. However, there is only one player in the squad with any World Cup experience: Yedlin. The 2022 team also tied the 1990 USA team for the most under-23 players on a USMNT World Cup roster with nine: Adams (23); Aaronson, Dest, Josh Sargent and Weah (22); Jesus Ferreira (21); Musah, Reyna and Joe Scally (19). The history of the World Cup shows that there is a ceiling for young teams. Only one country in the last five editions of the tournament has reached a semi-final with an average squad age of less than 25.9 years: Germany in 2010. That team reached the semi-finals in South Africa and then brought back many of the same players for four years later and won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. There will be a learning curve, but that doesn’t mean the floor shouldn’t be set to a certain level. For most, this means leaving the group. “I don’t care how old they are, I don’t care,” U.S. men’s national team legend DaMarcus Beasley said in an interview on “From Couva to Qatar: Remaking the USMNT,” a narrative podcast for The Athletic. “I have expectations that they will do well. I think they will. I 100% believe they will leave the team. I think they will silence a lot of critics.” The four countries in Group B (USA, Wales, England, Iran) are ranked 15th on average, the highest of any group in Qatar.
Full USMNT World Cup Roster
USMNT World Cup 2022 Team PositionPlayerClubAgeCaps GK Matt Turner Arsenal 28 20 GK Ethan Horvath Luton Town 27 8 GK Sean Johnson NYCFC 33 10 DEF Antonee Robinson Fulham 25 29 DEF Joe Scully Borussia M’gladbach 19 3 DEF Sergiño Dest Milan 22 19 DEF Zach Moore Nashville SC 26 15 DEF DeAndre Yedlin Inter Miami 29 75 DEF Cameron Carter-Vickers Celtic 24 11 DEF Aaron Long NY Red Bulls 30 29 DEF Tim Reem Fulham 35 46 DEF Walker Zimmerman Nashville SC 29 33 INSIDE Kelly’s Acosta LAFC 27 53 INSIDE Tyler Adams Leeds United 23 32 INSIDE Luca de la Torre Celtic Vigo 24 12 INSIDE Weston McKenney Juventus 24 37 INSIDE Yunus Moussa Valencia 19 19 INSIDE Christian Roldan Seattle Sounders 27 32 INSIDE Brendan Aaronson Leeds United 22 24 FWD Jordan Morris Seattle Sounders 28 49 FWD Christian Pulisic Chelsea 24 52 FWD Gio Reyna Dortmund 19 14 FWD Tim Weah Lil 22 25 FWD Jesus Ferreira FC Dallas 21 15 FWD Josh Sargent Norwich City 22 20 FWD Hadji Wright Antalyaspor 24 3
Required reading
(Photo: Orlando Ramirez/USA Today)
