News analysis
USMNT roster news, YNTs ready for busy week, UCL Draw, & more
Thursday has turned out to be a big day for news as there is plenty of USMNT items to discuss plus the U-23 and U-20 rosters are coming out, and the UCL draw took place and it involves several American players. ASN's Brian Sciaretta walks you through it.
THE DAY AFTER the USMNT roster release has been loaded with a huge wave of news with regards to youth national teams, the Champions League, and potentially Americans on the move.
United States national team manager Gregg Berhalter spoke to the media via conference call and touched upon a number of different players.
Paxton is a guy we want to bring around to see the environment, get this experience. This is his first real professional season and I think the physicality of the MLS has at times taken its toll on him, but he's coming back and rebounded in a good way. We like what he’s been doing in the league, we still think he has a way to go to continue his development. We thought this was an opportunity to bring a guy around in the national team environment and see how he copes with the senior national team.
We’ve been tracking Josh and he has had a really good preseason. We want to try and capture some of the momentum he’s had from preseason and bring him into this group. He’s a player all along that has been in our plans, and with the way the Gold Cup roster needed to be constructed, there wasn’t a place for him. He’s a player with great talent, a lot of promise, and we’re looking forward to working with him again in this camp.
Form pushed Miles into the team. He’s in great form. He’s played exceptionally over last month and a half. He’s earned it. I like nothing more than calling in players who have earned a spot by playing really well. He helped his team win the Campeones Cup. They just won the U.S. Open Cup. His team is first in the MLS East. What more can you ask for?
As a coach, this is a time as a coach where you can feel really good about calling a guy in who has performed really well for his team. I’ve spoken to the management at Düsseldorf and he was one of their top players in preseason, he continued that form into the beginning of the season and it’s great to be able to call him in. We like his mobility, his range and his physicality and tackling. I like his attitude and mindset on the field. He’s a very positive aggressive player and we’re looking forward to getting to know him and working with him. He’s a guy that has done great and it’s nice to be able to reward that.
In terms of the rushed process, we contacted Tyler early on in terms of getting him a FIFA one-time switch. Then we had to weigh getting him rest after his season. That is why he came in a little late to the Gold Cup camp. It was important for him to recuperate and get some rest after havin a very long season. The time line was exactly where we needed it to be. In terms of his performance, we thought he performed really well at the Gold Cup. We thought he made an impact in a number of games. Unfortunately, when you're playing knockout rounds you have to go with the play you feel is in the best form. And at that time, based on how the games were going and based on the impact Jordan [Morris] made as a substitute, we went with Jordan. I don't think it affects Tyler's standing within the team. He's at a very big club in Besiktas, he's been starting for Besiktas, and we're talking to him all the time, and watching his progress all the time. So we're excited for the impact he can make within our group. We know he's a very dynamic player, a very goal-oriented type player, and we like what he can bring to this group.
We’re excited about him. We’re excited he can play both wing-back positions, he has a good offensive skill set. He fits into the profile we’re looking for in our fullbacks. We've been really intrigued with how he's been playing in Ajax. I really like how he interprets it. In terms of will he play on the right or the left, it's something that we're going to work through in camp. But we're open to him playing on either side.
U.S. U-17 head coach Raphael Wicky announced his roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Tournament in Assen, Netherlands from Sept. 5-9. The USA will face Mexico, Netherlands and Denmark at the competition.
This will serve as the team’s final preparation ahead of the U-17 World Cup which will begin on October 27 in Brazil.
The World Cup roster is becoming very predictable and should be very similar to the one named for this tournament. The only notable player missing is Daniel Leyva who is with the Seattle Sounders. The most significant news from this roster is that left back George Bello has returned from a lengthy injury.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Aaron Cervantes (Orange County Soccer Club; Chino Hills, Calif.; 3/0),
Damian Las (Unattached; Norridge, Ill.; 18/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; London,
England; 6/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 0/0), Adam
Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.; 16/0), George Bello (Atlanta United; Douglasville, Ga.;
6/1), Nicolas Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 0/0), Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles,
Calif.; 5/0), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.; 15/0), Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los
Angeles, Calif.; 20/2), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City/ENG; Plano, Texas; 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Maximilian Dietz (Freiburg/GER; Frankfurt, Germany; 0/0), Ethan Dobbelaere
(Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.; 0/0), Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.;
19/0), Bryang Kayo (D.C. United; Poolesville, Md.; 5/1), Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama
City, Calif.; 23/2)
FORWARDS (7): Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greensboro, N.C.; 13/7), Andres Jasson
(New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.; 8/0), Noah Jones (RB Leipzig/GER; Berlin, Germany; 0/0),
Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Kent, Wash.; 21/9), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas;
McKinney, Texas; 12/4), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; Bedford, N.Y.; 14/7), Griffin
Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.; 12/7)
Rosters are expected in the coming days for the U.S. U-20 national team and its trip to Slovenia to kickoff the 2021 World Cup cycle and the U.S. U-23 team and its camp in California.
Here are some tidbits ASN has learned.
Uly Llanez was invited to take part with the U.S. U-20 team but is injured and can no longer come. LA Galaxy right back Julian Araujo and Argentinos Juniors midfielder Matko Miljevic were denied releases by their clubs.
Some who should be there: David Ochoa, Chris Shakes, Cameron Harper, Indiana Vassilev, Matthew Hoppe, Tanner Tessmann, Johan Gomez, Cole Basset, Leonardo Sepulveda, Stuart Ritchie.
For the U.S. U-23 team and its upcoming camp in Califorina, ASN has heard Jesus Ferreira has been called up despite still pursuing his eligibility. Brandon Servania, Brendan Aaronson, and Austin Trusty are also among those called up.
How big is the footprint that FC Dallas has on U.S. Soccer and its various national teams? It’s enormous.
Here is a list of players who are expected to be involved with various U.S. national teams in September and who came out of the FC Dallas Academy.
This doesn’t even include 2019 U.S. U-20 World Cup central defender Chris Richards who was sold by Dallas to Bayern Munich and remains a top prospect there.
To add further, this list also doesn't include U.S. national team central defender Walker Zimmerman was drafted by FC Dallas in 2013 as a teenager and developed there. It also doesn't include U.S. U-20 forward Charlie Kelman who also spent time inside the FC Dallas setup.
When you add it all up, it's extremely impressive to see how Dallas has grown into such an important development hub for American players.
According to Hannover’s official twitter page, the club is negotiating a transfer with a club outside Germany and Soto could soon have a new club as soon as Monday.
There will be a number of Americans involved in the UEFA Champions League Group stages this fall and today the draw took place.
Christian Pulisic and Chelsea, Tim Weah and Lille, and Sergino Dest and Ajax were all drawn into Group H along with Valencia.
Red Bull Salzburg and its American head coach Jesse Marsch were drawn into Group E with Liverpool, Napoli, and Genk.
Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig were drawin into Group G with Zenit, Benfica, and Lyon.
Club Brugge and backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath were drawn into Group A with Paris St. Germain, Real Madrid, and Galatasaray.
USMNT conference call
United States national team manager Gregg Berhalter spoke to the media via conference call and touched upon a number of different players.
On Paxton Pomykal
Paxton is a guy we want to bring around to see the environment, get this experience. This is his first real professional season and I think the physicality of the MLS has at times taken its toll on him, but he's coming back and rebounded in a good way. We like what he’s been doing in the league, we still think he has a way to go to continue his development. We thought this was an opportunity to bring a guy around in the national team environment and see how he copes with the senior national team.
On Josh Sargent
We’ve been tracking Josh and he has had a really good preseason. We want to try and capture some of the momentum he’s had from preseason and bring him into this group. He’s a player all along that has been in our plans, and with the way the Gold Cup roster needed to be constructed, there wasn’t a place for him. He’s a player with great talent, a lot of promise, and we’re looking forward to working with him again in this camp.
On Miles Robinson
Form pushed Miles into the team. He’s in great form. He’s played exceptionally over last month and a half. He’s earned it. I like nothing more than calling in players who have earned a spot by playing really well. He helped his team win the Campeones Cup. They just won the U.S. Open Cup. His team is first in the MLS East. What more can you ask for?
On Alfredo Morales
As a coach, this is a time as a coach where you can feel really good about calling a guy in who has performed really well for his team. I’ve spoken to the management at Düsseldorf and he was one of their top players in preseason, he continued that form into the beginning of the season and it’s great to be able to call him in. We like his mobility, his range and his physicality and tackling. I like his attitude and mindset on the field. He’s a very positive aggressive player and we’re looking forward to getting to know him and working with him. He’s a guy that has done great and it’s nice to be able to reward that.
On Tyler Boyd
In terms of the rushed process, we contacted Tyler early on in terms of getting him a FIFA one-time switch. Then we had to weigh getting him rest after his season. That is why he came in a little late to the Gold Cup camp. It was important for him to recuperate and get some rest after havin a very long season. The time line was exactly where we needed it to be. In terms of his performance, we thought he performed really well at the Gold Cup. We thought he made an impact in a number of games. Unfortunately, when you're playing knockout rounds you have to go with the play you feel is in the best form. And at that time, based on how the games were going and based on the impact Jordan [Morris] made as a substitute, we went with Jordan. I don't think it affects Tyler's standing within the team. He's at a very big club in Besiktas, he's been starting for Besiktas, and we're talking to him all the time, and watching his progress all the time. So we're excited for the impact he can make within our group. We know he's a very dynamic player, a very goal-oriented type player, and we like what he can bring to this group.
On Sergino Dest
We’re excited about him. We’re excited he can play both wing-back positions, he has a good offensive skill set. He fits into the profile we’re looking for in our fullbacks. We've been really intrigued with how he's been playing in Ajax. I really like how he interprets it. In terms of will he play on the right or the left, it's something that we're going to work through in camp. But we're open to him playing on either side.
Wicky releases U.S. U-17 roster
U.S. U-17 head coach Raphael Wicky announced his roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Tournament in Assen, Netherlands from Sept. 5-9. The USA will face Mexico, Netherlands and Denmark at the competition.
This will serve as the team’s final preparation ahead of the U-17 World Cup which will begin on October 27 in Brazil.
The World Cup roster is becoming very predictable and should be very similar to the one named for this tournament. The only notable player missing is Daniel Leyva who is with the Seattle Sounders. The most significant news from this roster is that left back George Bello has returned from a lengthy injury.
Honor to represent the crest again and happy to be back with the boys ???????????? https://t.co/7KpEbww1WS
— George Bello (@_georgebello) August 29, 2019
GOALKEEPERS (3): Aaron Cervantes (Orange County Soccer Club; Chino Hills, Calif.; 3/0),
Damian Las (Unattached; Norridge, Ill.; 18/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; London,
England; 6/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 0/0), Adam
Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.; 16/0), George Bello (Atlanta United; Douglasville, Ga.;
6/1), Nicolas Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 0/0), Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles,
Calif.; 5/0), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.; 15/0), Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los
Angeles, Calif.; 20/2), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City/ENG; Plano, Texas; 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Maximilian Dietz (Freiburg/GER; Frankfurt, Germany; 0/0), Ethan Dobbelaere
(Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.; 0/0), Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.;
19/0), Bryang Kayo (D.C. United; Poolesville, Md.; 5/1), Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama
City, Calif.; 23/2)
FORWARDS (7): Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greensboro, N.C.; 13/7), Andres Jasson
(New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.; 8/0), Noah Jones (RB Leipzig/GER; Berlin, Germany; 0/0),
Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Kent, Wash.; 21/9), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas;
McKinney, Texas; 12/4), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; Bedford, N.Y.; 14/7), Griffin
Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.; 12/7)
U-20 and U-23 rosters expected soon
Rosters are expected in the coming days for the U.S. U-20 national team and its trip to Slovenia to kickoff the 2021 World Cup cycle and the U.S. U-23 team and its camp in California.
Here are some tidbits ASN has learned.
Uly Llanez was invited to take part with the U.S. U-20 team but is injured and can no longer come. LA Galaxy right back Julian Araujo and Argentinos Juniors midfielder Matko Miljevic were denied releases by their clubs.
Some who should be there: David Ochoa, Chris Shakes, Cameron Harper, Indiana Vassilev, Matthew Hoppe, Tanner Tessmann, Johan Gomez, Cole Basset, Leonardo Sepulveda, Stuart Ritchie.
For the U.S. U-23 team and its upcoming camp in Califorina, ASN has heard Jesus Ferreira has been called up despite still pursuing his eligibility. Brandon Servania, Brendan Aaronson, and Austin Trusty are also among those called up.
The FC Dallas footprint
How big is the footprint that FC Dallas has on U.S. Soccer and its various national teams? It’s enormous.
Here is a list of players who are expected to be involved with various U.S. national teams in September and who came out of the FC Dallas Academy.
- Reggie Cannon: USMNT
- Paxton Pomykal: USMNT
- Jesse Gonzalez: USMNT
- Weston McKennie: USMNT
- Jesus Ferreira: U-23
- Brandon Servania: U-23
- Edwin Cerrillo: U-23
- Thomas Roberts: U-20
- Johan Gomez: U-20
- Kevin Bonilla: U-20
- Tanner Tessmann: U-20
- Ricardo Pepi: U-17
- Nicolas Carrera: U-17
This doesn’t even include 2019 U.S. U-20 World Cup central defender Chris Richards who was sold by Dallas to Bayern Munich and remains a top prospect there.
To add further, this list also doesn't include U.S. national team central defender Walker Zimmerman was drafted by FC Dallas in 2013 as a teenager and developed there. It also doesn't include U.S. U-20 forward Charlie Kelman who also spent time inside the FC Dallas setup.
When you add it all up, it's extremely impressive to see how Dallas has grown into such an important development hub for American players.
Soto leaving Hannover?
According to Hannover’s official twitter page, the club is negotiating a transfer with a club outside Germany and Soto could soon have a new club as soon as Monday.
2019 U.S. U-20 forward Sebastian Soto likely to leave Hannover for a club outside of Germany. Per Hannover's official twitter, negotiations are taking place and deal could be reached as soon as Monday. https://t.co/7Ec2fiu6gG
— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 29, 2019
Americans learn Champions League draw
There will be a number of Americans involved in the UEFA Champions League Group stages this fall and today the draw took place.
Christian Pulisic and Chelsea, Tim Weah and Lille, and Sergino Dest and Ajax were all drawn into Group H along with Valencia.
Red Bull Salzburg and its American head coach Jesse Marsch were drawn into Group E with Liverpool, Napoli, and Genk.
Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig were drawin into Group G with Zenit, Benfica, and Lyon.
Club Brugge and backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath were drawn into Group A with Paris St. Germain, Real Madrid, and Galatasaray.
