Tag: Shaq Moore

Previewing USMNT vs. Mexico

Previewing USMNT vs. Mexico

The USMNT takes on Mexico at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on Wednesday night, but this doesn’t feel like a typical USA-Mexico matchup. Since this is not in a traditional FIFA window, the vast majority of the players taking part are domestic players, but that also opens up opportunities for other players to shine. 

Let’s break down the position groups, starting with the goalkeepers:

Sean Johnson – Toronto FC – 11 Caps

Drake Callender – Inter Miami – 0 Caps

Roman Celentano – FC Cincinnati – 0 Caps

Johnson is clearly the number one of the group, but Celentano has long been deserving of a look and it is good to see him on the roster. Callender will most likely be the keeper that doesn’t suit up, but having him in camp helps develop depth. 

Defenders:

DeAndre Yedlin – Inter Miami – 77 Caps

Walker Zimmerman – Nashville SC – 39 Caps

Aaron Long – LAFC – 31 Caps

Sergino Dest – AC Milan – 24 Caps

Matt Miazga – FC Cincinnati – 22 Caps

Shaq Moore – Nashville SC – 17 Caps

Julian Gressel – Vancouver Whitecaps – 2 Caps

Caleb Wiley – Atlanta United – 0 Caps

Joshua Wynder – Louisville City – 0 Caps

The largest position group also features two of the three players on the roster that are not on a MLS club. Wynder is a 17-year old currently playing in the USL, although I expect to see him on the move this summer after he turns 18. Dest is the only player on either roster from a senior side in Europe (Julian Araujo is on the Mexico squad and is part of the FC Barcelona B squad, despite not taking the pitch for them yet). Yedlin, Long, Moore, and Zimmerman join Dest as players on this squad that were with the team in Qatar. Gressel only became a US citizen less than six months ago, but has already suited up for interim manager Anthony Hudson twice and has an assist on his stat sheet. Wiley has scored three goals in seven appearances this season for Atlanta United and only turned 18 in December. 

Midfielders:

Kellyn Acosta – LAFC – 57 Caps

Cristian Roldan – Seattle Sounders – 32 Caps

Jackson Yuiell – San Jose Earthquakes – 16 Caps

James Sands – New York City FC – 7 Caps

Alan Sonora – Juarez – 2 Caps

Aidan Morris – Columbus Crew – 1 Cap

Nobody comes into this window in better form than Morris, who has been nothing short of great for Nashville SC of late. Acosta is still the best free kick taker in the USMNT pool, and the only player who can reasonably fit the Tyler Adams role. Roldan and Yuiell have plenty of experience but don’t get me too excited. Sonora had a quality January window with the team and plays his club soccer in Mexico, so he will have plenty of familiarity with the Mexican squad. Sands is a guy who played well enough for NYCFC to find himself on an 18-month loan with an option to buy with Scottish power Rangers, but after 24 appearances the loan was terminated on the first of March and he returned to the Big Apple. Will be very interesting to see how he bounces back. 

Forwards:

Jordan Morris – Seattle Sounders – 51 Caps

Paul Arriola – FC Dallas – 50 Caps

Jesus Ferreira – FC Dallas – 17 Caps

Brandon Vazquez – FC Cincinnati – 2 Caps

Cade Cowell – San Jose Earthquakes – 2 Caps

Morris and Arriola are the only two wingers on the squad, while the youngster Cowell can play both wing or the number nine and has looked really good in both of his appearances for the senior squad. The most interesting position “battle” is who will be the striker at the top, assuming Hudson goes with a single striker, Vazquez or Ferreira. Ferreira is the “veteran” striker of the group despite being only 22 and actually two years younger than Vazquez, but Vazquez was borderline unstoppable for Cincinnati a season ago and scored a goal in his debut. 

The lineup I anticipate seeing/thing we should see is as follows:

The toughest spot was at the top, but ultimately I went with Vazquez but I anticipate seeing him and Ferreira be subbed out for each other. 

In windows like this, I always like to see the young players get a shot, so if I were to put together my ideal starting XI in terms of entertainment value, it would look like this:

Again, Vazquez vs. Ferreira was tough, but we have seen Ferriera plenty, and Vazquez turned down Mexico to commit to the USMNT, so he definitely deserves to be there. Of course I would want to see the three teenagers on the pitch to see how they hold up against the squad’s biggest rival, and I think Celentano deserves a Cap on his stat sheet.

USMNT Depth Chart: Wide Defense

For the defense, I am splitting it up into two posts, wide defenders and central defenders, with the goal keepers included in with central defenders. There is a very clear difference in depth on the right and left side of the defense. In all reality, the top four right backs would probably be the number two left back, but they are natural right backs so I am keeping them in their natural position for this list. With that, here it is:

Summary: It is a little odd to have player on a team in the second tier the number one guy at this point, but Antonee Robinson is currently playing in the Championship but is easily the best left back for the USMNT. His runs are impressive allowing him to turn defense into offense in a flash, but he can get caught too far up field quite a bit. He leaves a lot of work for the left center back, but he is a key cog in the USMNT wheel. Bello is a guy I want to be good enough to push Robinson, he just isn’t there yet and may not ever quite get there, but there are flashes. I am happy to see Vines getting some action in Belgium but hasn’t earned himself a regular role there yet after being a common name in the starting eleven for the Colorado Rapids. Gomez was referenced in the first post of this series with his brother Johan as a center forward. He is a big one as he has really impressed with Louisville City, shaking a defender to the ground and drawing a hand ball in the box that led to the game winning PK that sent Louisville to the conference semi-finals, but he has six appearances with the USA U16s, one with the Mexico U16s, three with the USA U17s, and two with the Mexico U20s earlier this year. He could very well be the second best true LB in a year or two as he is heading to Real Sociedad B after Louisville’s run ends, so getting him committed to the UNMNT senior side is important. Paredes may be a bit of a stretch to call him a left back as he is really a left mid and has seen time at left wing and left back with D.C. United. To me his future with the national team is as left back currently, although there are reports Salzburg is interested in going after him if Aaronson eventually transfers to a larger club.

Summary: This might be the deepest position at the USNT level and one of only two I don’t have anyone tabbed as a FTF. Dest is the unquestioned starter when healthy, but that has been a struggle for him this year which is why we have seen a lot of Yedlin. Yedlin bring a fearless approach to the position that is both a benefit and a potential liability if he gets too aggressive. Cannon is a guy I would like to get a little more run but he just has two guys two heavily entrenched in the spot ahead of him. Scally finally got his a call up to the senior team after really shining for Monchengladbach, but did not see any time on the field in either match. He would technically qualify as a FTF given he is 18 and hasn’t technically debuted for the senior team, but he is simply too good to be counted as a future option because he is a legit option now. Moore is a guy that regularly gets overlooked but looks good whenever he gets a shot and is competing in La Liga. Reynolds was on track to compete with Yedlin and Cannon to be the second man in line but has seen extremely limited playing time since moving to Roma and his stock is simply tanking at this point.