The USMNT’s Form, Fitness and Injuries That’ll Define the End of World Cup Qualifying
It was just a week ago that it seemed as if things on the injury front were clearing for the U.S. men’s national team. Well, a lot can change in a week, especially in the bubble-wrap-or-bust world of the USMNT.
Sergiño Dest’s hamstring injury and Brenden Aaronson’s knee injury are two late problems the U.S. has been forced to confront in the days leading up to the last batch of Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. Both were originally included on Gregg Berhalter’s 27-man squad for games against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, although Dest’s initial inclusion was a case of wishful thinking. The injury he suffered just hours before the roster reveal was confirmed a day later, as was George Bello’s call-up to replace him.
But Aaronson’s curveball on Sunday changes the calculus even more. He suffered “knee problems” in the warmup to his scheduled Austrian Bundesliga match and was forced out as a result. The only U.S. player to appear in all 11 World Cup qualifiers to date, Aaronson has taken on a significant role for the U.S. Salzburg included him Monday on its list of players departing for international duty, but then ESPN’s Taylor Twellman reported that Aaronson will miss 2-4 weeks with an MCL injury. Earlier Monday, U.S. Soccer maintained that Aaronson was “day-to-day” and would still report to camp, but that took a turn for the worse later in the day, with the federation ruling him out of camp entirely.
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“After reviewing the updated medical information and in consultation with Red Bull Salzburg, we have determined that Brenden Aaronson would not be available to play in the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches,” U.S. Soccer wrote in a statement. “We were hopeful he would be able to recover in time; unfortunately, that will not be the case. We hope he makes a speedy recovery.”
There is no replacement as of now for Aaronson, leaving the U.S. with 26 players for the trio of upcoming games.
The U.S. is on the cusp of qualification, but it hasn’t done enough to eliminate its margin for error. A defeat in Mexico on Thursday and the heat gets ramped up considerably ahead of Sunday’s home match vs. Panama (which, all emotion and rivalry aside, is the one the U.S. truly must-win). This entire process has been about relying on depth and overcoming injury and adversity, and so it’s only appropriate that the coda is about more of the same. The next three days will be defined by a discussion about squad rotation and the approach vs. Mexico. Go for the jugular in the altitude at the Azteca—where the U.S. has never won a qualifier—and risk being a bit more depleted vs. Panama? Or take a more conservative approach south of the border and put more emphasis on ensuring that the three home points on offer are secured?
“I think the important thing first is to look at the starting point of where these guys are coming from,” Berhalter said. “If a guy is fully fit, and playing every week, and has 90 minutes under his belt for a considerable amount of weeks, he’ll be fine. They’ll be fatigued a little bit at altitude, but they’ll be able to get through it.”
Fresh injuries and game-approach permutations aside, the weekend did provide a number of other key moments for U.S. players who have been called into camp. Here are the highlights and lowlights from those last appearances among those who will look to secure a World Cup berth in the next 10 days:
Reyna goes the full 90
If there were an antidote to the new injury problems, it was Gio Reyna’s 90-minute performance for Dortmund on Sunday. He may not have scored or assisted on a goal, and Dortmund may have dropped points in the chase to dethrone Bayern Munich, but from a personal standpoint, it was Reyna’s first 90-minute showing since the Sept. 2 World Cup qualifier in which he was injured. From then, it was five months out, followed by a brief return, another injury scare, a shorter layoff and then a return. In comments last week, Berhalter indicated that Reyna would not be entirely unleashed this window, given how recent his injury problems have been, but might Aaronson’s availability alter the calculus? If not, then MLS-based Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris are the next men up on the wing.
“The important thing is us qualifying for the World Cup, first of all, but secondly is Gio returning healthy to his club, and we’re mindful of his load. We’re mindful of the work that he’s done the last couple weeks, and we’re going to adjust accordingly,” Berhalter said last week.
Steffen, Horvath both start in FA Cup
Another sight for sore U.S. eyes was a pair of FA Cup quarterfinals, with Zack Steffen backstopping Man City into the semis, while Ethan Horvath continued his run of starts at Nottingham Forest in a narrow defeat to Liverpool. His 1-v-1 save on Roberto Firmino was among his highlights in defeat.
Considering Matt Turner’s foot injury, Steffen is the odds-on bet to start throughout the next three games (although he is among the U.S. players carrying a yellow card and is one more away from a one-game suspension), but it certainly helps to have Horvath in a rhythm after he spent the vast majority of the season out of action. There may be some consternation elsewhere on the field, but the U.S. should be O.K. in goal.
Zimmerman, Long and their set-piece capabilities
Aaron Long’s return after an Achilles tear 10 months ago is one of the better stories for the U.S., and he enters camp after having gotten into the mix on a late goal for the New York Red Bulls. With Weston McKennie out, the U.S. is in need of proficient headers of the ball on the end of set pieces, and Long can be just that.
The same can be said for Walker Zimmerman, who scored on a more traditional and powerful header for Nashville SC. With John Brooks still in exile, Zimmerman has emerged as arguably the most reliable center back in the U.S. camp, and his ability to contribute on both ends could prove useful.
Weah red carded
Tim Weah is another player who will be counted on for prime minutes, especially if Aaronson can’t go, but he joins camp on the heels of the first sending-off of his career. It came in a controversial fashion, as he was first to the ball on a sliding challenge, but he scissored Samuel Moutoussamy’s ankle on the follow-through on the tackle. Upon VAR review, that was deemed harsh enough for the straight red.
If there’s a silver lining from an injury/availability standpoint, it’s that it keeps Weah with 27 fewer minutes on his tires, but that might not be positive in Berhalter’s eyes. Weah’s lack of 90-minute performances could play to his detriment based on what the U.S. coach said last week, prior to the weekend’s events.
“Timmy’s been getting a little bit more game time lately but certainly not the 90 minutes that we expect out of him,” Berhalter said. “That is a little bit of a concern. We’re going to have to use him in spots in this window. I don’t think it’s realistic that Timmy can play three 90-minute games, but he’s certainly going to be valuable for us in this window.”
Considering Weah and Reyna’s lack of recent match time and Aaronson’s fresh injury, it’s shaping up to be a major window for Christian Pulisic, who enters in form after a productive stretch for Chelsea.
Ferreira’s 10-minute hat trick
With center forward still a rotating door and Jesús Ferreira entrusted last window as part of the solution, it has to be encouraging to see him entering camp on the heels of a first-half hat trick for FC Dallas. It took all of 10 minutes for Ferreira to get his trio of goals, which made him the second-youngest U.S. player in MLS history with a hat trick (his former club teammate and current international teammate Ricardo Pepi holds that distinction), and he punctuated his day with an assist to Arriola.
FC Dallas has loudly championed itself as “the backbone of the USMNT” considering the number of academy products and first-team players in the U.S. pool, and it just might be that FCD players have an influential say over whether—or when—the U.S. qualifies for the World Cup.
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