A busy summer is about to begin for the United States men’s national team and manager Gregg Berhalter has released his 27-man roster for friendlies against Colombia on June 8 and Brazil on June 12. With the Copa America group stage kicking off on June 23, these friendlies are a chance for Berhalter to test out new things and see where his team stands against the USMNT’s biggest tournament since the 2022 World Cup. It is a critical time for the team, which among other things needs to figure out how to replace Sergino Dest at right-back.
The 23 year old suffered an ACL injury meaning he will miss the Copa America and not only will he be the starting right back for the USMNT, but Dest will too Antonee Robinsons primary backup also at left back. Dest is strong in possession and will ensure the USMNT can suffocate teams in the future while also maintaining a strong defensive shape. Without destination, Chris Richards is someone who could replace right back Sjaak Moore and Joe Scally are also involved in this team to show what they can do.
“We really use these games to see both individually and collectively how we can perform and when you go against teams like Brazil, Colombia and UruguayWhat you get is information and that information will help you grow and improve as you move towards 2026,” Berhalter said of the purpose of these friendlies. “I can give you other examples of where early on with this group some of these games really help give us important information that has helped us grow and improve to get to where we are today. So we want to continue that. I really use these games to help this group move forward both individually and collectively.”
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Schedule
GOALKEEPS (3): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 13/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 39/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 16/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 18/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 56/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 16/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 41/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 9/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 38/2), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 11/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 20/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 51/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 35/0), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 26/8), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 10/0), Timmy Tillman (LAFC; 1/0)
FORWARD (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 40/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 10/3), Ricardo Pepi (PSV/NED; 23/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 66/28), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 23/5), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 37/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 9/4)
Looking at defense
“Look at what we’re trying to do with Sergino going down, we’ve got to sort out the right-back situation and there’s a number of different options we can look at. We’ve got the same with Joe Scally and Shaq Moore, we’ve got a winger that I can play Timothy Wea who played that for his club, we have central midfielders who can play there in Weston [McKennie] and Yunus [Musah] and then we have centre-backs that we are looking at [to see] Can they play there,” Berhalter said of his options at right-back ahead of these games. “So we just wanted to be able to have options and flexibility in this training camp. Part of that may be around a back three, but the first goal is to see how we fill that right-back position because we know we’re going to miss Sergino.”
This is a lot to unpack considering Berhalter mentioned every possible option he has, but it shows how difficult replacing Dest is. Berhalter needs to change the system by playing a three at the back or an unnatural right-back out wide to make things work. Before a competitive tournament, drastic changes are not what a coach wants to make, but Berhalter doesn’t have many options to do otherwise given the circumstances he’s been given.
Although Richards is a more defensive option at right-back, he is someone whose experience makes sense Crystal Palace. In theory, Richards, who has the versatility to play in the middle or as a full-back, or even as a defensive midfielder at times, can help turn the team into a back three in possession, allowing Antonee Robinson to come forward when he can to help to fill. the creative void without Dest.
Olympic Games on the horizon
While Berhalter did say that some players like that Kevin Paredes were left out of this squad as one eye was focused on preparing for the summer’s other major tournament, the Olympic Games, which consists mainly of an under-23 squad, he also mentioned some of the potential overage players who would be playing for that event could qualify. Three players over the age of 23 can participate in the tournament Paris Olympics and some who could be Brandon Vazquez, Auston reliableAnd Walker Zimmerman. Since the aim is to increase areas where the U-23s are not at their strongest, it makes sense to add a striker (possibly between Vazquez and Jesus Ferreira) to the squad for more consistent performances. Center back is also a spot where more experience could be a boon for Marko Mitrovic. The U-23s will play their last friendly match before the Olympic Games on June 11 Japan. The final selection will then be announced in July.
