Pitch Points plays in January

Who will rep the USMNT? A friendly (against Bosnia and Herzegovina) is just over a month away, with what has traditionally been “camp cupcake” in the run-up to a World Cup appearance this year being… something else. Given that this camp can basically only include MLS players (or those whose clubs’ domestic leagues are on break, like in Scandinavia), and I don’t think anybody’s champing at the bit for the Altidores/Bradleys of the world, it makes sense for a youth-heavy squad.

American Soccer Now‘s Brian Sciaretta gives his projected group. Just a few notes on his list (including guys I’m not sure about).

• Bill Hamid is with a new club, in Europe, and it probably makes sense for him to stay to try to lock down the No. 1 spot. If this was in an international window, it’d be a different story. Also, given that he’ll be 31 when the next US World Cup rolls around – yes, I know keepers have longer/later careers than other position players – I’d rather play the Steffens of the world unless you know that Hamid is going to be The Guy going forward.
• There are no young left backs in the player pool (at least in this portion of it) in a shocking continuation of decades of struggling to man that spot.
• At the central defensive spots, it’ll be a while before any of these players are truly counted upon with plenty of US Internationals playing overseas. The Brooks/Miazga/Palmer-Brown/Carter-Vickers group is going to be ahead of them for the time being. This is a great opportunity to build depth behind the top players though.
• The US also has a lot of midfielders abroad, including some of those we most expect to contribute going forward (Pulisic, though he can obviously play multiple positions, Weston McKennie, et al). This is another area to build depth. The timing of this friendly is a little inconvenient as it relates to Liga MX starting its Clausura season… would love to have the opportunity to call up Jonathan Gonzlez, too.
• Forward is a little on the uninspiring side, though with Jordan Morris getting closer to health, CJ Sapong’s solid performance against Portugal, and Dom Dwyer with his last opportunity to really seize a role before the young crop comes up, there’s some potential. I’d have loved to see him have a chance in the Qualifiers That Shall Not Be Named back in October.

With a placeholder staff calling the shots now, these performances may not have a huge bearing on the long-term, but at least in terms of giving some guys the chance to earn their way onto the June friendlies (pre-WC games against France and an opponent to be named later), it’s a build toward the future.

SBI’s Ryan Tolmich has a projected roster for the entire camp, not just the friendly, with a few notable differences.

Developing overseas. For every Christian Pulisic, who has come up through the Dortmund youth program (thanks to his access to a Croatian passport), there are hundreds more potential future USMNT players who play for American teams and then get sold to big clubs overseas.

This article is a little old, but I’m just coming across it. Matt Doyle explains how it makes sense for Matt Miazga to sign with Chelsea, or (more prominently) Erik Palmer-Brown to sign with Man City when it’s possible – perhaps even likely – that they never actually see the field for that specific team. Just another route to the top, and one that seems to have taken on more prominence for American talent in the last couple cycles.

Meanwhile, soon-to-be Werder Bremen forward Josh Sargent is the US Soccer male young player of the year. I guess there’s an outside chance, since he can’t join Bremen until his 18th birthday in February, that he could be on the roster for the BIH game.

Nashville SC fast facts. Most of this is not newsworthy to people have paid much attention. However, I am aware that not everyone has. If you need a primer on Nashville, MLS, and USL, check it out.

By the way, Sacramento’s bid looks like it’s hit an extremely rocky time, which should sound pretty good to FC Cincinnati partisans. Are we just waiting for the ink to dry on contracts before an announcement?

US Soccer presidential stuff. Lost in the hooplah of yesterday’s MLS announcement was the official field for the presidential election, which beckons Feb. 10 in Orlando. It’s as expected: everybody who announced a candidacy aside from the comically unprofessional Paul LaPointe. Kathy Carter is considered the favorite for now, and it’ll be interesting to see if some of the non-establishment candidates can set ego aside (I can think of one who certainly won’t) to combine and try to mount a realistic challenge.

I like the bent of the American Outlaws questionnaire for the candidates. It’s also something that can be a simple thought exercise to determine your individual priorities for the US Soccer Federation and the eventual leader thereof.

Pro/rel. I’m coming around a (very) little bit on the concept of promotion and relegation in the United States, though I’ll continue to maintain that having a Division-1 league where teams get kicked out for finishing at the bottom is pretty much always going to be a non-starter for Joe Sports Fan, and if you aren’t attracting new American fans to the game, well… it’s not the right thing for the sport.

However, one idea that I’ve liked is pro/rel in a different context, and I’m feeling this piece about a prospective unification under the NISA banner of basically all organized adult leagues outside of MLS and USL (again, pro/rel needs to be successful and without including the top flight division if it’s ever going to become a real possibility). NISA is planning to work within its own framework for the time being, and that’s certainly going to be a situation to monitor: if it works out, the opportunity to broaden the scope is possible.

Etc. Legal analysis of the impending court battle should a Columbus Crew move be initiated… Hmmm 🤔. This sort of thing (along with a robust academy) is what I hope Nashville SC seriously, seriously looks at with top-flight soccer. Everybody knows I’m in favor of MLS teams being responsible for improving academies, lower divisions, and facilities in our country.