The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown soccer schedules into immense disarray. While this is nothing compared to the tragic loss of life (more than 235,000 dead in the U.S. alone as cases continue to soar to record numbers), it has resulted in the U.S. national teams having not played in months. The women last played in March while the men’s only game in 2020 so far was in February. It makes predicting a USMNT starting 11 more difficult than ever — but also more fascinating.
The USWNT does not currently have any matches scheduled for the remainder of 2020. The U.S.-based players had a camp in Colorado at the end of October but the team’s 3-1 win over Japan on March 11 to win the SheBelieves Cup will remain the lasting image of the team this year.
The USMNT, however, has been able to schedule some friendlies amidst this chaotic year. While many nations returned to play in September and October, U.S. Soccer opted on the side of caution, choosing not to play yet because Covid-19 was so rampant in the U.S. The USSF ultimately decided to schedule two friendlies in Europe for November, giving us our first chance to check out a new USMNT starting 11 from Gregg Berhalter made up primarily of European-based players.
The U.S. will play Wales at Liberty Stadium in Wales on Nov. 12 followed by a match against Panama on Nov. 16 in Austria. FS1, UniMás and TUDN will broadcast both matches in the U.S. Berhalter announced his roster for the friendlies on Election Day because there wasn’t enough going on in the country that day. However, the squad has had some changes.
Werder Bremen said it wouldn’t release Josh Sargent for the friendlies, citing Covid-19 quarantines in Germany. Sargent recently got off the mark in the Bundesliga and was expected to be the starting striker for Berhalter. Additionally, Christian Pulisic is still a doubt after suffering a hamstring setback. Initially Chelsea coach Frank Lampard said it was a minor injury, but he later admitted it could be more serious, ruling him out of the match against Sheffield United on Nov. 7.
Berhalter replaced Sargent with LA Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget but has kept Pulisic in the squad. We can’t predict how Pulisic’s injury progresses or future injuries or Covid cases in the USMNT roster, but we can try our best to predict the USMNT starting 11 vs. Wales.
Predicted Lineup: USMNT Starting 11 vs. Wales
Goalkeeper: Zack Steffen
Ederson’s backup at Manchester City remains Berhalter’s No. 1. He’s made a few appearances for Pep Guaridola’s side this season and could use the international action to stay sharp.
Defenders: Sergiño Dest, John Brooks, Tim Ream, Reggie Cannon
Dest at Barcelona and Cannon at Boavista give the U.S. two young No. 2s playing in Europe. Dest can play either fullback position so we’ll plug him in on the left. At center back, John Brooks will pair with Tim Ream, the two most-experienced center backs at Berhalter’s disposal. I think we’ll see Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson against Panama.
Holding Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie
The lack of international experience for Berhalter’s midfielders might be a worry. Tyler Adams, 21, and Weston McKennie, 22, are playing Champions League football for big European clubs, making their combined 29 caps less meaningful. That said, those 29 caps are 15 more than the other five midfielders on the roster combined.
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers: Richard Ledezma, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah
Though only 17, Reyna has been spectacular for Borussia Dortmund lately and this could be a great chance to see what he can do with the national team in the No. 10 role. Assuming Pulisic is unable to play, the impetus could be on Reyna to spark the offense, but both Ledezma and Weah could drift to the middle of the pitch to help out as needed.
Striker: Sebastian Soto
Soto recently chose to represent the U.S. internationally, having rejected a call-up from Chile to play in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Colombia in September. The 20-year-old California native is currently on loan from Norwich at Telstar in the Netherlands’ second division where he’s scored five goals in seven appearances. Without Sargent, now might be the perfect time to see what Soto can do after he scored a dozen goals for USMNT youth teams.
While this is just a prediction for the USMNT starting 11 vs. Wales, we’d love to also see debuts for Valencia’s Yunus Musah, Internacional’s Johnny Cardoso, Caen’s Nicholas Gioacchini and Barcelona’s Konrad de la Fuente, who could all see playing time as subs or as starters against Panama.
USMNT Roster vs. Wales, Panama
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 4/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 17/0)
Defenders: John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER; 38/3), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 10/0), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 3/0), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL; 18/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 40/1), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich/GER; 0/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 7/0)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 10/1), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 0/0), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 0/0), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy/USA; 14/2), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 19/6), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 0/0), Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton/ENG; 0/0)
Forwards: Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona/ESP; 0/0), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen/FRA; 0/0), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 34/14), Uly Llanez (Heerenveen/NED; 1/1), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 0/0), Sebastian Soto (Telstar/NED; 0/0), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 8/1)
