World Cup 2022

With the USMNT back at the 2022 World Cup, The Sporting News takes a deep dive into the players in contention to make the 23-man roster for the trip to ...

One of Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Lletget will likely be left off the roster, barring injuries, and while the two are extremely similar players in many ways, Roldan is three years younger, and having his versatility on the World Cup roster is valuable. At goalkeeper, Sean Johnson is an experienced option and a more viable on-field option in the event his talents are required. An end-of-season injury to Richards left him off the summer roster, which hurts his chances, and McKenzie hasn't looked comfortable in any of his USMNT appearances to date. Domestic-based options Sebastian Lletget and Cristian Roldan seem to be battling for one last spot, while Paul Arriola is one of the first few left off. The final spot seemed more up in the air until Brenden Aaronson performed brilliantly at the head of the midfield trio against Morocco. Could this be the way to get all the best U.S. attacking players on the field at the same time? Paul Arriola is a steady veteran option, but with a squeezed roster, Jordan Morris gets the spot. Just this winter, it felt like the striker spot was Ricardo Pepi's to lose, and it appears he's in fact lost it with a miserable start to his Augsburg career. Haji Wright is in stellar club form and got his first international goal against Morocco in a tuneup match, and he just clips Pepi for a spot. First and foremost, fullback used to be a position of weakness for the USMNT. It still is...but only on one side. Meanwhile, Jesus Ferreira led the MLS goalscoring charts as the calendar turned to June, and while he still struggled in front of net on the international level, his pressing has been what Berhalter wants. While it feels like Long will ultimately end up as the starting center back alongside Zimmerman, the third central defender spot is wide open. At center back, John Brooks has done his best to prove he's ready for a return to the national team fold, but Berhalter has consistently rebuffed calls for the out-of-contract defender to be included.