He's a backup there and we'll see how things take shape for him, but he was one of the better pure shot-stoppers in Qatar. At 28, Turner just joined Arsenal in time to approach what sometimes ends up being a goalkeeper's peak years. It feels like this position is on solid footing. Then he started for the US at the next World Cup. How long ago was the failed 2018 qualification? Well, Turner had made his professional debut only months earlier, and the Fairfield graduate wouldn't make his MLS debut until the following spring. Other players who played in at least two US matches in the past two years: Ethan Horvath (30) Players involved in 2022 World Cup and qualification (listed in order of minutes): Matt Turner (will be 31 when the 2026 World Cup begins), Zack Steffen (31) But let's take a position-by-position walk-through to see where big decisions need to be made, and/or where breakthroughs would be particularly beneficial. Whoever is in charge of the national team during this next four-year cycle, be it Gregg Berhalter or someone new - we'll find out the plans soon, as Berhalter's contract is expiring - will not be forced to undergo the same amount of transition. Jurgen Klinsmann and Bruce Arena played 38 different guys in the hopes of finding a lineup that would save their World Cup hopes, and only five of them actually landed on the next World Cup roster. Only three other players - Tim Ream, Kellyn Acosta and Jordan Morris - were involved in both 20. Only two players - Pulisic and right-back DeAndre Yedlin - recorded starter-level minutes in this 2018 cycle and then also played in 2022. On a per-minute basis, Clint Dempsey (34) and Sacha Kljestan (32 and a midfielder) were the team's most prolific scorers. DaMarcus Beasley, also 35, played two matches at left-back. Midfielders Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman, each 35 years young, were still important. Tim Howard, 38 at the time, was still in goal. It's almost jarring, in retrospect, to look back at who played for the US during 2018 qualification. Let's look at how the US player pool will take shape for 2026.įirst things first: Four years is a long time It will be much more difficult for a new generation to break through because the same opportunities for playing time will be harder to come by. And the key to living up to that hype will be another group of youngsters attempting to make the exact same impact that this generation just did. This group of breakthrough youngsters - Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah dominating the midfield, Sergino Dest at full-back, and pretty much everyone who played upfront, led by Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic - are going to face overwhelming expectations heading toward the 2026 World Cup, which they will be playing on home soil. In total, 16 Americans played at least 45 minutes at the World Cup in Qatar, and 12 of them were 24 years old or younger, meaning they were teenagers when the US lost at Trinidad and Tobago to clinch failure in October 2017. The youths took over the US player pool in the five years between the team's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup (we won't mention Couva!) and their advancement to the 2022 World Cup's round of 16. What's funny is we didn't do it after 2018 for obvious reasons - namely, that the US didn't even qualify for the World Cup, so what the heck was the point - and then. World Cup 2022: News and features | Schedule We would make spreadsheets of player names (shocking behavior coming from me, I realize), convincing ourselves that not only were the young players on each given World Cup team going to take massive steps forward, but that the up-and-coming generation of American teenagers was going to transform the player pool and turn the US into a genuine contender. As soon as the United States men's national team were eliminated from a World Cup - starting in 2002, as far as I can tell, and extending through 2006, 20 - we would immediately project forward four years. You broke my heart, Bobby Convey.įor years, some nerd friends of mine and I had the same habit. Oh, what could have been, Charlie Davies. We're old enough that guys such as Jesse Marsch and Taylor Twellman were almost certainly on the list at one point. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪ way-too-early look at the USMNT depth chart for 2026 World Cupĭanny Karbassiyoon was definitely on the list at some point.
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