USA

What to expect

The US were the strongest of the four nations in Las Vegas in the CONCACAF Nations League beating Mexico 3-0 in the first semi-final and Canada 1-0 in the final with an exciting brand of football driven by a young team of extremely talented players who visibly grew in confidence. They come into the Gold Cup having dropped the bulk of that squad and are relying more on the MLS and LigaMX players. As defending champions they say they have turned up to win it again, and they might well do if they have the luck of 2021 and Matt Turner brings more game-winning performances, as he did in 2021.

Star players

The US have a number of standout players throughout the squad but they are untested. They have only retained five players from the squad that won the Nations League in Las Vegas a week before the start of the Gold Cup. Arsenal’s Matt Turner in goal, who won the Golden Gloves in 2021, will likely be the foundation for this team. He kept five clean sheets with a series of stunning performances in 2021 as the US laboured their way to the Gold Cup winning all six games by a goal. If USA are to progress he will need to repeat that form.

Alejandro Zendejas (pictured) is one to watch for the Gold Cup. The Club America forward from LigaMX has had an outstanding season for his club and was unfortunate not to feature in the Nations League. Defender Miles Robinson and midfielder AlanSonora will also be expected to lead. 

Sixteen of the 23 players are based in Major League Soccer. FC Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders lead the list of 12 MLS teams represented on the roster with two selections each. There are only seven players from the 2022 FIFA World Cup team: Jesús Ferreira, Aaron Long, Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, DeAndre Yedlin, Johnson and Turner.

It potentially looks like a selection accident waiting to happen. Only a series of wins all the way to the title will really justify this kind of selection for a major world tournament after the breakthrough performances in Las Vegas.

“Many of these players have performed well at their clubs as well as the previous opportunities that they have had in the national team environment. We’re trying to expose as many players as possible to tournament competition. Some have a lot of experiences that we continue to build on, while others are just starting out. In all cases it will be valuable for the group moving forward,” said B.J. Callahan.

So the question is, if the Nations League squad is your first choice, does not having them build a winning streak and learning more about each other as players improve this young team for the home-hosted World Cup in 2023? It is an interesting experiment that could blow up in the lab with embarrassing consequences. US fans have the right to feel cheated if it does.

Manager

The US has re-awarded the job to Gregg Berhalter whose contract ended after the Qatar 2022 World Cup but he doesn’t take over until after the Gold Cup. Anthony Hudson, a member of Berhalter’s staff, was the interim manager who took the team through qualifying. But he departed suddenly and B J Callahan stepped into the interim role. Callahan has had a coaching career that began at college level before he took a assistant post at the Philadelphia  Union and then joining the US men’s team as an assistant in 2019. He was outstanding at the Nations League finals and will lead the US through the Gold Cup – but it is a very different task to the two-game Nations League finish, and a very different team.

Schedule 

In Group A

Saturday, June 24, 2023: 9:30 PM (8:30 PM) United States vs Jamaica – Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

Wednesday, June 28, 2023: 7:30 PM (6:30 PM) Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago – CITYPARK, St. Louis, MO

Sunday, July 2, 2023: 7:00 PM (7:00 PM) United States vs Trinidad & Tobago – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Squad