USMNT World Cup Roster Projection 2.0: De La Torre’s Stock Rises With One Camp to Go

With one full gathering left before the U.S.’s World Cup squad is chosen, here’s our best assessment of what the player pool looks like.

The 2022 World Cup may still be over five months away, but just one FIFA international window remains before the competition kicks off in Qatar. That leaves managers, including U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter, with dwindling opportunities to make World Cup roster judgments based on in-person access and performance.

One of the great unknowns was removed from the equation on June 23, when FIFA officially announced expansion of World Cup rosters from the customary 23-man size to 26. When talking before the recent camp, which concluded under chaotic circumstances in El Salvador, Berhalter indicated quite casually that he was anticipating expansion, which would make sense considering the schedule crunch on players at the club level and the constricted nature of this World Cup. That final ruling yields managers a bit more leeway and flexibility, while also giving players on the roster bubble greater hope. Every little bit of help matters when taking into account all that goes into squad decisions.

With just one camp remaining for the U.S. to gather as a unit before the chosen group departs for Qatar, here’s our latest assessment of the player pool and who is in frame to represent the nation at the 2022 World Cup:

De la Torre has impressed in recent months with the USMNT :: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA TODAY Network

LOCKS

Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Kellyn Acosta (LAFC), Luca de la Torre (Heracles), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Tim Weah (Lille), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United)

Not much has changed here from our last projection, which was made after qualification was sealed, but there are two new wrinkles: de la Torre’s rise and Aaronson’s club. Barring injury, these 14 should be on the plane to Qatar. The goalkeeper depth chart merits watching, especially after Turner heads to Arsenal, and another expected transfer—de la Torre is reportedly headed elsewhere after his Dutch club’s relegation—could become a factor as well, but it’s hard to see any of these players ultimately not making the trip. 

No player has improved his stock quite like de la Torre over the last few months with his individual play for club and country, and it was his delivery in the final minutes in El Salvador on Tuesday night that helped the U.S. salvage the draw. That moment alone wasn’t necessarily World-Cup-roster-worthy, but it was the latest piece of evidence in a growing file for a player who appears to have a knack for making the right decision. He earned post-match praise from Berhalter, who claimed that he fits in well with everything the U.S. is trying to do. McKennie, Adams and Musah are still most likely the preferred midfield starters, but in a compressed group stage, where fitness—not to mention potential suspension—comes into play, it helps to have a drop-off that isn’t all that drastic.

Steffen (family reasons), Dest and Reyna (injury) may have been unavailable this last camp, but that should have no impact on their standing, as long as they’re recovered in time and closer to peak shape five months from now.

THE NEXT RUNG

Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest), Sean Johnson (NYCFC), Reggie Cannon (Boavista), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor on loan from SønderjyskE)

Miles Robinson’s injury removes him from consideration and gives a boost to Long, who was the only U.S. player to start all four games this month, and Richards, who missed this camp with an injury but shouldn’t feel too spooked by the spot performances that Cameron Carter-Vickers and Erik Palmer-Brown put forth over the last couple of weeks. 

On the other end of the field, Ferreira certainly helped his cause with a four-goal showing vs. Grenada (strength of the 170th-ranked opponent notwithstanding), but the same cannot be said for Wright. Berhalter indicated that he was hoping Wright could be “a force” for the U.S. in his start in El Salvador, but, save for a couple of promising moments, he had a quiet night (albeit in rough conditions) and was yanked at halftime in favor of Ferreira. The manager was quite candid in his assessment of the player while also leaving the door open for his return, but the club goal-scoring form that merited Wright’s call-up didn’t fully translate to his brief national team performances.

“When players get an opportunity and don't fully capitalize on it, it’s not nice for a coach,” Berhalter said. “It's not nice for the players. It’s not nice for the group. You know we're all rooting for Haji to be a force. It just wasn't his night tonight, and you know it doesn't rule him out for anything in the future. … But it was an unlucky night for him tonight, for sure.”

If Pepi can start scoring goals at Augsburg when the new season starts in Germany, he could seize back his place as the U.S.’s line-leading forward, but as of now, Ferreira appears to have a leg up over his former FC Dallas teammate.

Meanwhile, if forced to pick a third goalkeeper today, Berhalter could well tilt in Johnson’s favor, given his decent play vs. Uruguay and Horvath’s mysterious gaffe in El Salvador, where he failed to protect his near post for a seemingly innocuous ball in from a tight angle that resulted in the opening goal. That, coupled with Johnson’s guarantee of playing time and Horvath’s continued uncertainty in that regard, puts the NYCFC backstop in an advantageous position.

As for some of the MLS-based veterans, Morris and Arriola each had a mixed bag of a camp. They both had a share of heroics (Morris’s equalizer in San Salvador and Arriola’s influential play vs Grenada) and a dose of disappointment (Morris’s quiet night vs. Grenada and Arriola’s red card vs. El Salvador nine minutes after coming on), and  figure to be right on the roster bubble as Berhalter considers his final choices.

STILL ON THE RADAR

Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire), Shaq Moore (Tenerife), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Bryan Reynolds (Roma), Brooks Lennon (Atlanta United), John Brooks (Unattached), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes), George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld), Sam Vines (Antwerp), James Sands (Rangers), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montreal), Sebastian Lletget (New England Revolution), Malik Tillman (Bayern Munich), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca), Jordan Pefok (Young Boys), Daryl Dike (West Brom), Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids)

It’s not likely that any player’s outlook is going to be boiled down to a performance or two, especially in a friendly, but if Scally’s long look vs. Uruguay was his audition, it didn’t go well enough to merit an immediate jolt up the pecking order. He was targeted early and often by La Celeste and was frequently left scrambling. That said, his versatility to be able to play both sides is an asset, even on an expanded roster, and a strong preseason and start to the Bundesliga campaign with Gladbach could result in another look in September. 

Tillman’s commitment to the U.S. over Germany puts him under the spotlight as a potential wild card to make a run at a roster spot. He didn’t wow in his first U.S. camp, though, and an injury ruling him out vs. El Salvador didn’t help either, giving him precious little time to make up enough ground to win over Berhalter’s favor.

Just as it wouldn’t take much for Pepi to reclaim his role as leading U.S. striker, the same could be said for the likes of Sargent, Pefok and Dike, should they catch fire in the fall and start their seasons on a tear. Such is the tenuous nature of the position, that a well-timed run of form could be all that secures a ticket to Qatar.

LURKING IN THE MLS SHADOWS

DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Jeremy Ebobisse (San Jose Earthquakes), Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati)

These domestic-based players aren’t likely to seize roster places at all, but they’ve all been name-checked by Berhalter in recent weeks, meaning they perhaps aren’t that far off from being camp-ready. The issue is whether they could come in from the cold and mesh immediately with a core group that’s been building together for months, but each offers help at a need area. 

With no clear depth chart behind Antonee Robinson at left back, Jones and Tolkin stand a chance. The aforementioned need for goals from strikers isn’t going away, and Ebobisse (nine goals) and Vazquez (seven) have enjoyed respective success this season. As for Williamson, he was set to play a more vital role in World Cup qualifying before tearing his ACL last summer, and another recent leg injury suffered since coming back this season hasn’t helped, but time, as fleeting as it may feel, is still on his side for now.