The New York City FC shot-stopper has an intriguing advantage on his competition: He starts every week
The U.S. men’s national team drew Uruguay 0-0 in a friendly in Kansas City that contained a strange debate over substitutions and few quality chances.
Perhaps most notably for the USMNT, though, Sean Johnson impressed in goal, as the New York City FC goalkeeper took full advantage of his first cap since early 2020.
Gregg Berhalter may not have to elevate Johnson on his depth chart just yet, but the USMNT boss could be tempted to give the 33-year-old another chance after his display on Sunday.
The best chances of the match came in the second half, and both fell to Uruguay. The first saw Johnson make a fantastic point-blank stop and the second, in stoppage time, saw Edinson Cavani miss a sitter that would’ve given his side the win.
The USMNT attack failed to hit the heights that it showed in a 3-0 win over Morocco on Wednesday night, as Uruguay’s organized defense helped keep the U.S. in check.
Jesús Ferreira had the best two chances of the match for the USMNT, but his 19th-minute shot inside the box was saved by Fernando Muslera before he headed a driven cross over from close range just a minute later.
The second half saw a kerfuffle over substitutions as Uruguay was allowed to make seven changes despite the friendly limiting each side to just six.
On the Fox broadcast, analyst Stuart Holden reported that the issue stemmed from Uruguay head coach Diego Alonso incorrectly believing the rule that allowed unlimited windows in which to make subs actually meant his side was allowed unlimited subs.
Johnson comes up big
Johnson took full advantage of his chance against some world-class attackers, making four saves including a true highlight-reel stop midway through the second half.
Johnson also completed all 27 of his passes in the match.
Though Johnson is behind Matt Turner and Zack Steffen on the USMNT depth chart, he does have an intriguing leg up over his competitors: he is starting every week.
Turner is expected to be a backup initially when he moves to Arsenal later this summer, while Steffen has been a backup for several seasons at Manchester City. Ethan Horvath, who is also on this USMNT roster, was a backup at Nottingham Forest this season as the club was promoted to the Premier League.
How much that affects Berhalter’s thinking about a position very much in flux remains to be seen but if the NYCFC keeper is given more chances, and produces more performances like Sunday, he could be a late-charging candidate to start in Qatar.
The U.S. men’s national team has appealed to Congress, urging members to vote in favor of stricter gun controls.
In the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde during the past month, an open letter from the USMNT was posted to the team’s official Twitter account Sunday, which according to U.S. Soccer has been sent to every member of both houses of Congress, and is collectively signed by the players and team staff.
“We are writing to join millions of people around the country who are asking a simple question: When are we going to do something about gun violence in America?” reads the letter, which was sent with anti-gun violence group Everytown tagged.
In addition to the letter, the USMNT will play Uruguay Sunday evening in Kansas City wearing orange armbands in support of Everytown’s Wear Orange Weekend.
The letter notes that both the House of Representatives and the Senate will hold votes on bills on the topic in the coming days, and urges members of both parties to vote in favor of those bills.
“There are those who say athletes shouldn’t get involved in issues that are deemed political. Certainly, we can all agree that the safety of the children in our country is a sacred responsibility that is shared by all of us,” reads the letter. “We believe it would be irresponsible not to use our platform to raise awareness and call for change. Our activism is borne out of necessity – we are talking about this issue because many of you refuse to take action.”
The Welsh defeated sentimental favorite Ukraine 1-0 in Cardiff, locking up the final spot in Group B
The U.S. men’s national team finally knows which team it will face in its World Cup opener: Wales.
The Welsh defeated sentimental favorite Ukraine 1-0 in Sunday’s UEFA World Cup qualifying playoff final, earning a spot in World Cup Group B alongside the USMNT, England and Iran.
Andriy Yarmolenko’s own goal in the first half off of Gareth Bale’s free-kick delivery was the difference at Cardiff City Stadium.
It will be just the second ever World Cup appearance for Wales, and its first since 1958.
After the match, U.S. Soccer released a statement on Twitter congratulating both Ukraine for the spirit shown during an incredibly difficult period for the country, and Wales for reaching the World Cup.
We’re inspired by the courage shown by the Ukraine Men’s National Team.
Weah’s embracing the challenge of playing a daunting opponent.
For Tim Weah, Sunday’s U.S. men’s national team friendly against an Uruguay side featuring stars like Edinson Cavani is “a dream come true.”
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Weah said he thinks the USMNT’s next match is “going to be amazing,” adding that it’s vital for a young team like Gregg Berhalter’s bunch to be tested against the world’s top teams. “It’s what I’ve always dreamed of, you know, playing at such a high level against the best,” said Weah. “Even though it’s a friendly, we want to show that we can be serious about it, and win.”
Uruguay looked impressively sharp in a 3-0 win over Mexico on Thursday, with Cavani striking twice. With a roster stocked with players from some of the world’s biggest clubs, they’ll likely feature newly-crowned Champions League winner Federico Valverde of Real Madrid, while Weah will be attacking a defense featuring Atlético Madrid’s José Giménez.
Weah said that he’s well aware of challenge they pose the USMNT.
“I’ve played with Cavani, so I know what they’re gonna give in the attack,” explained Weah, referring to his time at Paris Saint-Germain with the veteran Uruguay forward. While he hadn’t yet watched the Mexico match, Weah said Uruguay commands respect. “I already know they’re a good team. Team full of quality, full of guys that play in Europe at a high level.
“I mean, a lot of us are young, and you know, we’re still getting that experience against these high-level teams. So I feel like playing a team like Uruguay, that has a lot of stars, is amazing.”
U.S. Soccer CEO and secretary general Will Wilson will step down from his position on October 31
U.S. Soccer CEO and secretary general Will Wilson will step down from his position on October 31 to “pursue new professional ventures and opportunities,” the federation announced on Friday.
Wilson was named to the role in March 2020 and replaced Dan Flynn, who had been in the job for almost 20 years when he departed.
“It has been an honor to work with the U.S. Soccer board and the dedicated executives and staff at the federation, and especially with Cindy Parlow Cone, during this pivotal time in sports and for the organization,” Wilson said in a statement.
“My goal has always been to make sure the federation was in a better place than when I started, and I’m stepping away knowing that the organization is positioned for continued long-term global success.”
U.S. Soccer said its “Board of Directors will immediately begin a nationwide search for Wilson’s successor.”
Wilson’s time as CEO
Though Wilson’s time as CEO was relatively brief, he did oversee an eventful period in the federation’s history.
In addition to the new CBAs, Wilson also oversaw U.S. Soccer’s eight-year media rights deal with Turner Sports that was signed this March, as well as a 10-year extension of its partnership with Nike that began all the way back in 1995.
The defender is back where it all began in Kansas City after a winding road through Europe
Erik Palmer-Brown is back in Kansas City almost 10 years after it all began.
In 2013, Palmer-Brown became the youngest signing in Sporting Kansas City history when he joined the club at age 16 on a homegrown deal.
On Sunday, Palmer-Brown could line up for the U.S. national team against Uruguay after a career odyssey that’s taken him through Portugal, Belgium, Austria, and finally France.
It’s that final stop, with Ligue 1 side Troyes, that has finally given Palmer-Brown a home at which he can reasonably expect to stick around for a while.
“I think I’m at a place in my career now where it’s a little more stable,” the defender said on a call with reporters on Friday.
“Playing in France and Ligue 1, I think Tim [Weah of Lille and the USMNT] can attest, it’s a great league and week in week out, you’re going to have a tough game. So as an individual, I’ve grown a lot in that league and the competition is fierce.”
Palmer-Brown signed with Manchester City in 2018 but was immediately loaned to KV Kortrijk in Belgium. Further loans with NAC Breda, Austria Vienna, and Troyes would follow.
After playing in just two of Troyes’ first 19 league games in the 2021-22 season, Palmer-Brown established himself as a starter in the team’s back line.
Palmer-Brown would go on to start 18 of Troyes’ final 19 Ligue 1 games, helping the team secure survival in the first division and also securing himself a permanent transfer from City.
The defender’s resurgence on the club level led to a national team recall for the team’s final three World Cup qualifiers in March. He played the final 10 minutes of the USMNT’s crucial scoreless draw against Mexico, earning his first cap in two years.
“To be part of that last qualifying group of games and to be a part of the team that helped qualify for the World Cup, it gives you tremendous confidence,” Palmer-Brown said.
Palmer-Brown had played himself into contention for a World Cup roster spot even before Miles Robinson’s unfortunate injury. Now, there is even more on the line for the defender as he looks to impress on Sunday back where it all began.
“For me in KC I was just a really young guy and still going through the motions of learning how to be a professional,” he said. “Now being in Europe and having a little more experience, and using that experience from being younger to now, [I can] take that into hopefully making a World Cup roster.”
Pulisic’s back hairline, though still high, is showing some promising signs of creeping down below his ears
There were many questions that came from the U.S. men’s national team’s 3-0 win over Morocco on Wednesday night: Can Brenden Aaronson continue to star in a central role? Will Haji Wright be the answer at striker? Is Aaron Long the best replacement for Miles Robinson?
But the most important question by far surrounded the hairstyle USMNT star Christian Pulisic is developing, specifically: Is it now, or will it ever be, a mullet?
It seems, at the very least, that he is testing the waters. With sides shaved, Pulisic’s back hairline, though still high, is showing signs of creeping down below his ears.
But was it on purpose? Is he just waiting a few days to end his mullet curiosity? Or was it the beginning of the real deal?
And then a sign appeared. As if aware of the intense speculation, Pulisic went on Instagram and made it official.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeUG9xvpq2r/?hl=en
“Mullet game loading soon,” he said, alongside a picture of the back of his increasingly mulleted head.
With about six months left until the World Cup kicks off, Pulisic could have a free-flowing salad by the time Qatar rolls around, much like Real Betis star Héctor Bellerín.
Of course, Pulisic need not look all the way to Spain for inspiration. In fact, he has a strong mullet role model in his own family.
This is, of course, a developing story. Could Pulisic get a haircut and end the dream? It’s always possible. But it does seem like everything is trending in the right direction for the time being.
Aaronson put in a display that will endear him to Leeds, where, as he said, tackles are celebrated like goals.
CINCINNATI — Brenden Aaronson’s goal in the 26th minute was a just reward, both for the performance he gave for the U.S. men’s national team against Morocco, and for having endured one of the busiest weeks of his life.
Facing the 24th-ranked Atlas Lions on Wednesday at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, Aaronson needed only to caress the ball into a largely open net in the 26th minute after Christian Pulisic did most the hard work leading up to the goal.
But for Aaronson to arrive in a scoring position late in the midst of Pulisic’s memorable solo effort said everything about the shift Aaronson provided the Americans in their 3-0, FIFA World Cup tune-up victory.
Aaronson typically plays on the wing for the USMNT but was placed in a more central role where more ball hawking is demanded by manager Gregg Berhalter.
“I was impressed. I really was. I thought he gave us energy,” Berhalter said afterward. “He gave us bite. He won some good duels. To arrive in the penalty box like that on Christian’s play that he ends scoring shows great effort and tenacity, so I think he did good.”
Aaronson, too, was pleased with his efforts defensively as much as he was with his finish in the 26th minute.
“Defensively for me, it’s about being physical and I’m going to continue to work on my physicality, you know, but I think I won a lot of challenges tonight,” Aaronson said. “I think I did my job defensively and maybe it’s not winning challenges. Maybe it’s not doing that kind of thing but maybe it’s getting the shape defensively, not letting them go through you, not [allowing] passing lanes.”
Aaronson’s showing against Morocco was just a glimpse into what he hopes to provide for countryman and Leeds manager, Jesse Marsch.
Of course, it’s not as though Aaronson thinks he’ll labor to impress Marsch and the Leeds supporters. During a Monday media roundtable at a downtown Cincinnati hotel, Aaronson made clear he felt he was ready for the jump to the Premier League, which is often thought of as the best in the world.
The real question for Aaronson seemed to be whether Leeds was ready for him. Per the deal that had been agreed between Salzburg and Leeds, Aaronson’s transfer was contingent on Leeds avoiding relegation to the second-division Championship.
Leeds did manage to avoid relegation, but it went down to the last match of their season on May 22. Consequently, Aaronson spent that day pacing in a mostly empty Vienna coffee shop.
“A whirlwind again,” Aaronson said Monday. “I was in Vienna with my girlfriend. We were having coffee and watching the game and then I’m sweating and pacing around the cafe and, yeah, it was tough to watch but they got the job done. Then, the next day, I was there (at Leeds).”
Marsch was partly responsible for Aaronson’s initial foray into European soccer. Then the manager at Salzburg, Marsch helped arrange the transfer for Aaronson, a Medford, N.J. native, from the Philadelphia Union following the 2020 Major League Soccer season.
At Leeds, player and coach will reunite at a club where, as Aaronson said, tackles are celebrated like goals.
If that’s the case, Wednesday was a demonstration of Aaronson’s versatility, and his ability to contribute defensively as much as in the attack.
“I think a big part of playing for the national team is also playing for your club too,” Aaronson said. “I think you also have to play well for your country, but I think it’s also playing consistently week-in, week-out for your club. But for me, it was a step (to Leeds) that I wanted to take. I thought it was the right time to up my game by going to the Premier League. It was definitely a risk but it was a risk I was willing to take.
“Going into a city like Leeds where it’s the only team in the city, you can tell how passionate the fans are. From watching for half a year now, you can hear the fans – the echo in the stadium. The culture there, it’s huge for them. I talked to Jesse a little bit about it. The fans, they’re amazing and they’re always going to support you. It’s tough, maybe the media and stuff like that but that’s something I’m ready for.”
Read all of Pat Brennan’s work at The Cincinnati Enquirer here
The first and third goals gave USMNT fans plenty to ponder from this one
The U.S. men’s national team started its vital June window off in impressive fashion, rolling past a normally stingy Morocco side in a 3-0 win Wednesday night. The USMNT shut out a World Cup-caliber opponent, Haji Wright scored on his debut, no one got hurt – what’s not to like?
While being out-shot by a two-to-one margin, it was a game the USMNT largely controlled, with some early chances eventually becoming a quick two-goal edge that Gregg Berhalter’s side didn’t really look like relinquishing at any point. That’s a big credit to a group that mixed in several debuts while getting over Miles Robinson’s absence, as Morocco, a fellow World Cup qualifier, turned up with something close to its first-choice 11.
With that in mind, we spotlighted three moments that underlined important takeaways for the group heading into Sunday’s friendly against Uruguay.
Who needs symmetry?
Berhalter has largely played 4-3-3 with the USMNT, and the lineup listed before kickoff fit that formation without any real need to puzzle out who would go where. However, it became obvious almost immediately that the USMNT would actually be playing two formations: the familiar 4-3-3 out of possession, and what Berhalter referred to post-game as a 3-2-2-3 when in control of the ball.
The shift was simple on paper: Antonee Robinson would push up high and wide from left back, allowing Christian Pulisic to move inside and drop off the front line. Reggie Cannon would stay home and tuck in a bit to create a back three.
“We adjusted in our build-up to put Christian in position between the lines, that we thought he could really hurt the opponent,” Berhalter told reporters after the game. Berhalter late added that the USMNT “wanted to use Christian and Brenden [Aaronson] in those positions to really hurt the opponent, and then still have three guys high on the (Morocco) back line that could be running in behind them, and keeping their five pinned back.”
The first USMNT goal was a perfect illustration of what Berhalter wanted to get out of the adjustment. Robinson pushed up, really as a true left winger, while Pulisic moved into a central spot, finding a channel. Walker Zimmerman saw the same seam, going long to find Pulisic darting between Samy Mmaee (who had to set up a bit wider than normal due to Robinson’s positioning) and Ghanem Saïss.
Pulisic had some difficult work to do, controlling that pass and cutting back sharply to lose two defenders, but look at what was available from there: a completely unmarked Aaronson, and behind him a just-as-open Robinson.
At the time of this goal, Robinson’s position on the Opta passing network graph, which sets an average position of where he was when receiving the ball, was virtually in line with Tim Weah and Jesús Ferreira, making him effectively a fourth forward in possession.
Up 1-0 (and, shortly thereafter, 2-0), the 3-2-2-3 became less common, and in the second half it seemed to disappear, but while he was in, Robinson was still making sure to push high and wide in possession. That’s kind of the point: the USMNT got the favorable game state it wanted through some aggressive, calculated risk-taking, and then dialed things back a bit from there to make sure the game stayed in control.
Now, things weren’t perfect. Morocco created two dangerous counters at 0-0 when breaking USMNT pressure and moving the ball out to the left flank quickly. The risk Berhalter was taking was that Cannon, Aaronson, and Weah would be able to sort defending in that space on the fly, possibly with some help from the human dynamo that is Tyler Adams. Sometimes they did so, but other times, not as much.
Still, it’s a good place to start from in terms of honing a look that the USMNT might really need come November.
Haji Wright looking confident
Berhalter gave debuts to Malik Tillman, Joe Scally, and Haji Wright, with the latter two coming on at halftime and Tillman entering for the final 25 minutes. We’re going to focus in on one moment here, and that belongs to Wright.
Having gotten on the end of a good chance only to shoot close enough to Yassine Bounou that the Morocco goalkeeper could make the stop, Wright could be forgiven for getting inside his own head.
It’s been a long path to the USMNT for Wright, with a bold move from the LA Galaxy academy to the New York Cosmos coming before years of toiling in relative obscurity in Europe, going through numerous club moves in the process. Having truly earned his shot through incandescent form with Antalyaspor, it’s only natural to place a lot of weight on that first big chance.
However, Wright didn’t let the miss weigh on him, making a great run from midfield about 10 minutes later that forced the Morocco defense into some desperate scrambling. While he was eventually coaxed into going away from goal and having to wait for help, Wright improvised, doing enough to hold off any tackle attempts before laying the ball back, keying a sequence that became a penalty kick thanks to some good trailing runs from the USMNT and some reckless defensive work from Morocco.
The Moroccan protests took a solid two minutes, but once they cleared up, Pulisic bounced the ball to Wright, an old friend from youth national team camps, giving the debutant the spot kick.
(AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
That’s a gift, but it’s also pressure, and fortunately for Wright, he tucked the ball far enough into the bottom corner that Bounou’s correct guess wasn’t enough.
The USMNT has plenty of candidates to play the No. 9 like Wright does—combining the back-to-goal work of a target man with enough speed to stretch the game vertically—but no one has truly seized the job, and Wright’s competition in this window, Ferreira, plays the role very differently. Coming in with this kind of confidence, where a miss can be shaken off and a solo raid can be turned into a goal for the team, is surely going to go down as a big plus when the coaching staff considers their options going forward.
A new wrinkle for Aaronson?
Going back to the tactical approach from Berhalter, there was the obvious aggression that is asking your left back to also be a left winger, but there was also something different in the mix: a role in central midfield for Aaronson, who has largely played as a wide forward for the USMNT despite plenty of time in the middle with Red Bull Salzburg and the Philadelphia Union.
Aaronson’s work rate is never in question, but his arrival in the box to score the first goal underlines why playing him a bit deeper is a risk: he’s more of an attacking player than Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, or Luca de la Torre. The decisions he makes are, as a result, going to leave more gaps, but against an opponent looking to sit in, there are plenty of times where that’s worth the gamble. That’s also the allure of playing Gio Reyna there when he’s available, and it may have been on Berhalter’s mind when he mentioned that Tillman could also be a No. 10 in a 4-3-3 “depending on if we can get his defensive work where it needs to be.”
In other words, Berhalter’s got a pretty basic question on his mind: “What if we need a goal?” The McKennie-Adams-Musah central triangle appears to be solidly Plan A for a good reason, but it’s also probably a bit conservative for some scenarios, a problem that cropped up in qualifying on a few occasions.
This window is a last chance to try some new ideas out before having to hone in on opponent-specific concepts within the game model. It’s hard to read the choice to play Aaronson as a very attack-minded right-center midfielder as anything other than an examination of how to break organized foes down. We probably won’t see it in Qatar against England, but it may be a really smart option for the opening game against Wales or Ukraine, and it may be straight-up necessary against Iran in the Group B finale.
Pulisic scored and drew a penalty at TQL Stadium in a friendly win but after the game, he didn’t hesitate to call out what he perceived to be as a lack of support at the stadium.
“I’m not super happy with the amount of Americans here, however that worked out if I’m being completely honest,” Pulisic said in an interview on ESPN. “But thanks to the ones who did come and the support is always great from them.”
TQL Stadium, uh, not exactly full for the USMNT’s first pre-World Cup friendly — and in the parts that are full, lot of Morocco fans pic.twitter.com/z0aJYjaDT3
The announced attendance for the match was 19,512, several thousand below TQL’s capacity of 26,000.
There were also a number of Morocco fans in the crowd, creating a vociferous atmosphere but perhaps one that wasn’t as pro-America as the team’s star may have liked.
It sure seems like there are more Morocco fans here at TQL Stadium tonight than there were Mexico fans for the WC qualifier. Ticket allotment was different, of course. But this is a large contingent, which should make for a fun atmosphere. @cincysoccertalk@USMNT
