Tag: CONCACAF Nations League

Adams provides fitness update ahead of USMNT Nations League matches

The USMNT captain isn’t in camp just to provide a locker room presence.

Tyler Adams may have only played a couple times over the past year, but he’s not at U.S. men’s national team camp just to provide a locker room presence.

After two hamstring surgeries knocked him out for nearly a full year, Adams has been named to a USMNT roster for the first time since the 2022 World Cup.

The midfielder has joined up with the USMNT ahead of Thursday’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal against Jamaica. The winner of that match will face the winner of Mexico’s semifinal against Panama in Sunday’s final, while the two losers will meet Sunday in the third-place game.

Adams made his first Bournemouth appearance since September last week, coming on in the 71st minute of a 4-3 comeback win over Luton Town.

Some have questioned the wisdom of bringing Adams into USMNT camp with such limited recent game action, but in a call with the media on Monday, the 25-year-old insisted he’s ready to play some significant minutes.

“I played a bit in a [Bournemouth] reserve game, so I got a few minutes there. I had been training for a good amount of time, doing a lot of fitness,” Adams said. “But I felt really good in the [Luton] game. I think I ended up playing — with like 12 minutes of extra time or something — close to 30 minutes and came out of that in a good position.

“I was talking to Gregg [Berhalter, USMNT coach] all along and we were deciding whether I would just come into camp and be around the guys and continue my fitness and training, or if I felt I could play a role in an active roster.

“If anybody asked me, of course I want to play a role and be on the active roster. So I think for these games, I’m still probably minute-capped maybe a little bit. It’s not you know, come flying out of the gates, but I know I can contribute 45 to 60 minutes.”

Adams said that despite a lengthy period of rehab that had to start all over again after his second surgery in October, he always believed he would be back with the USMNT.

“There was never a doubt in my mind that the moment would come,” he said. “Anyone that knows me knows that I do a lot of my work behind the scenes. I go about my business in the right way. I’ve been continuously working nonstop in the past months to make sure that this time would come.

“I’m not sure if anyone thought it would come this soon, but I was continuously just pushing myself and making sure that I was hitting objectives in a smart way. Not rushing the process, making sure I was hitting all my benchmarks, and now here I am.”

[lawrence-related id=53576,53472,53458]

USMNT calls Aaronson, Wright up for Nations League as injury replacements

Snubbed no more, Aaronson and Wright will get their shot at the Nations League

The U.S. men’s national team has had to make a pair of changes, with Gregg Berhalter adding Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright to his squad for the Concacaf Nations League.

The duo will join up with the USMNT after Luca de la Torre and Josh Sargent had to withdraw from the team with injuries ahead of Thursday’s semifinal against Jamaica in Arlington, Texas.

De la Torre was forced to withdraw with what U.S. Soccer called a quadriceps strain, while Sargent — whose superb recent form earned him his first call-up since 2022 — will miss out due to ankle irritation.

The recall comes at a critical time for Aaronson. The New Jersey native said he is enduring “the toughest year of my life” on Saturday, shortly after what was arguably his best single-game performance with Union Berlin. Aaronson scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen, just two minutes after notching his first assist of the year.

Wright, meanwhile, is flying high. The USMNT recall comes a day after the Coventry City striker notched a stunning stoppage-time winner to send the Sky Blues through to the FA Cup semifinals. The Californian has eight goals in Coventry’s last 10 matches.

Despite the injury news, Berhalter had a series of options to sort through, particularly in replacing Sargent. Brandon Vazquez has been thriving since completing a winter transfer to Monterrey, while Jordan Pefok has started 10 straight for Borussia Mönchengladbach. If a wide attacker had been preferred, the list of players vying for a spot would have to include Kevin Paredes, Cade Cowell, Alex Zendejas, and Griffin Yow.

If Berhalter had concerns about the balance of his squad going too attack-heavy, Gianluca Busio, and Aidan Morris could have all been in the mix as well. Another option, Lennard Maloney, remains out for Heidenheim with a knock.

Updated USMNT Nations League finals roster

Goalkeepers (3): 22-Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), 18-Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City; 9/0), 1-Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest; 37/0)

Defenders (8): 2-Sergino Dest (PSV; 32/2), 23-Kristoffer Lund (Palermo; 3/0), 16-Mark McKenzie (Genk; 13/0), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham; 55/1), 3-Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 14/1), 5-Antonee Robinson (Fulham; 39/4), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 28/3), 19-Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach; 8/0)

Midfielders (5): 4-Tyler Adams (Bournemouth; 36/1), 15-Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; 9/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 49/11), 6-Yunus Musah (AC Milan; 33/0), 7-Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest; 24/7)

Forwards (7): 11-Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 38/8), 20-Folarin Balogun (Monaco; 8/3), 17-Malik Tillman (PSV; 8/0), 9-Ricardo Pepi (PSV; 22/10), 10-Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; 64/28), 21-Tim Weah (Juventus; 35/5), 14-Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 7/2)

[lawrence-related id=54773,54441,53458]

USMNT captain Adams returns for Bournemouth after six months out

Adams’ return is a massive boost for the USMNT ahead of the Concacaf Nations League matches later this month

After six months on the sidelines, Tyler Adams is back.

The midfielder came on for Bournemouth in the 71st minute against Luton Town on Wednesday, marking his first appearance since September.

Bournemouth would go on to cap a miraculous comeback, as Antoine Semenyo claimed a brace to give the hosts — who trailed 3-0 at halftime — a stunning 4-3 win.

Barely two hours after Adams was named to a USMNT roster for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, the New York native returned from a hamstring injury that has required two surgeries.

The first came in March 2023, ending his season and playing a major factor in Leeds’ eventual relegation. The second came seven months later, shortly after Adams made a 20-minute Cherries debut that essentially set him right back to square one.

Bournemouth and the USMNT both had to be pleased to see him come on when he replaced Adam Smith in what was a wild match. Adams unsurprisingly stepped into a central midfield role for Andoni Iraola, who had his team see the game out in a 5-2-3 formation.

Shortly before that match kicked off, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter addressed reporters, discussing what had to happen for Adams to be in the 23-player Nations League squad.

“This decision was basically the output of months of communication with his club to track where he’s at, to see the levels that he’s performing at in training, the loads that he’s doing in training,” explained Berhalter. “Finally, a conversation with [Iraola] two days ago, and really hearing from the coach where he thinks Tyler’s at.”

Per Berhalter, Iraola gave a glowing review of Adams’ progress, which in turn sealed the deal from the USMNT’s perspective.

“He couldn’t say enough good things about [Adams],” said Berhalter. “He’s actually ready to play minutes [Wednesday] in the Premier League. So, we’ll see how that ends up, potentially 30 minutes, 15 minutes, who knows?

“But certainly, they think at the club that he has enough to play up to 45 minutes for us. So once we heard that, we jumped at that idea, because he means so much to the team, both on and off the field. It’d be nice to get him back. His last time with the national team was at the World Cup, so he’s been missed for a while. It’ll be nice to get him back into this group.”

Berhalter made sure to keep the door open for Adams as long as he could, naming him to the team’s 60-player preliminary roster for the upcoming Nations League semifinal against Jamaica (March 21), which will be followed by a contest — either a final or a third-place game —against Mexico or Panama on March 24.

[lawrence-related id=53458,49154,49054]

McKennie, Dest suspended by CONCACAF after USMNT vs. Mexico Nations League brawl

CONCACAF took a dim view of the Nations League scuffle

CONCACAF would really rather not have wild brawls in its most high-profile matches.

That’s the takeaway after the confederation suspended players from the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico after a melee towards the end of the former’s 3-0 Nations League semifinal victory.

For the USMNT, Weston McKennie — whose red card was unsuccessfully appealed by U.S. Soccer — was given a three-game ban, while Sergiño Dest was handed a two-game suspension. El Tri, meanwhile, saw César Montes (three games) and Gerardo Arteaga (two games) receive similar punishments.

Per CONCACAF, all four suspended players served their automatic bans in Mexico’s victory over Panama in the Nations League’s third-place game and the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Canada in the competition’s final, respectively.

U.S. Soccer confirmed to Pro Soccer Wire that the suspensions can be served during the Gold Cup, regardless of the fact that McKennie and Dest are not on the roster for the tournament. That means both will be available when the Nations League returns this fall.

CONCACAF’s statement on the matter noted that both U.S. Soccer and the Mexican federation received fines for the general chaos involved in Las Vegas.

“Furthermore, the committee has imposed an undisclosed fine on both federations and warned them that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during their upcoming matches in CONCACAF national team competitions,” said the confederation’s statement announcing the disciplinary measures.

The USMNT’s victory came in a match that finished nine-on-nine, with tensions boiling over after Montes hauled off and kicked Folarin Balogun’s legs out from under him. Montes was given a straight red card even as the teams scuffled, while McKennie ended up with a badly torn jersey and (eventually) a red card of his own.

Dest and Arteaga, meanwhile, got their marching orders in the 85th minute after both got into a shoving match over a throw-in.

[lawrence-related id=21919,21911,21866]

Herdman calls out Canada Soccer: ‘We’re not serious about winning a World Cup’

The coach is fed up with his federation’s lack of investment

Canada men’s national team head coach John Herdman has called out Canada Soccer for its lack of investment, saying the federation is “not serious” about winning a World Cup.

Herdman’s side fell 2-0 to the United States in Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final, failing to win its first trophy since 2000.

Part of the reason for Canada’s loss, in Herdman’s eyes, was an inadequate amount of time spent preparing for the game. In contrast to the USMNT, Herdman said his side was only given the funds for four days of preparation — three of which were spent on semifinal opponent Panama.

“There’s no time,” Herdman said at his post-game press conference. “We need the resources where we can actually put a camp together, where I can work for six days on the things that will make the biggest difference moving forward.”

“You could see the preparation the U.S. have had, those set pieces made a big difference. Those extra five, six, seven days they had makes a difference.”

Canada Soccer’s financial troubles have been well documented. The Olympic champion women’s team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding, only to be forced onto the field after being threatened with a lawsuit by its own federation.

Amid the turmoil, Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis was forced out and replaced on an interim basis by Charmaine Crooks.

But the federation’s financial problems are still very much an issue. Herdman challenged Canada Soccer to do more ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which it will co-host.

“I think it’s not a secret the organization has been suffering financially even through the [2022] World Cup qualification. You had coaches raising money to make sure we’ve got charter flights, security on those charter flights.

“We’ve got the best generation of players we’ve had. And there’s more coming, you can see it. [Ismaël] Koné just dropped out the sky. Tajon Buchanan just dropped out the sky, Alistair Johnson, like it’s coming,” he said.

“We’ve got to figure this out financially. We’ve got to get serious about winning a World Cup. When you play at home, you get a chance to win it. You get a chance to get to a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and then get on that roll to win it. And we’re not serious,” the coach added.

“We brought a World Cup to our country and we’re not serious about winning it.”

[lawrence-related id=21428,15336,21880]

Cocca fired as Mexico head coach after nightmare loss to USMNT

A 3-0 defeat against its biggest rival was too much to bear for Mexico’s federation

After just over four months in charge, Diego Cocca has been fired as Mexico men’s national team head coach.

Cocca’s entire staff was also let go, as was national team director Rodrigo Ares de Parga.

Jaime Lozano has been named interim manager and will be in charge for the Gold Cup, which kicks off later this month.

The final straw for Mexico’s federation was an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to the United States in Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinal. Mexico turned in a poor performance that was also blighted by indiscipline, as two El Tri players were red carded and several were involved in melees with USMNT players.

“We can lose a game against the United States. The risk always exists because this is football and winning can go either way. What is not acceptable is the way it happened,” said Mexican federation president Juan Carlos Rodríguez in a video explaining the decision.

“We gave up the chance to win from the beginning starting with logistical decisions that caused friction within the group. In the end we didn’t just lose the game, we also lost the ability to react, leadership inside and outside the field, control of emotions, and the sense of behaving with professionalism.”

“It would be natural to wait until after the Gold Cup, but today we don’t have time to waste,” Rodríguez added.

Cocca won just three of his seven games in charge after leaving Tigres to take on the El Tri job in February.

His final game at the helm was on Sunday, a 1-0 win over Panama in the Nations League third-place game.

[lawrence-related id=21797,21792,21782]

Human bowling balls and trophy beer chugs: USMNT throws down after Nations League win

Featuring Christian Pulisic as a human bowling ball

The U.S. men’s national team was not about to waste a chance to celebrate a trophy win in Las Vegas.

After cruising past Canada in Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final, the USMNT reveled in its win in the locker room, the team bus and presumably beyond.

Thankfully, several U.S. players including Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah documented their team’s celebrations on Instagram Live.

The celebrations were varied, and wild. From chugging beer from the Nations League trophy, to shotgunning beers; from Christian Pulisic becoming a human bowling ball and knocking over champagne bottles, to a rousing rendition of Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” on the team bus, it was, as they say, extremely lit.

Let’s review some of the highlights.

USMNT coach B.J. Callaghan: Gio Reyna has ‘absolutely risen to the occasion’

“Gio’s performance tonight, is a performance that you expect”

So much of the talk about Gio Reyna and the U.S. men’s national team has focused on off-field issues.

On it? He may well have just delivered a signature performance for the USMNT.

Reyna was stellar as the USMNT confidently defeated Canada 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League final, getting the assist on both goals before leaving at halftime with an injury.

The assists were the deserved end product on a day where Reyna was borderline unstoppable. He finished the match with three key passes, eight duels, a successful tackle, and an expected assists total of 0.63 (significantly ahead of any other player on either team).

For U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan, that’s the standard the USMNT expects the Borussia Dortmund man to meet.

“Specifically Gio’s performance tonight, is a performance that you expect,” Callaghan told reporters after the match. “It shows his quality that’s on the field, his ball security, his ability to take on two or three players and connect passes.”

One stated reason that Reyna didn’t see as much playing time at the World Cup — a choice from Gregg Berhalter that set off a domino effect involving scandal, disgrace, and a protracted coach hiring process that ended right back where U.S. Soccer started — was that he didn’t offer the defensive effort and cover the team needed.

Per Callaghan, this Nations League window saw Reyna step up on that front in a big way.

“What I’m really proud of him [about], is we’ve challenged Gio to do more work off the ball on the defensive side,” explained Callaghan. “He’s absolutely risen to the occasion.”

Reyna injury status unclear

All that said, Reyna left the match in some clear pain after a tackle just before halftime. Luca de la Torre replaced him during the break. While Reyna was able to cheer the USMNT on from the bench as the half wore on, he was moving very gingerly even with a brace.

Callaghan said that while he had a general sense of what the problem was, the severity remained unclear.

“The only thing I know currently at [this] time, is that it’s a calf injury,” said Callaghan. “I don’t know the severity of it. We haven’t had an opportunity to do a full [evaluation].”

Callaghan chuckled at the idea of how the team’s celebrations were delaying that examination, but added that he was sure Reyna wouldn’t have come off if he could keep going.

“I can tell you that he would be someone that wants to be on the field,” said the USMNT coach. “For him to come off the field, it must be something because he’s not wanting to want to come off. But I don’t have specifics regarding it, I can just tell you that it’s a calf.”

[lawrence-related id=21880,21819,20673]

USMNT undisputed king of CONCACAF after Nations League stroll

The U.S. is the region’s best team right now, and it isn’t really that close

The U.S. men’s national team is, once again, the unquestioned king of CONCACAF.

After steamrolling Mexico in the Nations League semifinal on Thursday, the U.S. dispatched Canada 2-0 in the final on Sunday to cement its status atop the region.

Though the USMNT won both the Nations League and Gold Cup two summers ago, the upstart Canadians finished atop CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifying table last year. Not only was Canada finally breaking up the region’s duopoly, but it actually looked like it could have a shout to be the top dog.

Not anymore.

After a World Cup where the USMNT was the only CONCACAF team to reach the knockout stage, the Nations League was a thoroughly convincing way to cement its place on top of the confederation.

Canada was able to frustrate the USMNT in World Cup qualifying by turning the two games into tight, defensive affairs where the U.S. was unable to break down an organized Canadian block.

Sunday night in Las Vegas could not have been more different. It was an open affair and unlike in the teams’ previous two meetings, the USMNT was able to jump out to an early lead.

Chris Richards would get the opener just 12 minutes in and for the first time in a year, the U.S. managed to score from a set piece.

The service from Gio Reyna was key, and the Borussia Dortmund man continued an excellent first-half display by setting up Folarin Balogun for his much-awaited first USMNT goal.

Because this is Gio Reyna and the U.S. men’s national team, an adverse event almost inevitably followed his success. This time, it came in the form of a calf injury that forced him off at halftime and further depleted a midfield already missing Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.

Without its midfield anchors, the USMNT struggled to contain the game in the second half as Canada created a number of quality chances and enjoyed a big advantage in possession.

But the USMNT never seemed truly troubled by Canada, whose search for a first trophy since 2000 continues. Part of that was due to a strong performance by the back line and part was Canada displaying a real lack of sharpness in the final third.

As the final whistle sounded, the USMNT celebrated its third straight regional trophy. There’s no reason to think that streak won’t continue.

[lawrence-related id=21882,21813,21806]

Balogun fires home first USMNT goal in Nations League final

Balogun is off the mark for the USMNT

Folarin Balogun didn’t want to keep U.S. men’s national team fans waiting.

The newly-minted USMNT striker scored his first goal for the national team as his side ran out 2-0 winners over Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League final.

U.S. Soccer’s recruitment of Balogun was, amid all the chaos and strangeness of the past few months, unquestionably an enormous development for the program. Balogun scored 21 goals for unfancied Reims in Ligue 1 this past season, turning a loan from Arsenal into a battle between the USMNT, England, and Nigeria to get him into their respective player pools.

Balogun’s USMNT debut saw the 21-year-old draw praise from interim coach B.J. Callaghan for his pressing and hold-up play, but fans have been hoping that the prolific striker could solve the team’s issues turning good play into goals.

Against Canada, Balogun proved that he’s exactly what those folks were dreaming of, showing poise and technique to beat Milan Borjan in the 35th minute. Gio Reyna pounced on a loose ball produced by hard work from Tim Weah, sending Balogun through to finish the job with aplomb.

After the match, USMNT interim coach B.J. Callaghan said Balogun’s instant success with the team was down to the group’s ability to bring him into the fold.

“I think he’s a great example of what our culture is all about, right? So he’s a player that came from the outside. He felt welcomed, he chose us,” said Callaghan at a post-match press conference. “And now you see how quickly he can adapt. We have a very clear identity on how we want to play. So when we’re able to spend time with him, he’s able to do the on-field performance.

“I give the team a lot of credit for welcoming him in: open arms, making him feel part of it,” added Callaghan. “You get the best out of players when they feel most comfortable, calm and confident. And that doesn’t just happen from on-field performances or tactics. That comes from the 22 other hours that they’re spending off of the field together. And that’s what’s so special about this group.”

Watch Balogun’s first USMNT goal

[lawrence-related id=21044,21813,21782]