After he left Brandon Vazquez off his June roster, U.S. national team coach Gregg Berhalter said he was hoping to see the forward stretch his strong form out for a few more weeks.
“He’s close,” Berhalter said after naming his roster. “If he continues to score goals at [this] rate and his team continues to win, I’m sure there will be an opportunity for him in the future.”
Since Berhalter said those words in May, Vazquez has ripped off eight goals in 12 games. He has six in his last six.
If he was close in May, Vazquez may simply be too hot to ignore come next month’s friendlies – even if a USMNT call-up would represent his first at a time Berhalter would rather not be testing out brand-new players
But Vazquez’s form may force Berhalter’s hand, particularly at a position in which very few candidates have proven to be roster locks.
Vazquez has 14 goals this season for a resurgent FC Cincy team, including another one over the weekend in a 3-1 statement win over the Philadelphia Union.
Those goals are no fluke either, as the 23-year-old leads MLS in non-penalty expected goals with 11.3, per FBref. He’s getting into ideal scoring spots by displaying a poacher’s instinct.
Over at MLSsoccer.com, Matt Doyle has a comprehensive statistical breakdown of Vazquez’s brilliance this season. One stat that stands out though, is that Vazquez leads MLS in in hold-ups per game with 2.6.
His target forward play, as displayed against Philadelphia in this thread, shows the multi-dimensional facets of Vazquez’s game. He’s not just a goalscorer.
Vazquez may just play himself into a World Cup spot, but the country he’d represent is still an open question.
“Yes, I’m open to the two national teams,” Vazquez told Fox Sports Radio in Mexico last month. “The two doors are open, I’m ready for anything, for whatever comes and I am prepared for any of the two.”
Much like its rival to the north, Mexico has some major question marks up top and could see Vazquez as a possible answer to their goalscoring woes.
No U.S. coach would want to call a player up simply to keep them from playing for another country. But Vazquez is fully deserving of a call on the merits right now, and seeing him suit up for El Tri would be extra painful for a USMNT side that doesn’t have the luxury of turning away in-form strikers of any kind right now.
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