When Sam Vines was left off Royal Antwerp’s Champions League roster for the upcoming group stage, it appeared that his recent injury must have been serious.
Vines started the 2023-24 season well, scoring an excellent goal from distance against Union Saint-Gilloise in league play last weekend before leaving the match with an injury.
But the truth of why Vines won’t play in the Champions League is actually much stranger.
As Antwerp head coach Mark van Bommel revealed at a press conference on Thursday, Vines was omitted from the roster by mistake.
“We have made an administrative error and it cannot be corrected,” Van Bommel said.
The coach added that although Vines is injured, he is expected to be fit at some point during the group stage.
“Everyone wants to be on that list, so he is disappointed,” Van Bommel said. “Sam is now recovering and we cannot estimate how long he will be out, but he should be fit before the end of the group stage.”
Van Bommel added: “He is now focusing on his rehabilitation, that is the most important thing.”
Missing the chance to face Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto in the Champions League will be a major blow for Vines, who was also forced out of contention for a World Cup roster spot last year due to a broken leg.
Vines would return in March and made a handful of appearances for the club’s reserves, before he was reintegrated into the senior team ahead of the current season.
Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi should all be big factors for the Dutch giants this season
In the span of just a few months, PSV became one of the first clubs on the list of anyone monitoring Americans Abroad.
Three players who figure to play a key role over the next decade for the U.S. men’s national team — Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi — all joined the Dutch giants over the summer.
The transformation of PSV into a hub for Americans is largely due to Earnie Stewart, the former sporting director of U.S. Soccer who now holds the same position with PSV.
The season is still young, but there are some promising signs coming out of Eindhoven for all three USMNT players.
Dest looks to be the player who’s immediately benefitted the most, but Tillman and Pepi can also be encouraged by their first month at the club.
Let’s kick off this week’s Five with a look at PSV’s American trio.
11 U.S. players are in the world’s biggest club competition
There was once a time where a U.S. men’s national team player being on a Champions League squad list — even if they might have no shot at playing in any actual games — was a very big deal.
It’s safe to say those days are gone, with no fewer than 11 U.S. players on the books for clubs that qualified for this year’s competition.
Sure, in some cases the player in question is probably a major longshot to even dress on gameday, but between Christian Pulisic’s sublime start to life at AC Milan and a USMNT trio at PSV, USMNT fans are likely going to be watching games on multiple screens just to keep up.
Here is the complete list of U.S. men’s players to make it to this year’s Champions League proper:
Both Americans in Spain stayed up, but it mattered a lot more to one of them
Entering the final day of the season, La Liga’s relegation battle was … (gets out Spanish dictionary) … loco.
The bottom two, Espanyol and Elche, entered the last day already relegated. Ahead of them, no less than six teams were fighting to avoid being the final team to drop down to the Segunda División.
Of those six, two featured Americans. But Celta Vigo’s Luca de la Torre and Valencia’s Yunus Musah had vastly different outlooks if their teams were to be relegated. De la Torre needed to stay up much more, and it showed.
In the end, both Valencia and Celta Vigo retained their La Liga status, with Real Valladolid the unlucky team headed down.
The Americans Abroad Five signs off for the season this week with a look at a dramatic final day in Spain, and an even wilder last day in Belgium.
The 23-year-old was in contention for a World Cup spot backing up Antonee Robinson
U.S. national team left back Sam Vines announced on Instagram that he will miss 3-4 months with a broken tibia, ending his World Cup hopes.
Vines had put himself in contention for a place in Qatar with a strong start to the season with Royal Antwerp in Belgium, where he became an every-game starter.
The 23-year-old was called in for September’s friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia, his first USMNT call-up since November 2021.
But his hopes of landing a spot backing up Antonee Robinson in Qatar have now been dashed.
“Life is full of ups and downs,” Vines wrote on Instagram. “Unfortunately yesterday I broke my tibia and had to get surgery. The operation went well and I should be back in 3-4 months. Upset I missed the chance to be in the World Cup but I will be supporting the boys until the end. Thank you for all the support. I’ll be back stronger.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CklNBjJoGul/?hl=en
Behind Robinson, starting right back Sergiño Dest has often been deployed as a backup left back for the national team. Joe Scally can also play the position, though he typically plays right back at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
With Vines out, Scally would appear to have a World Cup spot just about locked up. George Bello, another left back option for the USMNT, has struggled at second-division Germany side Arminia Bielefeld and has only been capped once by the USMNT in 2022.
We’ll know the 26-player U.S. men’s national team roster for the 2022 World Cup in less than a month.
U.S. Soccer announced Thursday that they will announce the full squad heading to Qatar on Wednesday, November 9, at Brooklyn Steel in New York City.
ESPN2 and ESPN+ will broadcast the event, with coverage beginning at 5:00pm Eastern. Gregg Berhalter and some players from the squad will be present in person.
In World Cups past, the run-up would mean a roster reveal coming out as far as a month before the tournament. However, with Qatar holding the World Cup in November and December, in the thick of the European club season, the announcement will come just 12 days before the USMNT opens its schedule against Wales on November 21. Many players will likely have one more round of club matches the following weekend before joining up with the USMNT and heading to a pre-tournament training camp in Qatar.
Expect Berhalter to stay young
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter is expected to call up one of the youngest squads going to the World Cup. Per data from U.S. Soccer, the average age of the USMNT in their 14 qualifying matches was 23.82, making them by some distance the most youthful group to qualify for the tournament.
Berhalter will have some tough calls to make over the next few weeks. A dispiriting pair of friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia saw few players improve their stock, and while important players like Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi have since gotten into better form with their clubs, fans are justifiably nervous with the group’s struggles in their last pair of rehearsals.
It feels as though there are few roster mysteries, provided that some key players stay healthy. Recent call-ups like Johnny Cardoso and Sam Vines appear to be on the outside looking in, while striker Brandon Vazquez has said that Berhalter told him it was too late to integrate him.
With Berhalter seemingly not particularly moved by Jordan Pefok’s excellent start with Union Berlin, the strike force question also seems close to settled. Center back should see the most heated competition, though that stems in part from injuries and poor showings in September for several candidates.
The USMNT and Saudi Arabia sure did play a game of soccer
The U.S. men’s national team fanbase was hoping Tuesday’s friendly against Saudi Arabia would wash the taste of a dispiriting defeat to Japan out of their collective mouths.
We have three key takeaways to get into, but as you can probably guess if you watched the game or simply read the three paragraphs preceding this one, none of them is good news.
Opponents to USMNT center backs: Here, have the ball
Saudi Arabia plays a markedly different game from Japan: they attack in a 4-3-3 formation that becomes a 4-1-4-1 out of possession, maintaining a high defensive line without a corresponding high line of contention up front.
The object here is simple: let the other side’s defenders have the ball, stay compact from back to front, and leave teams few options other than to play perfect diagonal switches or balls into the space in behind. The10 Saudi field players, from the deepest defender to the highest attacker, were often only 30 or so yards apart, leaving no space to pass into the midfield and build that way.
Interestingly, this much different approach still left USMNT center backs Walker Zimmerman and Aaron Long (and eventually, in this game, Mark McKenzie) with the same problem they faced against Japan. They were on the ball, with an opponent who took all their simpler options off the table. The challenge, in both cases, was that the center backs had to play passes that solved a problem rather than simply finding a midfielder or fullback to do that.
While the turnovers weren’t as costly — Saudi Arabia has less athleticism than Japan, and were less forcing turnovers with tackles than they were intercepting errant passes at midfield — they were still a pretty regular factor in this game, and while the USMNT piled up possession, they were often completely muted when they tried to do anything with it.
Berhalter’s side has figured this problem out before. It’s not like teams in CONCACAF have never heard of “let the center backs have all of their possession” as a tactic before. Yes, Japan and Saudi Arabia would have also qualified out of the Octagonal, but there’s an issue with execution right now on the USMNT side.
For one, Zimmerman and (especially) Long seemed to struggle on some very straightforward passes that they have both probably completed literally thousands of times in professional games. Secondly, the USMNT seemed unable to shift the angles to open Saudi Arabia up, which means the problem extends to what movements are being offered by the other eight field players.
No Musah no party
Yunus Musah was in the stadium for this one, watching from the stands after making the trip down the Mediterranean coast to Murcia. Unfortunately for the USMNT, his stock ended up rising despite him being in street clothes, because for the second straight game, it became clear that the “MMA” midfield doesn’t function anywhere near its best without him.
Kellyn Acosta has had some fine moments with the USMNT, and his set piece taking ability actually makes him a pretty valuable member of the squad going into a tournament where prep time is low (side note: the USMNT wasn’t particularly threatening on dead balls in this window, but they probably didn’t want to show any of their designed plays off yet either).
However, he’s more suited for a game where the USMNT is going to be on the defensive, needing that extra ball-winning and positional sense more than other, more flashy traits. In a midfield with Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, against a mid-block opponent who was always going to be a puzzle to solve, he was redundant.
Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images
The MMA midfield isn’t even a perfectly ideal balance of roles, as there’s no true playmaker and no true expert in terms of occupying spaces without the ball. Adams and McKennie make up for this latter issue with ferocious effort, but even when Musah — who thrives as a facilitator and ball-progressing midfielder rather than as a true No. 10 — is in, it’s a case of hoping the three can emphasize what their games do have to such an extent that what they lack isn’t a big deal.
When you take Musah out of the mix, that scenario doesn’t play out. The USMNT were sluggish in terms of their tempo, and so much of their time in possession saw Saudi Arabia keep their collective shape, herding possession back to the center backs or even to Turner. The USMNT wasn’t suited to play without their best player in terms of shifting an opposition shape in the middle third. Most teams will miss that player, but it feels like the U.S. learned today just how severe that absence is for them.
Berhalter more or less acknowledged this with his final pair of subs, with Brenden Aaronson coming into Acosta’s spot. Nothing much came of this spell, with the best USMNT chance largely coming down to the FC Dallas connection between Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola, but the moves alluded to what was missing in this one.
Right now, it’d be very smart for the USMNT to seriously look at making sure Aaronson has the reps to step in for Musah (or for that matter McKennie, as neither player has a spotless injury record). It could be that Musah, Adams, and McKennie are good to go for 270 minutes in eight days in a desert climate where temperatures are famously very hot, but you don’t want to walk into Group B with all your eggs in that particular basket.
Struggle for fullback balance
Musah wasn’t the only normal starter whose absence was keenly felt. Antonee Robinson may be back very soon for Fulham, but without their normal left back, the USMNT seemed to struggle with the balance between its two fullbacks.
Without Robinson, and after Sam Vines struggled to really make the same kind of impact that Robinson does against Japan, Berhalter moved that responsibility over to right back. Sergiño Dest, normally seen as an attack-first fullback, was asked to not push so high, and to dip inside to help change the angles in possession. DeAndre Yedlin had the job of providing that serious width on the other side.
The problem here is that the USMNT’s best attacking right back is, you know, Dest. He’d have thrived on the right with that kind of assignment, and ended up being the more dangerous attacking fullback despite having to pick and choose when he got forward.
Yedlin wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t influential either, and the USMNT system needs the player with this responsibility to be a constant factor. Particularly against a team playing a mid-block like this, this fullback role is a major factor in pulling the opposition out of their shape, and Saudi Arabia’s comfort without the ball starts with there being no true danger from Yedlin being higher up the field. The timing of his runs made him easy to defend, and he wasn’t getting much help from Acosta to open that space up either.
As with the midfield quandary, Berhalter addressed this with a sub. Joe Scally came in not long after Yedlin was caught by a bad tackle from Saud Abdulhamid that deserved a harsher punishment than the yellow card it got, and was pretty quickly more of a factor in the attacking third than Yedlin had been.
Perhaps that’s the benefit of the USMNT coaching staff having an hour-plus to analyze the game and tell Scally exactly what to look for, or perhaps it’s just a fresh player coming in against a tiring opponent.
Either way, the situation underlined how much the USMNT’s hopes hinge on unbalancing teams by using their fullbacks. It’s not good news that Robinson’s health is right up there with Musah’s, and Pulisic’s, and Reyna’s, but that’s where the USMNT is at right now.
We know they can hit a high enough level to be a serious threat to advance when everyone’s healthy, but is everyone going to be healthy in November? There are now 55 days for Berhalter to figure out how to make sure the answer to that question is positive.
Berhalter revealed most of his defensive group for Friday’s friendly
We already know four of the starters for Gregg Berhalter in Friday’s U.S. men’s national team friendly against Japan (8 a.m. ET, ESPN2/UniMás).
Berhalter revealed no fewer than four starters for the match, which will be played in Düsseldorf, Germany. Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner will get the nod, while Berhalter said he will also give starts to Aaron Long, Sam Vines, and Walker Zimmerman.
“We’re focused right now on the Japan game, evaluating performances there, just looking to have a good team performance. That’s the most important thing,” Berhalter told reporters on Thursday. “We talked about putting the players at ease, focusing on the team performance rather than individual performances. And for tomorrow, we decided to go with Matt in goal.”
Berhalter is surely looking at how the entire group responds as a unit, but in Turner’s case, he may have something else on his mind: match fitness. Turner has appeared just once for Arsenal since his summer move, in a 2-1 Europa League win at FC Zurich. Turner’s last USMNT appearance came in a 5-0 win over Grenada back in June.
In Long, Vines, and Zimmerman, Berhalter in all likelihood announced 75% of his starting back line to face Japan. On Zimmerman, who seems likely to start for the USMNT in Qatar at this point, Berhalter highlighted how important his aerial ability will be for the group.
“He’s a warrior. I think that’s what you want in center backs, as a starting point,” said Berhalter. “That’s what you want as a teammate. So guys can rely on him to give 100% in everything he’s gonna do. Besides from that, a key quality that he has is exceptional in the air. There’s not many people that you see that are that good at heading, and it helps the team especially when we’re pressing and teams are playing long.”
Big praise for Vines
While Long and Zimmerman are a familiar partnership over the past few years, Vines only has eight caps, and his last appearance with the USMNT came in the semifinals of the 2021 Gold Cup.
However, since moving to the Belgian top flight with Royal Antwerp, Vines has become a virtual ever-present. With Antonee Robinson absent through injury, Berhalter has called in plenty of players who have spent time at left back, but only Vines plays the role full-time.
In Berhalter’s opinion, Vines has taken a noticeable step forward of late.
“What I’ve noticed from (Vines) in particular is the speed of his decision-making has gotten better, has improved. He looks a lot more sure of himself, (being) aggressive, attacking down the left wing,” said Berhalter. “He’s been coming inside a little bit with his club sometimes, and that helps give him flexibility.”
“I see a confident Sam Vines, a guy who has been embracing one-v-one duels, embracing getting the ball under pressure and being able to play out of pressure. Overall he’s a guy that I’ve been really pleased with this camp. He’s another one that’s gonna start tomorrow. So, really excited about him, and him getting this opportunity, because when he’s played with us, he’s played well. So excited to see him get this opportunity tomorrow.”
Three potential USMNT starters are out, but for how long?
The latest U.S. men’s national team roster was missing some familiar faces due to injury, with three potential starters in Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah, and Zack Steffen all left out.
Speaking to reporters following Wednesday’s roster announcement, Gregg Berhalter provided an update on a trio that could all easily end up in the starting eleven to face Wales in the USMNT’s World Cup opener in 69 days.
According to Berhalter, all three players have injuries that may well be resolved in the next couple of weeks, though in the case of Robinson and Steffen, there is still a bit of a mystery as to exactly how close they are to returning.
The closest to a return is Weah, who sprained his ankle just before the start of Lille’s season in Ligue 1. Les Dogues initially thought Weah would miss a couple of games, before eventually concluding that he needed a more lengthy course of treatment last month.
According to Berhalter, that recovery time is just about over, with Weah possibly returning to training with Lille before the USMNT camp in Europe concludes.
“Timmy is moving along,” said Berhalter. “He may be in team training by the end of next week. But we’re hopeful on him.”
Return dates for Robinson, Steffen unclear
Per Berhalter, Robinson’s injury is also an ankle sprain, but the prognosis is slightly more cloudy. While there was no doom and gloom in his answer, Berhalter conceded that the USMNT doesn’t have total clarity on when their presumptive starting left back will return.
“It’s an ankle sprain, and you know, day-to-day,” said Berhalter of Robinson, who picked up the knock on September 3 in Fulham’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham. “We’re not sure exactly when he’s going to be back in training. At this stage, it’s probably better not to rush it and give him the proper recovery time.”
Berhalter noted that while Robinson is a big part of his plans, the USMNT does need alternatives in case he’s injured or suspended during the World Cup. Sergiño Dest and Joe Scally were name-checked, while Berhalter added that this window is “a great opportunity” to gauge Sam Vines as a candidate for the final squad heading to Qatar.
Steffen’s injury situation is a bit more murky, as the 27-year-old has missed four straight games for Middlesbrough. Berhalter said that while there’s no definitive return date at this point, the USMNT thinking is that he’ll be back in action for his club “shortly.”
“With Zack, you know, it’s more of a question in my opinion of his health. He’s been struggling with a little bit of a knee injury,” explained Berhalter. “(Middlesbrough have) been resting him, and now they’ve done a (platelet-rich plasma) injection. He’s waiting on that to calm down a little bit.”
Berhalter will be hoping for good news on that front during this camp, as this camp will close roughly six weeks before the final USMNT roster for Qatar is announced.
But there were still plenty of noteworthy performances, led by the return to form of a player who can be a difference-maker in Qatar if he’s fit: Gio Reyna.
There were also some significant moments for three players squarely on the bubble for the World Cup roster, as well as a potential new lease on life for one of the USMNT’s biggest stars.
