Tag: Sergino Dest

Sergino Dest: ‘I see myself staying’ with Barcelona

Dest says he’s ready to fight for his place

Sergiño Dest’s summer plans are clear: the U.S. men’s national team defender wants to stay with Barcelona.

In quotes published by ESPN, Dest — who has accompanied Barça on the club’s U.S preseason tour — was unequivocal about wanting to battle for his place at the Camp Nou.

“Obviously, I have to prove myself during the preseason. I’m fully focused on myself at the moment, so it’s up to me and I feel like I can and I will prove it,” said Dest. “I see myself staying.”

At this time last year, Dest was linked to a move away from the club, but announced his preference to stay on.

That seemed to suit Barça at first, but amid their financial flailing at levers last summer, Dest was unceremoniously told to find some kind of move elsewhere.

Dest ended up on loan with AC Milan, where adequate playing time (if not a starting role) was available for a few months. However, by the time the winter transfer window closed, Milan had dropped Dest from its Champions League squad.

Dest’s final appearance in any competition with the Rossoneri came on January 24, and he wasn’t even in uniform for any of Milan’s final 13 Serie A matches.

Xavi to Dest: ‘You have to show me’

Meanwhile at Barcelona, there were no right backs that the club deemed ready to play.

Julián Araujo, after initially having his move rejected due to Barça missing the transfer deadline, eventually arrived only to be stationed with the club’s B team. It is never normal these days at Barcelona.

Jules Koundé, a center back, covered the spot throughout the season, and manager Xavi adjusted by playing an asymmetrical system. Alejandro Balde was urged to attack whenever possible from left back, while Koundé would move inside to create a temporary back three in possession.

Still, all parties would prefer a different solution: Koundé wants to be a more typical center back, while Xavi would seemingly prefer natural width from an attacking right back. Just one problem: Barça’s financial issues persist, so they can’t handle the problem with their normal “just buy a new one” approach.

Therein lies Dest’s opportunity.

Per the USMNT right back, a chat with Xavi essentially hit the reset button, giving the 22-year-old a new chance to prove himself as an option for the club.

“He just told me, ‘I’ll give you a fair chance to prove yourself,'” Dest said of Xavi. “He told me, ‘I think you have qualities, but it’s up to you, you have to show me,’ and I fully agree… I think I have some qualities that can be good for the team, but I have to show it and be consistent.”

Still, there is pressure. On Wednesday, Barcelona president Joan Laporta told Mundo Deportivo that Xavi had requested a new right back, and that (true to Barcelona’s “La Liga financial rules aren’t real” traditions) the club is trying to find one on the transfer market. Dest will have major work to do to persuade them that the solution is already in their hands.

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Could Sergino Dest actually be staying at Barcelona?

The club’s financial situation and lack of depth at right back could offer Dest another chance

It’s long been assumed that Sergiño Dest has no future at Barcelona.

Head coach Xavi made it abundantly clear last summer that he had no desire to see the U.S. national team right back continue at Camp Nou.

That was followed by Dest joining AC Milan on loan in a move that ultimately did not work out, to say the least. Dest made just eight league appearances for the Rossoneri, and his last appearance of any kind for the Italian club came in January.

Upon his return to Barcelona, the consensus was that Dest would be quickly sold by the La Liga champions. But a combination of the club’s dire financial situation and its thin depth chart at right back could offer the 22-year-old an unlikely route back into Xavi’s good graces.

Jules Kounde featured at right back for Barcelona last season, but the France international is naturally a center back. Sport reported this week that Barça is looking to sign a right back this summer, with Valladolid’s Iván Fresneda the top candidate. But as with any Barcelona signing these days, actually getting a deal done is somewhat complicated.

Enter Dest, who has returned to the club for preseason training.

Sport said that Xavi is willing to try Dest out in the preseason to see if he can prove his ability to help Barcelona this season. Should the USMNT right back fall short, he’d then be sold.

The report goes on to say that the Barça staff believes if Dest is “100 percent and focused, he can be a player who can contribute to the first team. Nobody has doubted his level, but they have doubts about tactical issues or consistency.”

A report from The Athletic echoed that message, saying that Dest’s “profile is interesting to [Barcelona], as a very fast player who can play on both sides of the defense. They believe that if the player is at 100 percent, his attributes are very useful to snuff out any problems from counter-attacks.”

Dest has been a regular at the Camp Nou before, making 30 league appearances in 2020-21 and 21 the following season. His stock may be down, but he appears to have a somewhat unexpected chance to once again be a key figure for the Spanish giants.

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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.

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The Americans Abroad Five season review: The best and worst of 2022-23

Some teams were fun, some very much weren’t. Some players broke out, while others broke down

With the European club season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take stock of the year that was for Americans Abroad.

In many ways, 2022-23 felt like a preamble, a precursor to a much more significant club season to come. For the future of the U.S. men’s national team, what comes next will be more significant than what came before.

That’s because so many vital USMNT players are unsettled due to the nature of their 2022-23 campaign — some are ready to move up the food chain due to standout seasons, while others need a change of scenery for less positive reasons.

Before we turn the page to next season, let’s take a look back by handing out a few accolades for some notable Americans Abroad.

The Americans Abroad Five: Is Malik Tillman ready for Bayern?

The on-loan Rangers star may have played himself into a state of purgatory

Every time Malik Tillman puts in a strong performance, which is pretty often these days, Rangers manager Michael Beale is forced to once again address the midfielder’s status at the club beyond this season.

And every time, Beale basically says the same thing: Yes he wants to keep Tillman. Yes, he thinks Tillman would like to stay long term. Yes, Rangers are in talks to make it happen. And no, he doesn’t know if it’s actually going to work.

Tillman’s one-year loan from Bayern Munich has a unique structure: Rangers hold a purchase option worth a reported £5 million. That’s looking like an increasingly easy decision for Rangers but there’s a catch: Bayern also reportedly holds a buy-back clause that it could trigger immediately after Rangers use their own purchase option.

It would see Rangers make an instant profit, and instantly lose a player they see as a cornerstone for the future.

Prior to the season, the 20-year-old was virtually unproven in senior club soccer. Now he’s played himself into a weird state of purgatory: maybe too good for the Scottish Premiership but also maybe not ready for the 10-time defending Bundesliga champions.

Tillman’s breakout campaign and his intriguing summer ahead lead this week’s Americans Abroad Five.

USMNT player ratings: Adams, McKennie, Ream help secure World Cup draw vs. England

A smart adjustment from Gregg Berhalter ends with an impressive draw

The U.S. men’s national team stepped it up against England, securing a 0-0 draw in which they had the better of the game’s few chances.

The USMNT may have been slightly disappointed with one point against Wales, after dominating in the first half and leading until the final stages, but it’s hard to have too many serious complaints after they held the Three Lions to virtually no serious chances.

We’ll have deeper analysis in the future, but during the World Cup we’ll be giving a quick breakdown of each USMNT player’s performance.

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of Pro Soccer Wire’s staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Maradona vs. England in 1986.

USMNT player ratings: Adams, Weah the best from World Cup draw against Wales

The USMNT needed one more standout, and one less mistake

A strong start from the U.S. men’s national team wasn’t quite enough for them to get their first World Cup win since June 16, 2014.

The USMNT dominated the first half and took a deserved lead through Tim Weah, but fell under progressively more pressure and conceded a late Gareth Bale penalty kick, sealing a 1-1 draw that is neither satisfactory nor a disaster.

It’s a bit of a tough game to parse, with many players doing an adequate job, a couple being outright good, and one major mistake undoing their efforts. We’ll have deeper analysis in the future, but during the World Cup we’ll be giving a quick breakdown of each USMNT player’s performance.

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of Pro Soccer Wire’s staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Maradona vs. England in 1986.

USMNT duo Dest and McKennie declare themselves fit ahead of World Cup opener

Both players have been battling injuries but said they are ready to face Wales on Monday

With two days to go until the World Cup kicks off, U.S. national team duo Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie both declared themselves fit at a press conference on Saturday.

Dest has been battling adductor fatigue, but was able to make a cameo off the bench for A.C. Milan last weekend after missing three straight games.

The right back had, however, been spotted doing individual training this week, raising some concerns he may not be ready for Monday’s game against Wales.

McKennie, meanwhile, suffered a muscle strain with Juventus in late October and hasn’t played since.

But both players, who figure to be a part of Gregg Berhalter’s starting lineup if healthy, said they are ready to go.

“Juventus and the national team, they were both working together to make sure that I’m 100 percent fit here,” McKennie said. “So I came in, did a couple days of just maintaining and keep it under control.”

McKennie said he took part in Wednesday’s scrimmage against Qatari side Al-Gharafa SC.

“We played the friendly the other day, and I felt good. I felt ready to go, and that’s where I’m at,” the midfielder added.

Dest added: “I’m feeling good. Of course, after the last game [for AC Milan], I had a little bit of fatigue. Right now, it’s going well. I’m ready to play.”

McKennie and Dest were two of four USMNT players who arrived in Qatar with questions over their fitness. With Matt Turner also having declared himself fit this week, only Luca de la Torre remains as a player whose injury status is still unknown.

De la Torre was ruled out for three weeks with a muscle tear on October 28, giving him a tight timeframe to recover in time for the World Cup.

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Follow all of the USMNT World Cup players on Instagram

Christian Pulisic is the USMNT’s most-followed account on Instagram, followed by Sergiño Dest.

The United States men’s national soccer team is set to take on the world in the 2022 FIFA World Cup beginning next week, and the USMNT’s young roster seems poised to quickly endear themselves to sports fans across America.

The USMNT has one of the youngest squads at the World Cup in Qatar and while the team includes some known stars like Christian Pulisic, most of the players are not household names even in their own country.

That should change after the World Cup, especially if the team makes it out of the group stage. Here’s a quick look at each player’s Instagram page and their follower counts, listed in order of the most-followed players.

By the end of the tournament, these Instagram follower numbers will likely be much higher, and many of the USA’s World Cup players should see their popularity in the U.S. increase significantly.

Here are the pre-World Cup numbers:

The Americans Abroad Five: No USMNT players were harmed in the making of this list

There was no last-minute injury heartbreak for the U.S. ahead of the World Cup

There were several headlines with Americans abroad this weekend but in a sense, the only thing that really matters is the story that didn’t happen.

Namely, no players on the World Cup roster got injured in their final game before heading for Qatar.

USMNT fans watched the weekend’s slate of games with their breaths collectively held, but there was no devastating last-minute injury. In fact, there was even a key player returning from a short spell on the sidelines.

Before we go on a hiatus for the World Cup, let’s get to the Five.