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The USMNT will announce its World Cup roster on Wednesday. Which strikers will make the cut?
The United States men’s national soccer team will announce its roster for the 2022 World Cup on Wednesday evening.
The striker position has been in flux for most of the year but with just two weeks until kickoff in, some clarity has started to emerge.
Before the roster is revealed, here’s the final edition of Pro Soccer Wire’s 2022 striker stock watch series, with players ranked 1-3 expected to make the flight to Qatar.
Remember when Josh Sargent was the USMNT’s top striker? Those days may be returning.
The U.S. men’s national team is set to play a pair of friendlies in Europe later this month as part of their final preparations for the 2022 World Cup.
First, the USMNT will face Japan in Germany on Sept. 23, then it will take on Saudi Arabia in Spain on Sept. 27. With just two matches remaining for the U.S. until the World Cup begins, there’s not a lot of time left for experimenting or introducing new players.
With that being the case, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter has hinted that strikers who already have experience in the national team might have an advantage over guys who are still trying to break into the squad.
“What we’re trying to do [is] look at the profile who fits what we’re trying to do the best,” Berhalter said at a Nike event in New York last week, via Steven Goff of The Washington Post. “It may not be the best forward … it’s just what we think fits our team.”
So, who fits the team best?
The latest installment of our USMNT striker stock watch series is dropping now ahead of the release of the September friendlies roster, with players ranked 1-4 considered the most likely candidates for call-ups this month.
Which strikers will the USMNT take to the World Cup? Jordan Pefok and Brandon Vazquez are making strong cases
As the 2022 World Cup continues to draw closer, fans of the U.S. men’s national soccer team seem to have a pretty good guesstimate of a first-choice roster with one position in particular standing out as a question mark: striker.
Who will start at the No. 9 spot for the USMNT in Qatar this summer, and who will back him up? The position appears to be totally up for grabs, so we’ve been monitoring the stock of the notable U.S.-eligible striker candidates.
Stateside, the MLS playoff race is heating up, and in Europe, the 2022-23 season has kicked off, providing a good opportunity for a stock watch update.
Let’s get to the list!
Who will start at No. 9 for the USMNT at the World Cup? Right now, Jesús Ferreira leads the striker stock watch power rankings.
If everyone’s healthy, U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter probably has a pretty good idea of his preferred starters for the World Cup this fall – at most positions, anyway.
Most spots in the XI have obvious first-choice options, but striker remains a big question mark for the USMNT, at least in the eyes of fans and pundits.
The top candidates for the No. 9 role can make Berhalter’s job easier by performing for their club teams and creating some separation in the competition leading up to November.
We’re going to be periodically checking in on the top striker candidates leading up to the World Cup with our new striker stock watch series. With MLS teams hitting midseason and European clubs beginning preseason, now’s a good time to start.
Let’s get to the list!
