The battle for spots on the final U.S. men’s national team roster for the World Cup is arguably at its most intense at right back, but Reggie Cannon and Kellyn Acosta say the group dynamic between everyone fighting for that job is healthy.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the USMNT’s CONCACAF Nations League match against Grenada, Cannon said that Sergiño Dest, his direct competition for a roster spot, is encouraging him to be at his best. “Sergiño is not currently playing in this camp, but he’s messaging me,” said Cannon. “That type of camaraderie within the group kind of helps us compete.
“Sergiño and I are in the same position. We’re competing for a World Cup spot, we’re competing for a World Cup roster spot, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship has to deteriorate.”
Just five months away from Gregg Berhalter having to select a final roster for Qatar 2022, Cannon and Dest are just two of his options at right back. While Dest is not in this squad, he’s the projected starter at this point. DeAndre Yedlin is also in camp, while Joe Scally moved from left to right for the final half-hour of the USMNT’s scoreless draw with Uruguay. In the final game of the Octagonal, Shaq Moore got called in to bolster the squad when Cannon tested positive for Covid-19 and Yedlin was suspended.
Acosta, himself vying for a spot in a jam-packed midfield, agreed.
“A word to kind of describe it is like ‘frenemies,’ right? Where, you know, we’re friends off the field, but on the field, we’re competing, and I’m bringing it, you’re bringing it, and I think that’s positive,” said Acosta, adding with a laugh that when he battles with Cannon in training, “I’m trying to tackle the mess out of him.”
Cannon said that the right back pool is particularly tight as a group, even as they compete for a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Especially as deep as the right back position is, I think personally I can [say] the relationships we all have are so good. They’re my closest friends on my team, but we’re super competitive when it comes to training.”
“When the person is getting playing time, you’re still rooting for the person ahead of you, still rooting for the team,” explained Cannon. “I think that depth and that competition in friendly relationships is what’s kind of helped this team along.”
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