USMNT – Finalizing the WC Roster Part 2 – #9?

Last week in Part 1 of this series we talked about the back end of the field. The goalkeepers. You can read that here if you missed it or want a refresher on why the month of June is so critical for this falls WC.

USMNT – Finalizing the WC Roster Part 1- Goalkeeper?

This week in Part 2 lets take a look at the attacking end of the field. Just who is going to be the go to #9 and who will they be used in Qatar? This the proverbial good news/bad news story. The good news is that there are lots of potential candidates. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. The bad news is that, currently at least, not a one of them is the whole package. That’s not to say that we don’t have some very good options if we had a match tomorrow but we don’t have that clear go to guy or even two to pick from. But we have the upcoming June window, fall club seasons, and September window to drill down on just who goes to Qatar.

Before we delve into the actual candidates lets take a look at just what attributes you want in your #9.

1. Well ok lets start with the obvious. Scoring goals. At the end of the day that is what you want your #9 to do. But there are lots of others things you want out of your forward position that depend heavily on how you are trying to play tactically.
2. Hold up play – Can they play with their back to the goal and provide a target for the midfield (and backline) to pass to in the middle of the field. Then once the pass is made can the player, cleanly receive it, shield defenders with his body, and have the vision to see the next move. Is that to turn and make space to shoot? Should it be a pass to a runner into the box? Or perhaps a lay off back to the midfield to maintain possession and allow you to build numbers. Hold up play is also critical late in the game when you are trying to hold a lead and kill off time.
3. Pressing when the other team has the ball. The US, under Gregg Berhalter, has tended to play a high press tactic. This works best when your #9 has the speed and stamina to run at opponents deep in their own end to force turnovers.
4. Physical presence in the penalty area. Are they physically able to impose positioning on defenders? Are they able to draw multiple defenders (this goes in hand with #2 above) which frees up other attackers. Are they good in the air? Set pieces are such a critical component of scoring in modern soccer. Take a look at this chart and you’ll see that 22% of all goals scored in the bigger leagues came off set pieces (the percentage is even higher in tournaments).

So with that background lets look at the current option for the #9s in Qatar. Expect that at least 2 of not 3 of these players will make the final roster regardless if the final roster ends up being 23 or 26 players (and most accounts seem to indicate that FIFA is leaning toward 26). Listing them in order of starts in the last round of WC qualifying.

Ricardo Pepi

Pepi was the guy that turned the qualifying march around. In the first window the team had two draws and was on the road in Honduras in match #3 and losing 1-0 at the half. But Pepi turned it on in the second half scoring the go ahead goal on the way to a 4-1 win. A loss in the match (and even a tie) would have been a disastrous start for the US. Then in the second window the US beat Jamaica 2-0 with Pepi scoring both goals and fans were thinking we had found our #9. Three goals in their last two matches and things were looking good. Then the wheels fell off. Pepi never scored the remainder of qualfying nor did he tally a single goal in is 11 appearances in the Bundesliga. At 6ft 1in he has the physical presence to command the box. He is solid in the air and is very adept at pressing. And more than adequate with the ball at his feet. He has been given the summer off from National team duty in hopes he can rest up and hit the ground running this fall in Germany. We need him at Qatar but he has got to get into better from.

Jesus Ferreira

When Pepi started to run cold, Ferriera seems to be the guy the US turned to in his place. Interesting to note that until Pepi transferred to Germany they were teammates in the MLS with Dallas. Playing with the US, he has played more a withdrawn #9 meaning he tends to stay a bit back in the midfield and look for passes to wings running into the box or to make runs himself. At only 5ft 8in, he is not a target forward and while he is good in the air its clearly limited due to his size. He is very good with the ball at his feet and an excellent passer. He is also decent in the high press although not as strong in that area as Pepi. The best news though is his current form. He is leading the MLS in goals scored this season and that is, afterall, the main thing you want out of your center forward. We will see him in the June matches for sure.

Gyasi Zardes

For as much as he has been a part of the Nats for a number of years he seems to be more on the outside looking in at the moment. At 6ft 2in, he’s a big strong fast attacker. Perhaps the best player in pressing. But his first touch and passing leave something to be desired. But you can’t argue with results. He has by far the most caps of any US forward (67) and has tallied 14 goals for the Nats. During the early part of the season he was relegated to the Columbus bench and that isn’t a way to get back into the picture. However, in the last three Columbus matches he has started all three and scored a goal and gotten an assist. He didn’t get called into the June camp but depending on how he does the rest of the MLS season and how his competitors do he still has a shot at Qatar, albeit I think at this point he’s staying home.

Jordan Pefok

Pefok has been a story of two players. Absolutely killing it in the Swiss League (about on par with MLS). Across all competitions over the recently completed seasons, he played in 45 matches and scored 27 goals. Just a beast. And physically he is a beast. At 6ft 3in, he is the biggest bodied player on our list. He is solid in the air and so dangerous in the box. So why didn’t he get more playing time during the qualifying cycle. Well to put it bluntly the rest of his game is lacking. Now again, the name of the game starts with scoring but he may be one of those players whose club form just never translates to international play. Proponents point to his goals in UCL including against Manchester United. And that’s not wrong. But his record with the US just isn’t near that level. In 9 matches he has a lone goal. His biggest problem seems to be his play with the ball at his feet. For a big bodied player he just is lacking some foot skills you want to see with a target forward. He is injured at the moment so didn’t get called in for the June camp. But if he starts the next season (Young Boys) scoring at this crazy pace then he’s likely to get a call up in September. There is so much to like from him but he’s got to show that he can do it for the Nats

Josh Sargent

Boy what to make of this guy? Talent wise he is probably the best overall player for the US system. He is good in the air (6ft 1in), good with the ball, has excellent game sense and vision, and is quick. He has a strong motor and is probably the best at pressing the opponent and provides terrific support to the midfield and even back on defense when needed. But if it starts with goal scoring he just hasn’t been doing it. In 26 matches for Norwich City (EPL) this past season he scored a mere 2 goals. Now to be blunt Norwich stinks and finished in last place in the EPL and got relegated. They only scored 23 goals on the season to boot. And he ended up playing a lot out wide. The fact that he wasn’t scoring yet kept getting so many starts tells me that he was doing well in what his coaches wanted him to do. Like Pefok he is currently injured so is not in the June camp. Josh needs to come out strong in August to make a case for a September call up.

Haji Wright

Now here comes a guy many fans of the USMNT haven’t even heard of. He has played with the US youth national teams but has never earned a cap with the senior team. Expect that to change next month as he’s been called in for the June window. He’s big (6ft 3in) and has the soccer know how to put his big frame to use. Much like Pefok all he has done this past year is score goals. In his 35 matches this past season he scored 15 times and was on fire the last part of the season. The question for Wright is two fold. First he’s playing in the Turkish first division. Will his play translate from a lower league like that to the international level. The second question will be to see how well his overall play fits with the tactics the US is using. We’ll know a lot more about him over the next month.

Malik Tillman

Now for perhaps the most intriguing guy on the list. A dual national who has been representing Germany at the youth levels up through U-21. But he did also play for the US U-15 team in 2016. And he is a highly rated player in the Bayern Munich youth system and played four matches with the Bayern senior team this past season. Well out of nowhere, he announced last week that he was switching to play for the US and would no longer play for Germany. And he was promptly called in to our June camp. The reality is that Tillman was probably in communication with Berhalter in advance and knew that if he switched to the US that he would get called in. At 6ft 2in and only 19 (he turns 20 later this week) there is a lot to like about this kid. Watching some video of his play he appears to be playing advanced for his age and can step into the US jersey quickly. He has come up through the youth ranks in Germany as an attacking midfielder but the past year has been playing striker. And striking he’s been doing. With the Bayern second team he had 9 goals in 24 matches and with the German U-21s he had 3 goals in 4 matches. It remains to be seen how Berhalter will use him (attacking mid, withdrawn #9, or target forward) but he has the tools to do any of this. Watch the matches in June and expect to see a fair bit of him.

With but two windows left before Qatar the opportunities to show for the USMNT are finite. And there are these 7 guys to make their case and at best only 3 of them will be going to Qatar. Its a good thing that we have some time to hone in on our best options. As I opened with, they all have their plusses and minuses but none of them have shown that they can consistently give the Nats what they need.

If I had to pick three for a critical match tomorrow all I can say is I am glad I don’t have to! But to not duck the question. Today, right now, my three selections would be Ferreira, Pepi, and Wright (or Tillman).

Now just to give you something to chew on. There is one more option that many fans have wanted to see for awhile now. And that is one designed to put our best players on the field at the same time meaning a front line of Pulisic, Weah, and Reyna and a midfield of Musah, Adams, and McKennie. We might still see that in Qatar if one of the above aren’t in great form this fall.