USMNT Nations League Roster: Projected 23-Man Squad

The Nations League semifinals are right around the corner — as the United States Men’s National Team is set to play Panama on Mar. 20th in Los Angeles.

The U.S. is opposite an intriguing duo of teams on the other side of the bracket, with Canada squaring off with Mexico. Our task is to pick a 23-man group capable of winning it all.

With injuries to Folarin Balogun, Malik Tillman, Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and a few other contributors, the roster is far from full strength. Having said that, the midfield is still loaded — and Mauricio Pochettino’s team is more than capable of winning the whole thing.

GK: Matt Turner (Patrick Schulte, Diego Kochen)

Turner seems to be entrenched as the starter despite the group being less-than-stellar. Schulte could be a guy to eventually leapfrog Turner for the top spot. Kochen comes in as GK3 to garner experience and solidify his standing as a prioritized dual-national.

DEF: Antonee Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Joe Scally (Cameron Carter-Vickers, John Tolkin, Noahkai Banks)

Robinson is a lock to start at left-back. The same can be said for Scally on the other side. Both are regulars in top-four leagues — and each has the requisite experience to perform in high-pressure situations. Richards should get the start at one of the centerback spots. McKenzie has been playing exceptionally well in Ligue 1 over the last six months.

CCV has CL experience — and thus will get on the roster. Tolkin is one of the few LB options for Pochettino to use. He recently made the move over to the Bundesliga from MLS. Banks is the highest-ceiling defender on the roster. He has the look of someone who could one day be a fixture for the USMNT.

MF: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso (Yunus Musah, Paxten Aaronson, Gio Reyna, Gianluca Busio)

Adams, Cardoso and McKennie make up the spine of this lineup. McKennie will be slotted in more of an elevated role where he’s been playing for Juventus (even being the captain for specific matches). One can make a case he’s playing at a very high level. Adams has been back to being an elite destroyer for Bournemouth. He offers Pochettino a different look as a vacuum No. 6. Cardoso plays in La Liga offering a mixture of McKennie’s technical ability and class with the bite of Adams defensively.

The hope is Reyna and Aaronson can be impact subs off the bench. Musah will play a ton and likely is the first man off the reserves list whenever needed. Busio offers cover at the No. 6 as a sprayer of the ball to all parts of the park.

FW: Tim Weah, Josh Sargent, Christian Pulisic (Alex Zendejas, Brenden Aaronson, Damion Downs)

Sargent will start at the No. 9 spot. He’s scoring goals for fun at Norwich City, and he’s by far the best option with Balogun and Pepi out injured. Pulisic might not be able to put in a full 90-minute shift. However, he’s still the most dangerous U.S. attacker. Weah is Mr. Reliable possessing the quality as both a winger and a fullback.

Zendejas and Aaronson will be wing options if need be. Downs is an intriguing player. The u21 German-American plays in the 2. Bundesliga. He’s scored some very nice goals this season, and he surely has the ceiling of someone with a future in the German top flight.