Gregg Berhalter is without two key attacking players as his team looks for the wins they need to qualify for the 2024 Copa America on home soil
A national-team coach can never expect to have a true, 100 percent fit squad, but Gregg Berhalter has been dealt a tough hand this time around. With a spot in the 2024 Copa America on the line, the U.S. men's national team is missing several key players as they prepare to face Trinidad & Tobago across two legs over the coming days.
Tyler Adams is out, and will be for the foreseeable future, leaving a hole in the midfield. However, the bigger issue is the absence of both Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, leaving the U.S. without both of the team's starting wingers.
It's a tough situation, missing two-thirds of the attack, but there are a number of routes Berhalter can go to replace them. Gio Reyna will almost certainly be key to that, but the question is where he'll be deployed on the field with Weah and Pulisic out.
With that said, GOAL how the U.S. should start when they face T&T for the first time in Austin on Thursday:
GettyGK: Matt Turner
Not only does Turner deserve this start, he also needs this start, having fallen out of Nottingham Forest's starting XI in recent weeks. Because of that, this match seems like a good opportunity for the goalkeeper to regain a bit of confidence.
AdvertisementGettyLB: Antonee Robinson
An injury kept him out of October camp, giving Joe Scally and Kristoffer Lund spots in the XI. This camp, though, is the 'Return of the Jedi', and Robinson will be taking his spot right back.
The Fulham left-back is still the unquestioned starter in that spot for the national team, and though he'll be feeling a slight push from Lund now that he's involved, the Palermo defender still has a lot of catching up to do.
GettyCB: Tim Ream
Ream is a steady hand that looks bound for one more big tournament, and he'll have a part to play in helping the U.S. get there. The veteran is still going strong for Fulham and the USMNT, despite being 36, and he provides a steady presence and some calmness on the ball that should be helpful considering the fact that the U.S. will dominate possession.
Getty ImagesCB: Chris Richards
This one feels like a toss-up, as this spot could go to either Richards or Cameron Carter-Vickers. Miles Robinson is also in the mix, but given his recent struggles in the MLS Playoffs, it feels like it's one of the European-based pair who will partner Ream.
Carter-Vickers is back healthy, so that does change the equation from previous camps, but Richards has been the player Berhalter has leant on since his return to the sideline. Either way, the coach probably can't go wrong, but with Richards needing minutes, we'll go with him.