The USMNT has been known for relying in the same players over the last few years. Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan (before he retired, of course) were often the most recognizable names in the National Team and they were used to do the heavy-lifting every time the US had to participate in an international competition.
The fans have been claiming for new players to step up looking towards the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Several experts say there are not enough players to start a renewal process but the current Player Pool suggests differently. Here are some of the players that should improve the USMNT (while making it a younger team) in the coming years.
Everything starts between the posts and while the team is pretty well covered there with Howard and Brad Guzan, David Bingham represents a very good option for the near future. The 26-year-old doesn’t have caps yet but he’s been a regular fixture in the USMNT camp over the last few years and he should get a chance to show what he can do sooner than later.
DeAndre Yedlin is another player who represents both the present and the future of the team. A wing player with pace to boot, he’s capable of playing all over the right side of the pitch and he has featured as a right-back, right midfielder and right winger in his short career. He currently plays for Sunderland in the English Premier League but his rights are owned by Tottenham Hotspur after he impressed everybody while playing for Seattle Sounders in the MLS. Yedlin is only 22 so he has a lot of room to improve and if he reaches his potential then he should become a key member of the side in the near future.
Moving towards the center of the defense we have Steve Birnbaum. The former California product was selected with the second overall pick of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and he has lived up to the hype thus far. The25-year-old center back already has three caps and one goal under his belt and there’s no doubt that number will increase over the next few years since his progression has been much quicker than expected.
Mix Diskerud is another player who should become a steady presence in the USMNT for years to come. A cultured central midfielder that has the chance to play alongside Andrea Pirlo at New York City FC, the Norwegian-born playmaker already has 36 caps and six goals to his name and he’s quickly making a name for himself in the CONCACAF region. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see him jump to Europe in the near future after his stint with Rosenborg BK in 2013.
Gyasi Zardes is another player that simply can’t be left out of this list. One of the most dynamic forwards in the MLS at his 24 years of age, the LA Galaxy winger is known for his pace on the wing and for his knack to score important goals. He was part of the 2015 Gold Cup roster and he’s quickly becoming an important part of the squad with 20 caps since he made his debut back in January 2015 in a friendly match against Chile.
As if this wasn’t enough there’s also another forward who’s quickly gaining a lot of attention and his name is Jordan Morris. The Seattle Sounders striker is only 21 but he already has eight caps and one goal for the USMNT while becoming a regular member of the first-time with his club. He’s intelligent inside the box, has natural goal-scoring instincts and he could be the goal-scoring threat the USMNT lacks. At the moment he’s depth behind the likes of Jozy Altidore and Chris Wondolowski but he should moved up the depth chart rather quickly if the keeps playing at this level.
These are the most-known names but there are others that are just starting to catch the attention of the manager and that have experience overseas. Jerome Kiesewetter (a 23-year-old attacker from Stuttgart), Christian Pulisic (a 17-year-old midfielder from Borussia Dortmund) and Matt Miazga (20-year-old defender who plays for Chelsea) might not be ready to play for the team yet but there’s no question that both the fans and the management have high hopes on them.
We might have to see the Bradleys, the Dempseys and the Howards for a few more years. But the future is bright for the USMNT and the team should continue to dominate the CONCACAF region while slowly setting themselves up for a better future at the FIFA stage sooner rather than later.