The United States men’s national team is gearing up to take part in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will begin on July 10. The US is the host of this year’s tournament, and the USMNT will be aiming to reclaim the Gold Cup crown from rivals Mexico with the help of their home fans.
However, the USMNT will not have a particularly strong squad in this year’s Gold Cup. With many of their first-choice, European-based stars such as Chelsea’s Champions League winner Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie spared to prepare for their domestic seasons, it will be up to a squad primarily made up of MLS-based players to go for gold.
Nevertheless, the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021 betting odds still have the Americans among the favourites to win it all, so SBOTOP takes a closer look at this new-look USMNT side and what to expect from them in this tournament.
Star Players
This will be a much-changed USMNT squad from the one that won the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League last month. Their big-name stars, such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, and Sergino Dest, are all absent as they prepare for their respective domestic leagues in Europe.
As a result, this USMNT is composed primarily of MLS-based stars, with 19 of the 23 plying their trade in the country’s domestic league.
36-year-old goalkeeper Brad Guzan – once of Premier League side Aston Villa – is the most experienced player on the squad with 64 caps, and he will be tasked to organise quite an inexperienced defence in front of him.
Their most seasoned international defender, Reggie Cannon of Portuguese club Boavista, has a mere 18 caps, while Walter Zimmerman and Miles Robinson (17 caps combined) form quite an untested centre-back partnership.
Among the outfield players, striker Gyasi Zardes has by far the most caps with 56. The 29-year-old is also the team’s top scorer with 12 international goals and looks set to lead the US attack alongside playmaker Paul Arriola (8 goals in 35 caps).
Youngsters Daryl Dike (21), Nicolas Gioacchini (20), and Matthew Hoppe (20) of relegated Bundesliga side Schalke, will also get their chance to create their share of CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021 highlights with Pulisic and Reyna out.
Manager
Gregg Berhalter did not have much managerial experience upon taking the USMNT job as Bruce Arena’s successor. He had managed Swedish club Hammarby for a couple of years before returning to the States to coach the Columbus Crew, with little notable success over six years. And at 44 years of age, he was the youngest coach to take over the national team job since Steve Sampson in 1995.
But since taking over the full-time position in 2018, Berhalter has done a brilliant job as USMNT manager. He has won 20 of his 29 matches in charge, with just three defeats. As it stands, his 69 per cent win percentage ranks as the best out of any American manager who has overseen more than two matches.
And of course, he led the US to the inaugural Nations League championship, their first title since winning the Gold Cup in 2017.
Tactics
Berhalter’s tactics have helped modernise the USMNT. After years of sitting back and counterattacking, particularly against top teams, Berhalter has brought in a more modern pressing system to the national team setup.
Of course, he also has the advantage of having a crop of young and talented players like Pulisic and Reyna, who play in Europe and have experience playing such a system.
However, Berhalter will not have the benefit of calling upon those stars in this Gold Cup, so it remains to be seen whether he changes his system to accommodate his new set of players.
For the most part, though, this tournament seems to be an opportunity for Berhalter to experiment with his team and find players who can be promoted to the main squad.
Form
The USMNT’s form heading into this tournament is impressive, to say the least. They have won 11 out of their last 13 outings, with just one draw (0-0 vs Wales) and one defeat (2-1 to Switzerland) during that time.
They won the Nations League by beating Honduras in the semi-finals, then edging out rivals Mexico 3-2 in an extra-time thriller. They also crushed Costa Rica 4-0 in a recent friendly last month.
Again, though, those results were achieved with their European-based stars, who will be participating in this year’s Gold Cup.
Chances of Gold Cup success
It bears repeating once more that the USMNT will have a significantly weakened squad in this tournament. But despite the absence of many of their stars, they should still be one of the favourites to emerge as Gold Cup champions along with rivals Mexico.
Although, the Mexicans will bring a much more experienced side to the tournament with Hector Moreno, Hirving Lozano, and Hector Herrera leading the charge. Should the two sides meet in the final, El Tri will fancy their chances of defending their crown.
But because Berhalter beat Mexico in the Nations League, there is unlikely to be as much pressure for him to win the Gold Cup. Instead, he can then focus more on experimenting and finding other players who can be significant parts of the national team setup moving forward.
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