It was great to see several candidates for the United States’ World Cup team get on the scoresheet last weekend. Weston McKennie continued his run with Juventus scoring twice in a 5-0 rout of Cremonese in the Serie A. Striker Ricardo Pepi added another goal to his season tally for PSV Eindhoven. Defender Joe Scally scored a rare goal, only his third, for Borussia Moechengladbach. Brendan Aaronson had a pair of goals for Leeds last Wednesday as he picks up his pace leading into the World Cup. Folarin Balogun scored his 8th goal of the season for Monaco.
It hasn’t all been goals and goal involvements, though. While scoring his goal, Pepi fell awkwardly and broke his arm, putting his availability for the March international games against Belgium and Portugal in doubt. This marks the second January in a row in which Pepi has suffered a major injury. Last year, it was a knee injury that kept him out for nine months. After surgery on Sunday, Pepi is expected to be out for two months. It’s not catastrophic, but certainly not ideal.
Defender Chris Richards, expected to anchor the back line after emerging as a leader during 2025, had a disastrous match against 6th division Macclesfield FC in the English FA Cup. Crystal Palace became the first defending FA Cup winner to be eliminated by a non-league team since 1909, when Crystal Palace defeated Wolverhampton. To make it more painful, Richards was at fault for Palace conceding both goals in a truly embarrassing performance.
While Joe Scally commands a starting position at Moechengladbach, his international colleague Gio Reyna does not. Reyna has talent and often shows it for the national team, but at the club level he remains an afterthought. He came on for Scally late in their game with the team already ahead 4-0 and played just five minutes. He struggles to keep fit and many will remember that he came close to being sent home from the World Cup in Qatar due to his behavior. If he could ever put together a solid run of games this spring, national team coach Mauricio Pochettino would certainly include him in the squad.
Brendan Aaronson’s recent scoring run has started to win over supporters at Leeds United. Their fanatical supporters branded him a flop, especially when he took a loan opportunity in Germany after the club was relegated two years ago. He returned for the promotion battle and now back in the Premier League has been in great form over the past few weeks, cementing a place in the starting eleven. Pochettino will be attracted by his work rate off the ball, constant hustling and disrupting opponents. He has increased his chances of being selected.
Captain Tyler Adams suffered yet another injury at the end of December. He tore his MCL and could also be a doubt for the March games. Adams, when fit, covers an incredible amount of ground in midfield. He wins the ball and directs traffic. The national team misses his leadership when he’s not there. Bournemouth, his club, has sold most of its best players and badly need Adams to return to add some stability in midfield. His health will be a major worry for Pochettino, because there isn’t a ready made replacement.
Antonee “Jedi” Robinson finally returned for Fulham in December. Recognized as the top left back in the Premier League, Robinson’s play will be crucial for the USA at the World Cup. His speed in attack and recovery is unmatched. His return has coincided with an upturn in Fulham’s fortunes. They went into December barely above the relegation zone and have jumped up to 9th, just four points out of a UEFA Champions League place. Fulham even put in a transfer bid for Ricardo Pepi to unite the Americans, but PSV rejected the offer and Pepi’s injury scuttled further negotiations.
Pochettino has accomplished his goal of making spots on the national team competitive again. All these players know that no roster spot will be guaranteed. Pochettino will be looking at form, fitness, and compatibility. He has worked to built a culture for the national team that he found to be lacking when he took the job. After a terrific set of results during the six internationals played in the fall, it looks like his structure, culture, and style have been incorporated. The March games will showcase how much progress the team has made. Belgium and Portugal are the kinds of opponents against which the USA typically struggles: European powers.
Pochettino’s biggest worry may be the goalkeeping pool. None play in Europe. All are in MLS. MLS teams just started preseason this week. They will begin CONCACAF Champions Cup games in early February and the regular season on February 21. That gives the MLS players, goalkeepers and others, about five weeks to make an impression ahead of the March window. They will know that eyes are on them, just as the Europe based players have had for some time.
