-
Jeff Carlisle
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s annual January camp has reached a conclusion, and while the full extent of its success or failure will not be known for some time, early reactions are positive. The USMNT had wins in Venezuela and Costa Rica, respectively. The United States looked solid on both sides of the ball and came away with the win.
But the takeaway from this match skews more toward individual performances than the results. And while these early reviews are generally focused on players, there is an opportunity for a revival of some international careers that were thought to be dormant. It is often the players who have a better chance of immediate recall than some beginners. That’s as good a spot as any to lead as to which players will be the winners of the camp.
Steffen makes his case number 1
Matt Turner has been solid in recent USMNT performances, but his lack of game time against Crystal Palace has left an opening for a goalkeeper hitting top form to take over. Based on the meeting with Wednesday TychoZack Steffen could be the player that provides that challenge.
Colorado Rapids No. 1 definitely has a lot of experience. He was the starter for most of the 2022 cycle before losing his place to Turner, followed by Steffen’s shocking omission from the World Cup roster. The way back was difficult.
Desperately in need of time and a knee injury, Steffen was forced to give up his European dreams to return to MLS. Despite his early struggles in Colorado, Steffen has been on American manager Mauricio Pochettino’s radar since the Argentine was hired. Given that the January match was played outside the international window, the opportunity shifted against Costa Rica and Steffen made the most of it.
Steffen’s appearance on Wednesday was his first in a USMNT uniform since 2022 World Cup qualifying. Tycho His memories of this spear’s match were much brighter. Steffen provided three saves on the night, two of which were outstanding efforts to deny Alejandro Bran in the 37th minute and Allan Cruz 11 minutes after half-time.
This is just the first step. Pochettino said it in relation to all the players in the January camp: “Now they have to push themselves. They have to come back to the club and be the best they can be.”
Steffen seems ready.
A story of two strikers
Over the course of two games, the United States received excellent performances from all nine. Patrick Agyemang accounted for both games while Brian White opened the scoring against Costa Rica.
Of the two, white is the more refined performer. The timing of his runs is better and his movements are more subtle. These expectations explain how he was able to score 71 goals in 196 league and cup appearances. First with the New York Red Bulls and more recently with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
It makes sense. At age 28, White is entering his eighth professional season compared to Agyemang, who is starting his third.
But Agyemang has a higher upside. He’s four years old and at 6-foot-4 he has a frame that is a nightmare for defenders to deal with and deceptive mobility. He is expected to become more refined as he adds experience.
RSL pair shine in midfield
If there was one enduring image from this January camp, it was the sight of Diego Luna with the back of his nose broken thanks to a front elbow from Creichel Pérez. It was then Luna who received the ball in midfield, seconds after restarting the game due to injury. Tycho’s Defending, White latched on and placed a perfect ball through to finish.
Luna’s perseverance personified the competitiveness and spirit that Pochettino has preached since taking the job last September.
Afterwards, Pochettino said in a post-game interview with TNT that Luna had “big balls,” which sent the TNT crew into howls of laughter. In subsequent interviews with the rest of the media, Pochettino’s comments were more G-rated.
“(Luna) showed great character because she wanted to stay,” the American manager said. “He wanted to play.”
The only pity was that Luna had to come out at half-time with an injury. But his 45-minute stint showed Pochettino enough to at least keep an eye on the real Salt Lake midfielder. Luna is ready for the next step and remains the most exciting prospect to come out of camp in January.
However, he was never a brilliant midfielder.
Luna’s club teammate Emeka Eneli was a force in a more defensive midfield role, providing plenty of steel to a side known for its bite. Eneli was also adept at connecting passes and assisted on the second American goal, a very sharp finish from Caden Clark. That said, Eneli has seen a bit of work at times on the recovery defense side. It’s still pre-season for all these players, which explains why there have been uneven displays from the likes of Matko Miljevic, Indiana Vassilev and Benjamin Cremaschi.
Jack McGlynn proved to be perhaps the player of the camp, scoring his goal and assisting Venezuela with another composed performance in the 45th minute against Costa Rica. Not only was his passing sharp, but he also led the team with his eight recoveries.
Fresh faces emerge to challenge a familiar back line
America’s defense contains more familiar names than any other part of the field, with Shaq Moore, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman all holding their own well in both games. The only goal credited came from a set piece.
Still, it was a pair of relative newcomers that caught my eye. George Campbell seemed strong on Venezuela. Dejuan Jones got his 10th cap and was given license to advance as much as possible down the left. He capitalized and dazzled with a brilliant series of passes that sprayed Agyemang for a stoppage-time tally.
Will it be enough to earn a call-up to the Nations League semi-finals in March? Jones, like many of his teammates in this camp, is fighting a numbers game. Although too many spots appear to be open, Pochettino has accumulated a lot of data. With guys like Steffen, McGlynn, Agyemang and Luna, there’s a greater comfort level with bringing them to the team as a whole when the situation arises.
