“Who is Brandon Vazquez?” is a question that United States men’s national team fans could be asking themselves. If you’re a fan of the USMNT who doesn’t pay too much attention to Major League Soccer, then you might not know about the 23-year-old FC Cincinnati forward.
When USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter was making his media rounds this summer, every single news outlet hit him with the same question: Can center back John Brooks make the World Cup roster after being frozen out for a year?
If someone had asked me close to this time last year which USMNT strikers would go to Qatar I would have had Ricadro Pepi top of mind. Fast forward to present day and the job for the starting striker at the World Cup with the USMNT is there for the taking with several bidders.
Josh Sargent is in the best form of his career, Jordan Pefok has been a menace in front of goal for Union Berlin and Haji Wright is racking up the goals in Turkey. All three USMNT strikers had goal contributions this weekend.
Josh Sargent is on a hot streak right now for Norwich City in the EFL Championship. After scoring a sensational header on Tuesday he followed that performance up on Friday with a brace for the Canaries to defeat Millwall 2-0. The Sargent goals vs Millwall were the only goals of the game.
Malik Tillman has done it again. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder scored a headed goal for the second game in-a-row on Saturday during Rangers’ 4-0 victory vs. St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.
In the 32nd minute Tillman scored the opener with a giant leap at the back post. With a height of 6 feet and 1 inch the kid is becoming quite the aerial threat.
American striker Jordan Pefok has confirmed a move to Bundesliga side Union Berlin, the club announced Thursday. Pefok will complete the move from Swiss side BSC Young Boys, where he won the 2021-22 Swiss Super League scoring title.
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Ahead of the World Cup, there is always an influx of transfers featuring players who are on the fringes of their national teams and want to secure a roster spot for the tournament. Many players who sit on the bench for bigger clubs and get limited minutes desperately need quality playing time to be noticed by their national team managers. With so many rumors and confirmed deals happening every day, let's take a look at 10 players who need a transfer ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Those who tuned in to the USMNT match against El Salvador last night expecting to see a soccer game may not have been able to recognize the final product on the pitch. U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter previously stated his intention to use the game to evaluate players on the fringes of making the World Cup roster, but the conditions made that task a virtually impossible one.
Concacaf Nations League play resumes Tuesday night, with the U.S. men’s national team set to continue its title defense against El Salvador at the Estadio Cuscátlan in San Salvador. While El Salvador vs USMNT might not have the makings of a historic game on paper, for a large chunk of this roster there is still plenty to play for.
The USMNT is flying after Wednesday's 3-0 friendly victory over fellow World Cup participants Morocco in Cincinnati, but a potential wakeup call awaits against Uruguay at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City on Sunday evening.