USMNT Stock Watch: Josh Sargent and Greg Garza trending up; DeAndre Yedlin, Bobby Wood down
In the week that has passed since Gregg Berhalter was officially introduced as the new coach of the U.S. men’s national team, the former Columbus Crew boss has been a busy man.
Berhalter started reaching out to USMNT players almost immediately. On Saturday, he was in Atlanta for MLS Cup, where he watched several candidates for the January camp roster perform in the flesh. And on Wednesday he’ll hop on a flight to Europe, where he’ll take in a bunch of games and meet some of the squad’s most important members for the first time.
A stickler for details, Berhalter is already fully aware of how his new players are faring with their club team. National team fans might not be as informed, however, which is were we come in. With the domestic season now over and most European leagues gearing up for their winter break, here’s a snapshot of where some of the squad’s key players stand.
Trending up
F Josh Sargent, Werder Bremen (German Bundesliga)
Sargent, still just 18, celebrated his Bundesliga debut last week by scoring on his very first touch:
WELCOME TO THE BUNDESLIGA JOSH SARGENT!
Only 2 minutes into his Bundesliga Debut he finds the back of the net with his very first touch 👏🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0YYIbmog5Q
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 7, 2018
Takeaway: The St. Louis-area native’s nose for the net is uncanny; Sargent was also on target in his first international match earlier this year. Friday’s goal should give him a major confidence boost and also some more playing time from Werder boss Florian Kohfeldt. That’s great news for a USMNT program in desperate need of quality strikers who can score consistently at the highest level.
M Weston McKennie, Schalke (German Bundesliga)
The 20-year-old Texan made his first start for Schalke since Oct. 28, going the distance in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
Takeaway: A week after coming off the bench in his first action since suffering a hamstring injury in the U.S.’s 3-0 loss at England last month, McKennie appears back to full fitness. The timing is good as Schalke, which has already advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League, closes out group play on Tuesday against Lokomotiv Moscow.
D Shaquell Moore, Reus Deportiu (Spanish La Liga 2)
After not playing a single minute for Reus in November, right back Moore has now started two straight games for the second-tier side, including Saturday’s huge 1-0 win away to promotion-chasing Alcorcon.
Takeaway: This is a positive development for Moore, who will compete with DeAndre Yedlin (more on Yedlin below) and Reggie Cannon with the national team. It’s also good news for Berhalter; with fullbacks so key in the new coach’s system, he can never have too many options.
G Brad Guzan, Atlanta United (MLS)
Guzan made three key stops and kept the clean sheet in Atlanta’s MLS Cup win, none of them more important than this save on Portland’s Jeremy Ebobisse late just before halftime:
What a save by Brad Guzan! 😳
His save keeps Atlanta on top just before the end of the half. pic.twitter.com/xrJ5DJNkoP
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 9, 2018
Takeaway: With Berhalter watching inside jam-packed Mercedes-Benz stadium, the vastly experienced Guzan showed his big-match chops. His cool performance under pressure certainly won’t have gone unnoticed by the new U.S. coach.
D Greg Garza, Atlanta United (MLS)
After missing five months following shoulder surgery, Garza returned for the last game of the regular season and was quietly excellent for the Five Stripes during the playoffs, starting Atlanta’s last five games and helping the hosts shut down dangerous Timbers attacker Sebastian Blanco during Saturday’s MLS Cup triumph.
Takeaway: Left back remains a weakness in the U.S. player pool, and Garza, who was also slowed by hip problems over the last few years, now appears ready to return to the USMMT fold. The 27-year-old already has some good international experience but the most recent of his 10 caps came in January of last year.
Trending down
D DeAndre Yedlin, Newcastle (English Premier League)
The 25-year-old was sent off with about a half-hour left in Sunday’s 2-1 home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Yedlin lost the ball to Wolves’ Diogo Jota then tugged him to the turf, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Takeaway: The red card, the third of Yedlin’s career, guarantees that Berhalter won’t get to see Yedlin play at Huddersfield next weekend. It could also impact his standing with Magpies coach Rafa Benitez. Benitez wasn’t happy with referee Mike Dean’s call but it was still a costly error from Yedlin; Newcastle went on to lose the match in stoppage time.
M Christian Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga)
Pulisic’s season continues to be marked by minor injuries. The 20-year-old missed Dortmund’s 2-0 win over Freiburg on Dec. 1 with what the club called a “muscular” ailment, and played just two minutes off the bench on Saturday against McKennie and Schalke.
Takeaway: BVB’s packed schedule — Dortmund closes out its Champions League group stage slate Tuesday at Monaco — ensures that Pulisic will get minutes when healthy. But his injury issues this season are worrying, not least because fellow young attacker Jadon Sancho has taken the opportunity to establish himself as a key player for Lucien Favre’s team in the American’s absence.
F Bobby Wood, Hannover (German Bundesliga)
After starting seven consecutive games for Hannover, Wood played just one minute off the bench in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Mainz.
Takeaway: Wood scored three times in those seven matches. That’s not bad, but Bundesliga coaches generally expect their strikers to score every other game. It’s up to Wood to force his way back into the lineup, ideally in one of Hannover’s three matches before the winter hiatus.
D/M Erik Palmer-Brown, NAC Breda (Dutch Eredivisie)
The Manchester City loanee, 21, lost his starting spot after Breda dropped three consecutive matches, including an ugly 5-2 defeat to Gronigen on Dec. 2.
Takeaway: Young center backs often struggle with consistency; this is the second time Palmer-Brown has been sent back to the bench this season. It took the former Sporting Kansas City prospect more than a month to win his place back last time. If Breda keep winning, as they did over the weekend, his latest spell on the sidelines could last longer.
Doug McIntyre covers soccer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
