USMNT camp opens after chaotic weekend: Folarin Balogun sent off, Tyler Adams shaken, injuries cloud roster
As Mauricio Pochettino began welcoming arrivals to Philadelphia for the last camp of the year, a long list of players — almost enough for a formidable lineup — remained behind for a range of reasons.
On the last weekend of club activities before reporting to U.S. men's national soccer team training camp, 20 of the 25 chosen players started, while two came off the bench and three were on clubs without games. Fifteen went the distance. Five started in the same Major League Soccer knockout match. One scored moments before getting red-carded.
It was, in other words, an eventful few days.
But as Mauricio Pochettino began welcoming arrivals to Philadelphia for the last camp of the year, a long list of players — almost enough for a formidable lineup — remained behind for a range of reasons.
It’s important to make note of them — and how they fared over the weekend — because they will remain in the mix as the World Cup approaches. Some absences, though, also highlighted the balance Pochettino has sought to strike in the eternal struggle between clubs and national teams for players’ services and how injuries, even minor ones, play into the equation.
It can be unsettling to see key figures well enough to take the field for their clubs one day, but not report to the national team the next — and for it to happen seven months before the World Cup.
Three probable U.S. starters — Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Chris Richards — were in action over the weekend in Europe, which, under normal circumstances, would signal their availability for the friendlies against Paraguay on Saturday in Chester, Pennsylvania, and Uruguay on Nov. 18 in Tampa.
But Pulisic’s 20-minute stint for AC Milan was his first action since straining a hamstring almost a month ago. So he will remain in Italy. And despite logging 90 minutes for Juventus, McKennie will stay behind to continue proving his worth for a new coach. And though he played the entire match for Crystal Palace, Richards needed the international break to rest a calf ailment.
Under FIFA rules, Pochettino could have demanded their release. But he also understands the nuances of international call-ups. In these cases, he saw short-term absences making way for long-term gains.
Midfield candidates Malik Tillman and Johnny Cardoso, as well as winger Alex Zendejas, were left off the roster because they were just getting back up to speed. Tillman entered at halftime for Bayer Leverkusen, the unused Cardoso returned to Atletico Madrid’s bench and Zendejas played one half for Club América.
Out since Oct. 25, winger Tim Weah was in uniform but didn’t play for Olympique Marseille. (Pochettino had excused him from camp.) Left back Antonee Robinson remains sidelined for Fulham with a knee injury, raising concerns about his availability leading to the World Cup. Midfielder Yunus Musah’s inactivity at Atalanta (39 minutes over five weeks, including none this weekend) undermines his hopes of rejoining the U.S. squad.
One healthy player not invited to U.S. camp made an emphatic case: Forward Patrick Agyemang scored on a terrific header in Derby County’s 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers.
Balogun's mixed bag
Folarin Balogun, Pochettino’s first-choice striker, converted a penalty kick for Monaco in the 37th minute — his third goal in four appearances across all competitions. But in the 45th, with his team trailing 2-1, he was red-carded for stepping on an opponent’s foot. Ten-man Monaco lost 4-1.
Elsewhere in France, midfielder Tanner Tessmann received a poor review from L’Equipe from his performance against Paris Saint-Germain star Vitinha during Olympique Lyon’s 3-2 home loss.
Adams' scare
Midfielder Tyler Adams, scheduled to return to the U.S. lineup after missing last month’s camp to be with his pregnant wife, was involved in a frightening head-to-head collision with Bournemouth teammate Adam Smith in the opening minutes of the 4-0 loss at Aston Villa.
Medical personnel rushed onto the field to attend to the players. Bloodied and concussed, Smith wasn’t able to continue. Adams returned to play the rest of the match. The American seems sure to undergo additional evaluation before reporting to U.S. camp.
“I hope in his case it's nothing there,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said.
Off the bench
While almost all U.S. call-ups started over the weekend, two players came off the bench.
Striker Ricardo Pepi, who was summoned by Pochettino for the first time in a year, was in his usual role for PSV Eindhoven, entering in the 71st minute of a 5-1 rout at AZ Alkmaar. The colleague with whom he is competing for playing time, Dutchman Guus Til, recorded a hat trick.
Gio Reyna, a surprise U.S. call-up after eight months away, logged 15 minutes in Mönchengladbach’s 3-1 victory over Köln. He hasn’t started since Sept. 14 and hasn’t recorded a goal or assist since January, when he was with Borussia Dortmund.
Playoff drama
In a game featuring five U.S. call-ups, including both starting goalkeepers, FC Cincinnati came from behind to defeat the Columbus Crew 2-1 in the finale of an MLS Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
Cincinnati center back Miles Robinson, a U.S. starting candidate, played 90 minutes, as did Columbus midfielder Sean Zawadzki. Crew left wing back Max Arfsten, who left the match in stoppage time, leads the U.S. team in starts this year (12).
Victorious goalkeeper Roman Celentano and counterpart Patrick Schulte are among the national team back-ups to Matt Freese, the New York City FC standout who helped eliminate Charlotte FC in a decisive Game 3 in North Carolina.
“They are very intelligent guys and they know they need to compete and try to fight for the club,” Pochettino said of the players involved in the Cincinnati-Columbus rivalry. “But then when we arrive [with] the national team, we are all USA players. The national team is always above us.”
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