ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The US men’s national team will take aim at Jamaica in a friendly Wednesday (7 pm ET | FS1, UniMás, UDN) with the Concacaf Gold Cup in mind, but without two of their most important contributors.
In other words, says US coach Gregg Berhalter, it’s a chance for a couple MLS-based alternatives to prove their worth for the month ahead.
Chelsea-bound Christian Pulisic will report to US camp Thursday, with former New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams to follow the following Tuesday, Berhalter revealed.
In their place, he is evaluating the likes of the Chicago Fire’s Djordje Mihailovic and the Seattle Sounders’ Cristian Roldan in their respective midfield roles. The demands of the Gold Cup will require contributions from beyond his first-choice XI.
“I think the good thing about it is you get to see other options, and that’s important,” Berhalter told reporters on Tuesday following training. “We know in a tournament format, the games come very quick after another. We know there’s a lot of travel associated with it. So we know we need other guys to step up. This gives other guys an opportunity to get fit and be involved in our system, and to play.”
Berhalter mentioned Mihailovic as one player who could supplement Pulisic’s contributions. The LA Galaxy’s Sebastian Lletget is potentially another, though he exited his last league match Sunday early with a hamstring issue. Berhalter expected a decision on whether Lletget remains in camp to come later Tuesday.
Meanwhile, he said Roldan is another option to spell Adams, who moved from New York to RB Leipzig over the winter and immediately became a regular starter as the Bundesliga side qualified for the UEFA Champions League.
With 28 players on the roster for Jamaica and Adams and Pulisic essentially assured spots for the Gold Cup, seven players will have to be culled from the group by the time the tournament roster deadline arrives roughly three hours following Wednesday’s final whistle. (Among them will be San Jose’s Jackson Yueill, who was not on the US’s provisional Gold Cup 40-man squad.)
Berhalter suggested less than a handful of those decisions will be made postgame at Audi Field.
“That’s a good question, how much are you going to determine from the Jamaica game,” he said. “A lot of the work has been done beforehand, but we will make a few decisions based on tomorrow’s game.”
In Jamaica, the US face a nation that has reached consecutive Gold Cup finals, losing to the US in 2017 and to Mexico in 2015 after upsetting the US in a semifinal in Atlanta.
“They’re a very talented team, a very physical team, [pose] a lot of threats in offensive transition, [have] very talented players, [are] an experienced group,” Berhalter said. “We will face opponents like this in the Gold Cup, and it’s good for us to get a test.”
