USMNT: Russell Canouse has a long way to go

Russell Canouse is aiming for his first USMNT appearance this January as he hopes to earn a starting role under Gregg Berhalter. He has, however, a long way to go.

Gregg Berhalter is still working out what his plans are for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Currently with the USMNT at the January Camp, leading up to an international friendly against Panama at the end of the month, the newly appointed head coach has plenty of thinking to do.

This January camp is critical for Berhalter as he gets to know much of his squad, many of which he will not have worked with previously, and lays down the foundations for what will be his era of the USMNT.

One of the key positions in Berhalter’s Columbus Crew system was the holding midfielder. That man was Wil Trapp, who was tasked with both shielding and screening the defence without the ball and dictating the tempo with it. The battle for this position in the USMNT camp will be fascinating, especially with neither Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams not there.

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One man who is making his claim for the starting number 6 position is D.C. United midfielder Russell Canouse. The industrious 23-year-old was a sensation for D.C. last season, returning midway through the season and inspiring their resurgence alongside the striking presence of Wayne Rooney — incidentally, D.C. went 3-9-5 without Canouse and 11-2-4 with Canouse.

Speaking this week, Canouse revealed that a first USMNT appearance is a carrot that he is chasing:

"“That’s been a goal of mine. It’s given me a lot of motivation this past year, too. Just playing with D.C. United, trying to grind out games and get results to make a run for the playoffs. but I, obviously, personally, have a bigger goal, and that’s to become an impact player with the national team, too. The first cap is the first step in that process.”"

He is capable, as his domestic and international teammate Paul Arriola proclaimed:

"“Once he came back, it was like everything blended together perfectly. The sky’s the limit, as long as he can continue to stay focused and push himself.”"

But there is a long way to go for Canouse to truly establish himself as a USMNT regular. Trapp, who Berhalter is obviously a supporter of and understands well from his time in Columbus, Adams and McKennie are all immediately ahead of Canouse in the pecking order as it presently stands.

Assuming that McKennie and Adams will start as two of the midfield three every time they are fit and available, it would be surprising to see Berhalter select a player like Canouse who is more of a defensive-minded player. It would be a very conservative midfield trio with little attacking outlook, drive from midfield, and creative distribution in the final third. So for Canouse to ‘make it’ on the international stage, he has a lot of players to overcome.

Is he capable? Absolutely. He has proven his skill set, he is still young and improving, and he is liked by Berhalter. But he also has a lot of work to do.