USMNT: Justen Glad getting another wake-up call

Gregg Berhalter cut centre-back Justen Glad from his USMNT roster this week. This is the second wake-up call Glad has received in just six months after being dropped in the latter stages of last season by Real Salt Lake manager Mike Petke. It might be time for him to start listening.

Managers often make statements in their actions. Words can obviously impact their players, but, sometimes, a more challenging, unavoidable approach is required to hammer home a particular point.

Arsenal’s Unai Emery spoke this week about wanting to create ‘friction’ between him and his players to see what their response would be. Similarly, many of the world’s greatest managers have displayed their desires for the team through the management of other players.

Jose Mourinho would happily drop stars if they were underperforming or not executing as he wanted them to. Pep Guardiola has shipped out many a club legend because they do not fit the style of play that he wants to implement. Players must listen — and respond — to these ‘wake-up calls’.

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And now it is Justen Glad’s turn. The 21-year-old centre-back has long been heralded as the future of the U.S. defence. He impressed from a young age and was touted for a high level of football from his youth. For the most part, he has delivered on his promise, his development taking a roughly linear trajectory. But in October, Glad was handed his first wake-up call.

Mike Petke dropped him from the Real Salt Lake starting XI. He had been a staple of the RSL team throughout the season. And then, suddenly, Petke decided to drop him. He had started 50 consecutive matches. Then he didn’t play the final game of the regular season and was dropped for the playoffs. That is quite the wake-up call.

It seems as though Petke is not the only manager to try and give Glad a kick up the backside. This week, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter dropped Glad from his January Training Camp squad as he cut his squad down to 23 players prior to Sunday’s friendly against Panama.

On paper, Glad would have been expected to play. Although he is not the oldest centre-back in the squad, he is the most experienced and was seemingly ahead of those that he has been cut for last season. Berhalter’s reasoning for Glad’s dropping is not yet known. Neither is Petke’s, for that matter. Not explicitly, anyway.

But it does not matter if the general public does not know the reason for the decision. The very fact that Glad has now been overlooked by two different managers in the space of three months is rather concerning. That is a major wake-up call if ever there was one.

Glad must be keen for the 2019 season to get underway. He will want to get back to playing, I am sure. He will also want to prove that he has listened to his managers and has responded accordingly. For Glad, it might just be time to wake up.