USMNT: MLS dependence not a good thing

Gregg Berhalter named his 23-man USMNT Gold Cup roster on Thursday. Despite his knowledge and experience of the league, the over-dependence on MLS players is not a good thing.

The sport of soccer is growing in the United States. Gradually, it is taking hold in the public light, with an increasing number of kids playing the sport over the more established alternatives like basketball or football.

As it increases in popularity the standard of the players also improves. Christian Pulisic is playing at the highest level that any American has ever played at. Landon Donovan is largely considered the greatest American player in history, but he never competed at a level even close to what Pulisic is playing at. The now Chelsea winger will move this summer for around £60 million.

But what is crucial regarding Pulisic’s development and skill level is that he has not played much in the American domestic league, Major League Soccer. When he was seven, he lived in England for a year. By the time he was 16, he moved to Germany and worked his way through the Borussia Dortmund ranks. Pulisic may be American, but he was made in Europe.

As Gregg Berhalter announces U.S Men’s National Team roster for the summer’s Gold Cup, one thing is extremely clear: he has relied on his experience and understanding of the domestic league in the States.

Berhalter’s 23-man squad is MLS heavy. Only six players come from clubs outside MLS: Tyler Adams, Matt Miazga, Tim Ream, Duane Holmes, Weston McKennie and Pulisic. Of those six players, only three are certain to start, with one of Miazga and Ream likely to make the starting XI if not both. That leaves approximately seven starting spots consisting of MLS players, including all of the front three assuming Pulisic moves centrally.

I do not want to completely knock Berhalter for his dependence on what he knows. Anyone moving into the biggest job of their career would naturally fall on what they know best, and for Berhalter, that is MLS, and in particular, the Columbus Crew, of which there are three representatives in the squad, more than any other team — I am including Zack Steffen as one of these.

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But the level of MLS play when compared with the global standard is not particularly high. Yes, it is improving at a rapid rate, but is comparable to second-division quality in England, France, Spain or any of the other top footballing nations. When ageing and knackered European stars are coming to the States and dominating, that tells you something about the overall quality of the league.

So selecting a player like Wil Trapp, for instance, who is a tidy, composed, neat MLS-level player has a little impact on the national stage. The same can be said for the crop of MLS wingers, Jordan Morris, Jonathan Lewis and Paul Arriola, none of which are anything more than decent MLS wingers.

This is not to completely slate Berhalter. I can understand why he has selected a squad that is so MLS-inclined. And in fairness to him, European options are limited, although the omission of Werder Bremen striker Josh Sargent is a curious one. But the opponents the USMNT will play this summer are a higher standard than that in MLS, so using even decent MLS players has little effect. They must be superstars in a poorer league to shine on the international stage.

dark. Next. USMNT: 3 immediate takeaways from final Gold Cup roster

The USMNT can do well in international football. They can do well in this summer’s Gold Cup. But to do so, they move away from a dependence on MLS, and Berhalter is ostensibly yet to learn that lesson.

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