USMNT: Prediting World Cup qualification XI

Front Three

If McKennie and Adams are guaranteed roles in central midfield, in whatever form those roles may take, Jordan Morris and Christian Pulisic will be the two wide players. Pulisic is America’s greatest-ever player, despite only being 21, while Morris has taken his game to a new level in Seattle, turning into an elite MLS wide attacker, exploiting his pace and becoming a more direct option with and without the ball.

That only leaves the centre-forward position, then. Berhalter has rotated between three primary options: Jozy Altidore, who ended the Gold Cup as the unquestioned number one, Gyasi Zardes, who started the Gold Cup as the number, and Josh Sargent, the young pretender to both.

Altidore has struggled with injuries and has rarely been fit for selection since the Gold Cup. Zardes is ageing and has not looked the most convincing in a grapple with Sargent for the leading role, while Sargent himself is young, raw and likely does not look ready.

For those reasons, Altidore is my prediction. But as fitness issues persist and Sargent improves, this might well change by the time the World Cup finals roll around.