After what feels like a successful international window, a few positional thoughts:
GK
Steffen remains the clear starter. I like him, but he does have moments of shakiness in various parts of his game. But as of now, there is no real competition here. Horvath isn't playing and is inconsistent. Turner is my pick of the MLS bunch, but he still has a lot to prove.
Defense
Brooks is a starter. So is Dest. But a lot is up in the air: who is Brooks' partner and does it make the most sense to use Dest at RB or LB? I didn't think either Robinson or Cannon really seized the opportunity this window, so the fullback debate continues.
I'm not too worried about RB depth. There's always Yedlin, and there are also a variety of young prospects who could break into the NT picture in the next year or two. I'd like another pure LB in the depth chart. Right now it's Robinson and ???. Sam Vines will probably get first crack.
At RCB, it's wide open. There are a variety of veteran options who are okay-ish that I find difficult to choose from: is there really a big gap in quality between Miazga, Long, Zimmerman, et al? Richards is interesting, but still quite young for a CB. I expect Berhalter to give Mark McKenzie a long look. He'll get chances to adapt to the level defensively because he's a better passer than all of his competitors.
Central Midfield
What a trio. Adams + McKennie: please stay healthy. Musah: please stay with the US. It's amazing how good Musah looks at 17 years old.
What about depth? Bradley is absolutely cooked and shouldn't even get call ups as a veteran locker room guy anymore. Yueill fills a similar role as Bradley has in recent years, which is a deep-lying midfielder more focused on tempo-setting and circulation than defensive bite. Not exactly a like-for-like sub for Tyler Adams.
The best young American DM in MLS is James Sands at NYCFC. He is a tough defender, and his defensive reads and positioning is advanced well beyond his years. However, his passing is extremely unadventurous and he makes Adams look like Iniesta. Johnny Cardoso looks to have some interesting qualities, but I don't know that much about him and he doesn't seem ready for prime time. So, still an open question. Maybe Tanner Tessmann will evolve into a 6, though he's not ready yet either.
The depth situation at the dual #8 positions is clearer. Brenden Aaronson is ready to move into the NT depth chart. Lletget is a fine option off the bench. Pomykal would be great if he can stay healthy. There are other relatively interesting players who may get looks. No need for more Cristian Roldan at this point.
Wingers
Weird to have so much depth and quality here! Pulisic and Reyna are the starters. Morris is great to have off the bench. Then, a stable of less-proven but talented players: Weah, Konrad, Llanez. You can see the progress: Tyler Boyd and Paul Arriola are in the prime of their careers but have slipped down the depth chart. Other guys who have been great in MLS like Chris Mueller will have a tough time cracking the team.
Forward
Wide open. Jozy has quality, but he's so broken down now that he's always injured or trying to find his form after an injury. I'm just not sure if it makes sense to try to plan to have him around anymore. Zardes is a workhorse where you know what you'll get. Obviously, it's possible to oust him from the team, but doing so won't be quite as easy as some fans want. Sargent is the heir apparent, but he has an increasing amount of competition:
- Nicholas Gioacchini, interesting player who has been doing some good things in Ligue 2, we'll see if his career takes off
- Daryl Dike, great rookie season in MLS, and he'll bring a physical presence to say the LEAST because he's a tank (6'1", 220). On the broadcast today they reported that Berhalter said he "couldn't wait" to work with him
- Ayo Akinola, a guy with a zillion caps for the U17s and U20s who nonetheless was never highly rated by fans, but he broke out this season. Fast and makes smart runs.
- Sebastian Soto, scores loads of goals wherever he's played, now on loan at a low level but is scoring as usual.
- Jesus Ferreira, had a bad year in 2020 after a good 2019 that led to a nice January camp performance. Hard to see him getting a serious look until he turns it around. Part of his problem is that he's kind of a positionless attacker, not quite a CF, or a winger or a 10.
I have no idea how to rank these guys.