United States

Balogun? Dike? Pepi? USMNT still searching for No. 1 striker as Nations League begins

Published Mar. 23, 2023 11:04 p.m. ET

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and the rest of the U.S. men's national team regulars return to action Friday for the first time since the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The setting couldn't be more different.

The USMNT is in St. George, Grenada to take on the 173rd-ranked host country — population 125,000 — in the group stage of CONCACAF Nations League.

"It might not be a World Cup game, but we know how challenging these matches can be at times because of the conditions," Pulisic told reporters on a Zoom call Thursday shortly after the Americans landed on the tiny Caribbean island.

Pulisic wasn't just being polite. U.S. has won just one of its last seven away games in the CONCACAF region. And while they're the overwhelming favorites against the Spice Boys, those expecting a cakewalk might be disappointed: The last time the USMNT played in Grenada, in a World Cup qualifying match in 2004, they eked out a narrow 3-2 win.

So mismatch or not, there's still plenty of intrigue as the U.S. plays its first competitive contest of the 2026 World Cup cycle. Here are four things to watch for when Friday's game (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Universo/Peacock) kicks off.

All eyes on Gio Reyna

Will Reyna start? That's the big question concerning the 20-year-old winger, who was used sparingly at the World Cup by then-USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and who has started just one out of 12 games for German titan Borussia Dortmund since.

After missing almost a full year with injuries, Reyna was behind Pulisic and Tim Weah on Berhalter's depth chart. But Weah was forced to withdraw from this U.S. roster because of a concussion scare, potentially opening up a spot on Reyna's preferred right side. Brenden Aaronson is the other contender to take Weah's place.

Asked Thursday how he might deploy Reyna, interim boss Anthony Hudson didn't tip his hand.

"We are trying to figure out and find a way of getting players like Gio in the best possible positions, where they can have an effect on the game, on the team and help us ultimately win," Hudson said. "He's had a really, really good week of training. His quality is very, very evident. And his attitude has been great."

Because the off-field drama since the World Cup, Reyna's every movement will be scrutinized no matter how much he plays. His body language will be critiqued as much as his decision-making. All week, a parade of Reyna' teammates have insisted that any issues the young star had over playing time in Qatar were dealt with then. By all accounts, he's been fully reintegrated and engaged all camp.

"It seems like everything's behind him," keeper Matt Turner said Wednesday. "As we go on, we'll look to hold him to that standard, but he's been a joy to be around."

Friday could represent a chance for Reyna to finally let his play for the U.S. do the talking.

Who starts in goal?

Turner was the USMNT's undisputed first choice keeper at the World Cup, where he played every minute of the Americans' four games. He's in camp. He's healthy. It seems like a no-brainer — even if Turner himself doesn't see it that way.

"I'm not the type of person who ever feels like I'm the out-and-out No. 1," Turner said. "I always have that same mentality that you need to earn things, they're not given to you."

Still, Turner was and is the U.S. starter. But it also seems unlikely that former first choice backstop Zack Steffen — who Berhalter didn't take to Qatar 2022 — would have agreed to report this month just to sit on the bench. The hunch here is that Steffen gets one of the two games.

With the second match, on Monday against El Salvador in Orlando, at home, don't be shocked to see Steffen between the sticks in Grenada. But don't read too much into it, either.

Miles Robinson returns

Had he not suffered a season ending Achilles injury last spring, Robinson would've been a mainstay at the World Cup. Instead, he watched from his parents' couch. Now that the 26-year-old central defender is fully recovered and playing again for Atlanta United, he's back with the national squad as the only MLS player summoned this month.

Hudson will still manage Robinson's minutes carefully; there's no chance the coach starts him in both games, especially with just two days between them. But without Walker Zimmerman and Cameron Carter Vickers, Robinson will get his minutes, probably alongside the 35-year-old Tim Ream. After a heartbreaking end to 2022, his return to the international stage will be a welcome sight.

"That's definitely something that I looked forward to in my rehab — hoping to come back and represent the country," Robinson said earlier this week. "I'm so grateful to be back out here with this team."

Striker spot up (still) for grabs

The dearth of depth up top was a major talking point throughout both World Cup qualifying and at the main event, were Jesús Ferreira, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright managed just one goal between them.

With all three of those forwards left off the squad this month for various reasons, youngsters Daryl Dike and Ricardo Pepi have the chance to lead the line over the next two games. Dike is with the national team for the first time in almost two years; injuries cost him almost all of 2022. Meantime, Pepi, who was omitted from the World Cup roster in favor of Wright, arrives with something to prove. Dike has been scoring regularly in England's second tier, while Pepi has done the same in the Netherlands' top league.

"I think it's been seamless for both guys," to return to the squad, Hudson said, adding that he and the USMNT's scouts have been following Dike and Pepi closely with their European clubs. "What we expect is for them just to come in and give everything they got. And obviously add some goals to that would be nice as well."

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

Top stories from FOX Sports: