Does Jordan Pefok still deserve USMNT call-up for World Cup?
Jordan Pefok was one of the most prolific goalscorers in the German Bundesliga to start the 2022-23 campaign, and undoubtedly the most in-form striker in the United States men's national team player pool, which made his omission from Gregg Berhalter's September roster head-scratching.
Now, with other USMNT strikers hitting their stride and Pefok failing to score in his last eight appearances for Union Berlin, would Pefok's exclusion from the 26-man World Cup roster still be considered a snub? FOX Sports soccer analyst and former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas shared his thoughts on the "State of the Union Podcast."
"Whenever we talk about these forwards, it’s relative to them putting the damn ball the net, okay?" Lalas said. "So if that’s what your argument is for Pefok, he hasn’t scored in eight games. I don’t understand that. And there are those that say ‘yes, but he provides a different look,’ and I am one of those. Does it have to be Pefok? I don't know.
"But if your argument was always ‘well this guy’s scoring,’ or if your argument against a player is ‘well he’s not scoring’ — if it’s just about scoring goals, then Pefok shouldn’t even be on the plane right now because he’s not in form. He’s not scoring. I know I’m being a little flippant and simplistic when it comes to this but, in particular — with this position — it’s about scoring goals and if you’re not scoring goals, then don’t make the argument that he should or shouldn’t be there relative to putting the ball in the back of the net."
Has Jordan Pefok done enough to receive call from Gregg Berhalter?
Union Berlin have just one more game before the USMNT's roster announcement on Wednesday, so unless Berhalter already has a seat reserved for Pefok on the plane, or another striker sustains an injury, it might be hard for Pefok to make up the ground he's lost between him and the rest of the pack — namely Ricardo Pepi, who's scored five goals in seven games since moving to the Dutch first league.
[USMNT Stock Watch: McKennie injury puts pressure on midfield reserves]
You can watch the "State of the Union" podcast on YouTube or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.
