United States

With many USMNT regulars missing, opportunity knocks for reserves vs. Canada

Updated Sep. 6, 2024 2:24 p.m. ET

Moments of change are inflection points often accompanied by opportunity, and it's no different for players on the fringes of the U.S. men's national team.

Entrenched starters like star winger and captain Christian Pulisic will continue to occupy a leading role when and if Mauricio Pochettio is (finally) introduced as the program's new head coach. But Pulisic and other automatic starters like midfielder Weston McKennie, left back Antonee "Jedi" Robinson and forward Tim Weah are outliers. With less than two years to go until the U.S. co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, about as many lineup spots are up for grabs as there aren't.

That's even more true for the squad that interim boss Mikey Varas will lead into Saturday's friendly with Canada in Kansas City, Kansas. Robinson (rest) and McKennie (fitness) remained with their European clubs this month, while Weah and two other usual locks, midfielder Tyler Adams and left back Sergiño Dest, are unavailable because of injuries. Same for playmaker Gio Reyna, who hurt his left groin during USMNT training on Wednesday and has since returned to Germany's Borussia Dortmund to begin rehabilitation.

There is no shortage of candidates vying to fill those holes all over the field, though. And there's no bigger opening this month than in the midfield, with all three starters from this summer's Copa América debacle (Adams, McKennie and Reyna) absent.

"I haven't really been with this group a whole lot, so it's been cool seeing some new faces and integrating myself," said two-way midfielder Aidan Morris, who is off to a flying start with English second tier side Middlesbrough, which he joined earlier this summer after leading the Columbus Crew to a pair of MLS Cup titles.

Yunus Musah and Johnny Cardoso, used mostly as reserves during the Copa under former coach Gregg Berhalter, are probably next in line for the nod against the Canadians. With Adams and McKennie both missing, Morris could join them.

"Whether those two guys are here, I hope to get an opportunity down the road as well," Morris, 22, told reporters on Thursday. "But I'll do my best to show myself and be the best version of myself."

Mark McKenzie was summoned to camp regularly under Berhalter. But the 25-year-old center back has featured sparingly for his country since making his senior international debut four years ago. He wasn't among the 26 players selected for the 2022 World Cup squad.

McKenzie also just switched day jobs, moving from Belgian side Genk to Toulouse in France on Aug 30. He's hoping the jump in competition in Ligue 1 — a competition Pochettino won in 2022 while in charge of Paris Saint-Germain — will help him finally entrench himself in the USMNT's first-choice XI. "I was in Belgium for three years; naturally you get to a point where maybe you want a new challenge," he said. "Stepping into a club like Toulouse, it's a step up."

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Meantime, Varas has to weigh looking at new or different options while also delivering results. Though Saturday's contest, and another on Tuesday against New Zealand, are exhibitions, the pressure is real after the USMNT's embarrassing group stage elimination from the Copa in July — a failure that cost Berhalter his job.

"We need to win," Varas said during Friday's pre-match press conference. "We all know that Copa América wasn't good enough."

Striking the right balance seems tricky. Varas insisted that it's not all that complicated.

"Players will have to earn that opportunity," he said. "If they don't earn it, they will not just be given it.

"This is the men's national team, it's the highest level for soccer in our country, the highest standard," continued Varas, who coached the U.S. under-20 squad at last year's U-20 World Cup in Argentina and then served as an assistant to Berhalter. "So the balance is providing them opportunities to come in and compete, and giving them a fair shot. And that's all they all want. They want transparency, and they want a fair shot at it. And then at the end of the day it's up to them."

For a pair of September friendlies under an interim coach, the stakes are higher than they might appear at first glance.

"Ultimately, it's an opportunity to represent your country," McKenzie said. "Each opportunity you get to do that, you don't take for granted."

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. He was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, and he has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.