Back when Sarachan was interim manager, there was much gnashing of teeth in U.S. circles when Mexico snatched Monterrey midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez away from the U.S., with the allegation being that the U.S. administration took its collective eye off the ball. The fact that Gonzalez’s career has regressed since then meant the U.S. didn’t get punished as much as it could have, but the case is still instructive.
Recruitment of dual nationals requires near constant attention, and it’s a key question as the latest chapter in the Mexico-U.S. tug-of-war for players is already playing out, with Club America midfielder Alejandro Zendejas still yet to make up his mind over which country he’ll pledge his international future.
The fact that Zendejas agreed to take part in the Serbia match with Hudson in charge bodes well in some respects. It was an opportunity to reforge some ties with a player who had previously represented the U.S. at the youth level. But it also seems unrealistic to think Zendejas will fully commit to the U.S. program without a permanent head coach. This was borne out in his comments to the media, in which he tenaciously stuck to his “I’m just enjoying the moment” mantra. It’s a situation that will be scrutinized in obsessive detail in the coming months.
Zendejas was one of two players who showed enough quality to get consideration for a call-up for the Nations League games in March, with FC Cincinnati forward Brandon Vazquez the other. Zendejas showed his quality on the ball, especially late in the match against Serbia, while Vazquez nodded home the only U.S. goal over two matches. He’ll have competition for sure — Daryl Dike has begun finding the net for West Bromwich Albion — but if he can reprise his form of last season, when he scored 19 goals in the MLS regular season and playoffs, he should get in the door.
For everyone else, there appears to be too much of a logjam at each of the positions. Full-back always seems to be a spot where the U.S. is short of depth, but it seems unlikely that the likes of the New York Red Bulls‘ John Tolkin or the New England Revolution‘s DeJuan Jones did enough to dislodge players like Borussia Monchengladbach‘s Joe Scally or Nashville SC‘s Shaq Moore for the March window. That’s on top of presumed starters Antonee Robinson and Dest.
The same is true for Cade Cowell, who, as impressive as he was against Serbia, has the misfortune of playing a position — winger — where the U.S. is deepest. A player like Paxten Aaronson still has a passel of players to try to climb over for an advanced midfield role, too.
But there is value in taking the long view, like Hudson did to a large extent this window. Some players like Aaronson and Cowell could find themselves at the FIFA U20 World Cup later this year. And given the close proximity between the Nations League final and the Gold Cup in June, it remains to be seen if the U.S. will field a B-team roster in the latter competition, like Berhalter did in 2021. That tournament saw the likes of Miles Robinson and Matt Turner stake their claim to spots with the full team, and following that approach this time could yield similar results.
These are the questions that Hudson will now have to weigh, even amid the instability above him.
