LOS ANGELES — When the U.S. men’s national team announced its roster for the Concacaf Nations League finals last week, there was plenty of attention placed on the return of some former mainstays. AFC Bournemouth‘s midfield-destroyer extraordinaire Tyler Adams was on the list. So was Giovanni Reyna, who for all of the concerns about his lack of playing time at Borussia Dortmund, was the Nations League MVP just 12 months ago.
The best-laid plans of USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino have sustained some body blows in the past 48 hours, though. Stalwart left back Antonee Robinson is out, as are midfielder Johnny Cardoso and center back Auston Trusty.
That has forced Pochettino to dig into his depth a bit more than he might have otherwise in terms of call-ups. The same is true for getting on the field, and the opportunity is there for some players to get some unexpected minutes. Good thing that Pochettino has spread out some playing time since he came on board and collected plenty of data as it relates to the player pool.
Here are some roster wild cards who could further make a name for themselves as the USMNT chases its fourth consecutive Nations League crown.
Luna didn’t get on the field as much as he would have liked during the January camp, but that was mostly down to a broken nose he sustained against Costa Rica. And in the 70 minutes of time he did log over two matches, he showed enough creativity and clever touches — including an assist to Brian White against the Ticos — to catch Pochettino’s eye and earn a second invite, this time with a trophy on the line.
It seems unlikely that Luna will start. That still seems to be the domain of players such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Reyna, but if the USMNT is in need of some magic to break down a stout opposition defense — and in the recent past, Panama have fit that description — then one could easily see Pochettino summoning the RSL attacker off the bench.
Luna has made significant strides in his career over the past 12 months, winning MLS‘ Young Player of the Year award. A stellar cameo appearance in this tournament will see him continue that upward trajectory.
Cardoso’s injury opened a spot on the roster for the Houston Dynamo’s Jack McGlynn, yet it is Tessmann who figures to benefit the most from Cardoso’s absence, in that his game bears a closer resemblance to the Real Betis midfielder’s. Except that Tessmann has been even tidier on the ball this season and has as many progressive passes and carries as Cardoso does in about half the minutes.
