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Gold Cup Group Stage Reaction

 I returned from vacation just in time to catch the last two Gold Cup matches and they couldn't have gone better. Our worry was we would run into Mexico in the semifinals and now it appears as if we'll avoid Mexico until the finals IF we can get past Jamaica in the semi-finals. It took back to back hat tricks from Jesus Ferreira and matching 6-0 results but the US lands on top of the group and will await the runner up from group D that would be Canada, Guadeloupe or Guatemala. 

We learned a lot through the group stage of this year's Gold Cup for the USMNT but let's start with the positives: Jesus Ferreira has been a man possessed. While the rest of the group has been figuring it out, I found myself just hoping they would play the ball to the middle and give Ferreira a chance. After Brandon Vasquez came in, he moved to the 10 and showed a ton of value in that role as well. Ferreira aka the Pirate of the Caribbean has now notched 15 goals for country. I still believe he needs a move to Europe to solidify his spot in the 23 but he has been GREAT.

Cade Cowell and Julian Gressel came in the second half and made a difference. The same could not be said about Roldan and Zendejas in the first half. If Ferreira and/or Vasquez are playing well up the middle you need to do two things: get them the ball and make teams worry about your presence. Zendejas and Roldan didn't do either of those things today. Jordan Morris hasn't looked great either. Forward depth will be tricky as we move into the Knockout Rounds. 

I feel comfortable with a Midfield of Mihailovic, Busio, and Sands. It's who I would've picked before the tournament began, but Sands has been a great help defensively and Busio and Mihilovic have both played really well. Aidan Morris has left the camp and Sonora is nursing a hamstring injury. Roldan is the only other midfielder on the roster, so depth will be an issue here as well. 

Jalen Neal, DeJuan Jones, and Brian Reynolds have all looked great. Reynolds looks like the regular starter in Europe that he is, Jones has played great down the left side, and Neal should be starting next to Miles Robinson all three knockout games. 

Now we can dig into the bad: Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris, Matt Miazga, DeAndre Yedlin and Aaron Long just don't look like reliable subs/spot starters. I had hoped we could go with younger MLS based players or European based guys who didn't make the Nations League squad. If everyone stays healthy and we play our best 11 we can really win this tournament, but the depth isn't great.

To that point Sonora is injured and Aidan Morris has left camp. Aaron Long started camp injured and Miles Robinson is just making his way back. I think if you are able to bring in three players you should try, and I'm not going to get crazy and say we should call in Josh Sargent from England or anything wild. I would like to see Diego Luna, Timothy Tillman, and Walker Zimmerman added to the roster. All three are MLS players who are already stateside. Luna could play the 10 or at a wing spot in a pinch and he has such a high ceiling and creative style of play I think he would be a huge asset to the team. Tillman is both technically sound and isn't much of a risk in the midfield. I think he's a plug and play type of player that helps the squad immediately. Zimmerman is a World Cup vet that you can lean on as soon as he shows up. 

If you want to bring guys who were at the Nations League camp but didn't log many minutes I would call back Taylor Booth, Auston Trusty and Johnny Cardosa. All three would be welcome sites and make the squad better. Maybe I'm just being a dreamer but I think with Aidan Morris leaving camp you do need to bring someone in so you're not playing the next three games down a roster spot. 

Thanks for reading after my long break and be sure to stay tuned for the return of MLS coverage!

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