Debate on USMNT after January games, administration upheaval and coaching uncertainty

Inquirer soccer editor Andrea Canales: Jon, what have we learned from January camp games about the state of the U.S. men’s national team? And where does the team go from here, given it still has no coach, no general manager, no sporting director?

Inquirer soccer writer Jonathan Tannenwald: I’ll start with what we saw out of the January camp, because I think we saw more good than was expected.

Gabriel Slonina is as big-time of a goalkeeper prospect as everyone says. He still has a long way to go, but he’s got the skill and the head on his shoulders to get there.

In terms of defenders, here’s something I don’t know that I’ve ever done: praise the depth at left back. It’s been the U.S.’ most bedeviling position for decades - so bad that not just the U.S. men but the U.S. women have had few good ones. DaMarcus Beasley and Crystal Dunn can swap lots of stories about being stuck there for lack of better options.

Jonathan Gómez is on the way up, and I’d call him in for the March Nations League games to try to cap-tie him. John Tolkin also looks a good prospect, though I’d probably keep him in the Olympic pool for now.

I give interim manager Anthony Hudson credit for being willing to play all his young defenders in this month’s games, including centerbacks Sam Rogers (age 23) and Jalen Neal (19). Hudson did the right thing by having Neal play next to veteran Walker Zimmerman in the Serbia game. Then for the last stages of the Colombia game, he told Rogers and Neal to go jump in the deep end together. They kept the shutout.

» READ MORE: Earnie Stewart and Brian McBride leave U.S. Soccer

In the midfield, anyone reading our soccer coverage should know about Paxten Aaronson. It was no surprise that he played with skill and spice. Alan Soñora showed his stuff, and while the 24-year-old is past Olympic eligibility, I hope we haven’t seen the last of him. I certainly hope he gets somewhere in MLS this year, as he wants to, because he’s good enough.

Eryk Williamson is such a good tempo-setter. His ceiling might not end up too high because he’s already 25, but I hope he gets more respect from fans. Aidan Morris has a higher ceiling at age 21, and in a defensive midfield role where you can never have too much depth.

On the front line, Brandon Vázquez might have jumped over Jesús Ferreira on the depth chart, and I sense Ferreira might know it. The past is done, so there’s no point in wondering what if Vázquez had gone to the World Cup, but we saw what he’s got with that fine header vs. Serbia.

» READ MORE: Paxten Aaronson’s USMNT debut makes a positive impression despite scoreless draw

Cade Cowell’s got talent, as anyone who’s watched him with the San Jose Earthquakes knows. Now he’s got to stamp his authority on more games.

Paul Arriola deserves a lot of credit for coming back to the national team after being left out of the World Cup. He talked about it during this camp and everyone should read about it, because it’s proof of his character.

I saved Alejandro Zendejas for last. We wondered if he’d be the real deal for the U.S., and he was. Now to get him to pick the U.S. over Mexico. As Hudson said after the Serbia game, if Zendejas does that, it will matter more than any January camp game score could.

Canales: Yeah, that line to me was the best out of all the good ones in press conferences Hudson gave, because it was so straightforwardly true. January camp should be all about what Zendejas did so well, which was to try stuff. People fixated on the game score, or lack of it, missed all the blinking red signs that Zendejas is a player who can help the U.S. team, or, depending on if Mexico wins him in the end, hurt the U.S. team.

I thought all the dual nationals played like they knew the games were auditions not only for the American teams and coaches, but also the Mexican ones, because I know their scouts were watching. All their coaching candidates, too, most likely.

Tannenwald: What about Hudson? Fans don’t have to like him, and he’s not asking to be liked. He just wants to do the job for as long as he can, until a new long-term manager is hired. I appreciate his honesty about himself and the players he had in this camp. They seem to like him. If the bigger names who come in for the Nations League games like him too, that’s fine with me. It will buy U.S. Soccer president Cindy Cone the time she wants to get the upcoming hires right.

» READ MORE: Dual nationals like Alejandro Zendejas face an irreversible choice, and the USMNT has no guarantees

Canales: I like Hudson and enjoyed his dry sense of humor. Part of it stems from exactly what you mention, and I think something similar was true about Dave Sarachan during his year-long interim men’s national team coaching stint as well. Sarachan knew the mission for the USMNT after the 2018 qualifying failure was to find that new generation. It seemed like he had a great time working with the young talent and he wasn’t constrained by the politics of expectations or working to execute someone else’s vision. Hudson has a similar, “I’m the last guy standing, even if it’s not for long, might as well dance,” energy. He’s the coach for right now and he’s really leaning into setting an example for players of making the most of your moments.

So yeah, for me, Hudson is fine until Cone and JT Batson lock down Marcelo Bielsa.

The news rumors that both Mexico and the U.S. are interested in Bielsa for their coaching post is excellent, and a little hilarious for how it parallels those countries also chasing dual national talent. Despite no language issue with Mexico, I’d guess El Loco would chafe against a lot of Mexico’s fossilized structure, much of it unwritten rules that give club owners far too much power that affects the national team. Plus, Bielsa’s time at Leeds gave him a lot of familiarity with English and he should be fine communicating with what has become a very international young American player cadre.

I know you, Jon, are hoping that Cone picks Jesse Marsch and while I think Marsch is also a fine coach, I think the program needs to be shaken up more than that first, and especially knocked out of the pattern where every coach is a former assistant of a previous USMNT coach. Cone herself seemed grateful for the fresh start and despite his age, Bielsa is exactly that outside perspective I believe the men’s team needs now.

I have come around though, to your view that Tab Ramos deserves serious consideration for a USSF administrative post. He’s spoken some hard truths to people there already and that’s the kind of guts the role needs. So my ideal scenario is, let Hudson let new blood play, let Cone pick Ramos as the new sporting director and greenlight Bielsa as coach, all in good time for Copa América preparations.

» READ MORE: Tab Ramos coached many of the U.S. team's big stars before they became famous

Tannenwald: My last point relates to that. The biggest news to come out of the camp was the U.S. hosting the 2024 Copa América. It puts everything on deck this spring and summer into perspective. Yes, the U.S. men have to make the Nations League final four and put up a respectable showing there. That will mean calling in some of the stars, and Gio Reyna should be one of them to put the scandal in the past.

But the Gold Cup team can be a bunch of young prospects for next year’s Olympics. Let them have time together to build chemistry. The stars can rest and focus on the fall, when the Nations League games that serve as Copa América qualifying will kick off, and the new manager will be in place.

Those games matter much more than this spring and summer’s slate. I think a lot of fans know that, but don’t want to say so. Let’s let it out.