USMNT

On Saturday, during halftime of the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela, the preliminary 40-man roster for the 2017 Gold Cup was revealed. Manager Bruce Arena now has about three weeks to narrow that list down to the final cut of 23 players. The United States will open the tournament on July 8 against Panama. 

This 40-player pool came with several surprises. MLS dominates the list with 32 of the selections being domestically-based. Here are a few of the more interesting decisions from Arena for the 2017 Gold Cup. 

It shouldn't have to be like this, USMNT. Christian Pulisic is only 18 years old, but suddenly everyone is looking to him to be the catalyst of the offense. It's true that Pulisic is the best player on the team, but it's also true that he's an 18-year-old on a team with other very good players on it, players who need to carry their shares of the load.

The United States matched their biggest-ever triumph on the U-20 World Cup stage, and Mexico scored a game-winner in the 89th minute as North America sent two representatives into the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals — just as many as South America and one less than Europe.

Jonathan Klinsmann is young and still has a lot of growing up to do. Goalkeepers generally improve with experience more so than other positions and tend to peak in their late 20s and early 30s. So we're not that worried about him yet.

That said, he should stop watching tapes of Joe Hart.

Year-long speculation over whether CONCACAF’s bid for the 2026 World Cup, which will almost certainly be awarded to the region, would become a joint bid by the United States, Mexico and Canada has officially been confirmed today.

In the face of constant derision from both fans and club teams with regards to international friendlies, UEFA proposed the adaptation of a UEFA Nations League to replace friendlies. Essentially, instead of playing one-off exhibition matches, all 55 European nations would be divided into four groups, much like a club league system, using prior results to determine which nations would begin in which groups.

The United States’ recent match against Panama conjured memories of one of the greatest performances by any American in World Cup qualifying. Eddie Johnson, then just 20 years old, took his total to four goals in only two international appearances by scoring a hat trick against Panama in only seventeen-minutes back in 2004.

It’s difficult to quantify what exactly has gone down here in Panama City. For one, some sensational work from 18-year-old Christian Pulisic gave the United States a 1-0 advantage. However, Panama went straight back at the other end to equalize, making the scores level at 1-1 after 45.

Here’s what we do know: Clint Dempsey is now one goal shy of Landon Donovan’s all-time mark for the United States. Christian Pulisic is the best 18-year-old in the history of the CONCACAF region. We’ve got a feisty one in Panama City. The second half promises to be a classic.

We know what Bruce Arena thinks of Jermaine Jones. He thinks that he’s got an engine, that he’s experienced and that he’s the type of player that can help the United States qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The 35-year-old was arguably America’s best player at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Copa America Centenario.