Tillman up, Cardoso down: USMNT Gold Cup stock watch so far

Heading into the Gold Cup, the big question surrounding the U.S. men’s national team was: Which players from this young roster will step up and deliver the kind of performances that will make manager Mauricio Pochettino sit up and take notice? Given the number of first-choice players missing from the roster, and with the FIFA World Cup just a year away, it’s a question that takes on a bit more urgency than it otherwise might.

To be clear, there have been a few. Center back Chris Richards has been the player of the tournament for the U.S., but given his club experience with the likes of Bayern Munich, TSG Hoffenheim and Crystal Palace, this wasn’t unexpected. Luca de la Torre has stepped up in a big way in the U.S. midfield, but again, it’s not a huge surprise given that he was on the 2022 World Cup roster for the USMNT.

But some less experienced players, at least at international level, have made positive impressions as well. With that in mind, here are a few performers who have grasped their opportunity for larger roles with both hands, or seen their chances slip through their fingers.

USMNT fans have long been waiting for Cardoso to deliver the kind of performances with the national team that he typically shows with club side Real Betis in LaLiga. The Gold Cup figured to provide him with the chance to do just that, and get some reps alongside Tyler Adams. Unfortunately for U.S. observers of all stripes, the wait continues.

After two subpar performances in a pair of pre-tournament friendlies, Cardoso has been on the field for a whopping 11 minutes during the Gold Cup, coming on as a late sub against both Saudi Arabia and Haiti. While it’s true his contribution was undermined by an illness that kept him out of the tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago, it’s still nothing near what was expected.

Complicating matters further for Cardoso is that other midfield options have stepped up in his stead. De la Torre has looked sharp in all three matches, setting a lot of the tempo in midfield. Sebastian Berhalter has made the most of his opportunity in a U.S. jersey during the Gold Cup, and his ability to deliver telling set pieces is a valuable weapon for the USMNT. Adams has returned from a foot injury, too.

Is there time to still make an impression? Absolutely. The Gold Cup knockout stages will be a level above what took place during the group stage, and Cardoso’s experience could come in handy. But he needs to play at a level above what he has so far delivered. — Jeff Carlisle

It’s hard to argue against three goals in the group stage, especially when considering that he also had two goals ruled out in the USMNT’s most recent match.

A classic “can he perform for country in the same way that he does for his club” situation before the Gold Cup, the 23-year-old PSV star has become the leading attacking figure for Pochettino this summer, thereby significantly increasing his prospects of becoming an important or possibly starting option at the World Cup.

Here’s what Pochettino had to say about him after scoring in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Haiti.

“Malik, it’s difficult to define him because what a player, no?” said the coach. “What a player that is showing this, all his talent and capacity. Because this type of player, the talent that he has shown with every single game and then with the capacity without ball, the work ethic in the way that he really is aggressive.”

Tillman has been the game-changer of the Gold Cup — even prompting transfer interest from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, who see him as a replacement for Florian Wirtz — and if he continues this form, we could perhaps be saying the same thing about him 12 months from now. — Cesar Hernandez

To be fair, Arfsten had two assists in the first group stage match, but on rewatch, those goals against Trinidad and Tobago were primarily the work of scorers Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright.

More of a wing-back at club level that’s being asked to be a full back for the USMNT, no defensive player lost the ball more often than the 24-year-old in the group stage. Tasked with covering more of the build-up workload against Saudi Arabia in the second match, Arfsten was surprisingly cautious with play, often either losing possession or playing conservative passes.

It could be a case of the Columbus Crew player not stepping up or Pochettino trying to place a square peg in a round hole, but it ultimately didn’t work out for a player who seemed to be quickly surpassed in the depth chart by John Tolkin‘s performance against Haiti.

At left back in the presumed best XI, Antonee Robinson is the obvious starter, with Sergiño Dest moving over if needed, but after that? Even after two starts in the Gold Cup, Arfsten remains an anomaly that didn’t help his case.

Possibly a talented player that just doesn’t fit Pochettino’s system. — Hernandez

Impressed: Sebastian Berhalter, midfielder, Vancouver Whitecaps

With the Gold Cup group stage now concluded, there are no shortage of USMNT players that have raised their stock. With numerous midfield options unavailable to Pochettino, the aforementioned De la Torre has become a mainstay in the U.S. midfield. Diego Luna continues to shine and as witnessed by his substitute appearance against Haiti, his speed of thought and execution looks a cut above many of his teammates.

But no player has seen his stock improve as much as Berhalter. When he was first named to the squad, it seemed like he would be there to provide some depth behind more experienced players like Adams, Cardoso and De la Torre. But circumstances meant that Berhalter got on the field against Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia, and he’s made the most of his chance. This was especially true against the Saudis, where he prevailed in the majority of his physical battles — winning 57.1% of his duels — and delivered an inch-perfect set piece that Richards latched onto to score the game’s only goal.

A yellow card against Saudi meant that Berhalter sat out the group stage finale against Haiti, but he’s done enough to give Pochettino something to ponder. It may be that the Argentine leans into his more experienced performers, but Berhalter has done enough to at least put himself in the conversation, which is more than even he probably hoped for at the start of the tournament.