“It’s always going to be bigger than the individual”: Takeaways from USMNT’s Nations League roster release
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 1, 2023) US Soccer Players – The leader in the technical area is new, and so is some of the roster. The style, opponents, stakes, and trophy they’re defending remain quite familiar for the USMNT as the squad for the Concacaf Nations League’s June 15-18 championship weekend was released on Thursday. Here’s a few key topics in the wake of the announcement.
New and familiar face at the top
The roster drop was preceded by the unexpected development that interim head coach Anthony Hudson is departing the program for another opportunity. That passes the mantle to BJ Callaghan, like Hudson a member of Gregg Berhalter’s staff during the 2022 cycle. Callaghan is both a familiar presence for the team and a newcomer to a head coaching position of this magnitude.
“I think you have to practice what you preach. I know it does sound cliché, but in professional sports, a lot changes in a short amount of time,” Callaghan told reporters in a media availability on Thursday afternoon. “We constantly say, ‘next man up, next man up.’ And at this point in time, my number was called, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to step up.”
Callaghan was an original member of Berhalter’s team from day one in January 2019, initially carrying the title of Strategy Analyst and Assistant Coach. He was centrally involved in both big-picture and day-to-day work at the USMNT, as well as the Philadelphia Union before that.
“Whether it was with Philadelphia or with the opportunity with Gregg, and lastly with Anthony,” he said, “I’ve always tried to sit in the chair with my head coaching hat on, thinking about it, challenging head coaches on different aspects. And so I think over that period of time, I’ve been lucky to be intimately involved in almost every aspect of these teams that I’ve been part of. So you have that type of experience in, I would say the operation of it, whether it’s the game-planning or the culture-building or the management of the staff. But we all know that the next biggest piece is, now the buck stops with me.”
Depth on display
With the long grind of a European club season just drawn to a close, many members of the playing pool are unavailable due to injuries. Callaghan called it “a testament to the depth of the player pool that we have here” that he could still call on 13 members of the group that went to Qatar in November. That experience will be quite useful when the Yanks meet Mexico at what is likely to be a packed Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the Nations League semifinal on June 15.
“I look at it as an opportunity for these guys,” he said. “A lot of them have come through some stressful seasons. But I can tell you when these guys get together, they really enjoy their time together. So this is almost an opportunity to give them a release, a place where it’s safe for them to be themselves.… This is just an opportunity for them to put that aside, really focus on something that they’re passionate about, which is the men’s national team. Another thing they’re really passionate about is competing, and winning another trophy.”
In the longer run, the coach said he shares Hudson’s priority of cultivating “a wide, deep player pool,” introducing as many players as possible to the rigors of international competition.
“We don’t know what the 2026 player pool is going to look like,” said Callaghan. “So it’s our responsibility to have as many players exposed to high-level, knockout-stage, group-stage type of environments. That’s going to extend beyond the Gold Cup as well when we look at 2024 and 2025, when you’re looking at the Olympics and you’re looking at Copa America. All of these tournaments are really pressure-testing you – pressure testing your on-field ability, you’re also pressure-testing each individual’s ability to handle the pressure, and you’re also pressure-testing the culture.”
Philly flavor
Callaghan is part of a common thread between the USMNT and the Union that includes two of the club’s academy products, Auston Trusty and Brenden Aaronson, on the current roster and several others in the pool. He moved from nearby Villanova University to coach in the club’s respected academy alongside Jim Curtin before moving up to the first team as he and Curtin climbed the ranks.
“BJ’s a guy who will never be outworked,” Curtin, the Union’s head coach since 2014, said in a Tuesday press conference. “A guy that has succeeded now at every level, I think has an incredible understanding of the United States’ player pool, has the experience of a world cup in working with Gregg. And anybody that works with BJ, and the people in the know, realize just how good he is – on the field with players, tactically, in the video film room, a huge guy in the development of guys like Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Brenden Aaronson, all of our homegrowns, and did such a great job turning the Philadelphia Union into what it is.”
Philly also sent a team-high three players to the US Under-20s squad that reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup this week. U-20s coach Mikey Varas pointed to the club’s productive youth pipeline and willingness to trust youngsters as a boon for the national teams system at large.
“Philadelphia is a great example of a club we’re really grateful for, in terms of having a clear philosophy and supporting these guys,” said Varas last month.
Culture key
It wasn’t anyone’s plan to have two interim coaches in under six months while the search for the next permanent hire plays out. That doesn’t shake the conviction that the collective built by players and staff over the past several years is sturdy enough to continue despite changes at the helm.
“They’re all really excited to come in, focused on the task at hand,” said Callaghan of his players. “One common theme that we continue to talk about, we continue to build upon, is the foundation of the culture that we’ve been building over the last four years. It’s really something special that we have. It’s something that we built intentionally about being all about the collective, having ownership. Everyone gets a piece of ownership and at the same time we all have the responsibility to preserve it. We all know it’s always going to be bigger than the individual.”
Callaghan said the team’s game model and principles of play will remain in place, even if adjustments are made to formations and personnel on a game-by-game basis. He vowed to keep a “business as usual” mindset and noted that his recent phone conversations with members of the squad reflected a similar outlook on their end. The clock is ticking, and achievements are on the line.
“The players are familiar with me and I’m familiar with the players,” he said. “There’s a sense of continuity, the way that we’re going to operate, the way that we’re going to run ourselves day to day, the messaging that we’re going to have throughout the camp, is all going to be very familiar for them. And it’ll be stable…. It’s two big tournaments for us.”
Charles Boehm is a Washington, DC-based writer and the editor of The Soccer Wire. Contact him at:cboehm@thesoccerwire.com. Follow him on Twitter @cboehm.
More from Charles Boehm:
- Takeaways from the United States’ opening matches at U-20 World Cup
- United States aims for a new level at U-20 World Cup
- Charlie Davies on his new role at CBS Sports Golazo Network and more
- LAFC aims to break new ground on Champions League run
Photo by Concacaf
