USMNT Now 91.3% More American Abroad 🇺🇸

Ninety-one. Or 91.3 to be exact.

That is the exact percentage of Americans Abroad on the USMNT roster for Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League semi final match against Jamaica (7 p.m. EST, Paramount+). Meaning it’s a very rare thing these days to be able to don the U.S. crest while playing at home.

Compare that to years and teams prior:

• 2014 World Cup: 56.5% Americans Abroad

• 2018 World Cup: Did not qualify, but the team on the pitch at Trinidad & Tobago for the darkest night in U.S. Soccer history was just 30.4% non-MLS

• 2022 World Cup: 65.4% Americans Abroad

But for this break? Just 8.7% of the team is playing in the United States. Goalkeeper Drake Callender and defender Miles Robinson are the only two MLS representatives.

None of this is to be overly critical of pro soccer at home. Messi is here. The lower divisions are thriving. Exciting things are happening from top to bottom for fans to enjoy … Even if our own top tier has inexplicably chosen to distance itself from our beloved U.S. Open Cup; the oldest football competition in this great nation’s history. (For more on this important topic, please watch Rog’s video “The Secret Power Struggle Threatening US Soccer”.)

This is more to celebrate the rise of the American footballer. Our players have become good enough to cut it at clubs in the best, most lucrative leagues in the world. And this roster — with players at AC Milan, Juventus, PSV, etc. — is another welcome reminder of how far we have come in the last 10 years, both in terms of quality and perception.

Here’s to hoping our talent-rich squad can capture a world-record (😉) third-straight Nations League trophy in Sunday’s final. With all of the final-round matches being played on our home soil in Texas, it would be a bitter disappointment were we to do anything but.

🎙️ Rog and VAMOS host Herc Gomez analyzed the USMNT squad ahead of their Concacaf Nations League Semifinal against Jamaica. LISTEN HERE NOW. They delved into the pool of strikers of the USMNT, ranking them based on their current form. Plus, they highlighted the importance of Tyler Adams' leadership skills and how a player like Antonee Robinson can boost the US defensive line. WATCH THE DISCUSSION ON OUR YOUTUBE.

MORE: Today at noon eastern, a new podcast drops where Rog sits down with the manager of tonight's opponent: Jamaica’s manager Heimir Hallgrímsson. Rog chats with the former Icelandic dentist and national team manager to discuss what to watch ahead of tonight's CONCACAF Clash and the ONE BIG THING he thinks the US winning a major tournament hinges on. Listen on our podcast feed.

EVEN MORE: Rog will be LIVE on our YouTube after USMNT vs Jamaica to break it all down and answer YOUR questions. JOIN US HERE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MATCH.

True Hollywood Ending in West Midlands:

Haji Wright 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Los Angeles, CA) will never have to pay for a meal or pint in the city of Coventry again. Such are the spoils when you score an at-the-death winner that sends your second-tier club to Wembley in an open cup competition.

With his dramatic 100th minute FA Cup quarter final match winner at Wolves on Saturday — a goal that sent Coventry City through to the semi finals of the FA Cup, where they’ll face Manchester United — Wright is now an eternal part of West Midlands football lore. And Americans Abroad history as well, as he has become just the second U.S. player to score in an FA Cup quarter final or later since 2007. 

After the match, Wright greeted Sky Blue fans and gave away his shirt, before finding out that he would be part of the U.S. squad to face Jamaica on Thursday — replacing the injured Josh Sargent — his first call-up since the 2022 World Cup. For a player whose greatest career aspirations have been to play in England and for the USMNT, the striker from Hollywood must have felt as though this weekend was a huge step in making the jump from talented supporting actor to blockbuster leading man.

News and Notes:

• Like Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson 🇩🇪 (23; Medford, NJ) also turned a match-winner into a USMNT call-up, as he scored the difference-maker for Union Berlin in their 2-1 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday (Watch), before replacing the injured Luca de la Torre for this week’s matches.

• Christian Pulisic 🇮🇹 (25; Hershey, PA) scored (Watch) and assisted (Watch) in AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Slavia Prague on Thursday, his 99th and 100th goal contributions of his senior club career. So to celebrate this amazing milestone, he went out on Sunday and scored at Hellas Verona (Watch) in another 3-1 victory. Come. On. Baby.

• With his goal against Stoke City (Watch), Josh Sargent 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (24; O’Fallon, MO) has scored 10 league goals for Norwich City since January 1, which is more than any other player in the top four tiers of English football. Here’s to hoping Sarge’s “knock and twist” ankle injury isn’t too serious, and he’s back ruling England again soon. 

• Ricardo Pepi 🇳🇱 (21; El Paso, TX) did his best Haji impersonation, and scored a stoppage-time winner (Watch) for PSV in their 1-0 victory over FC Twente on Sunday.

• Antonee Robinson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (26; Liverpool, ENG) had an assist (Watch) in Fulham’s impressive 3-0 thumping of Spurs on Saturday. It would seem as though Jedi has shipped that killer mindset over from London to Dallas, as he said ahead of Thursday’s Nations League semi final: “I want only us to win [Nations League] to the point that it gets boring to people that we keep winning it.” 💪

• Jordan Pefok 🇩🇪 (27; Washington, DC) had an assist (Watch) in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 1-1 draw at FC Heidenheim on Saturday, which makes five goals and three assists in the Bundesliga so far this season.

Parting Shots:

The biggest footballing brain on the planet is interested in one of our own? That would appear to be the case, as Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are reportedly set to sign 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan 🇺🇸 (Philadelphia, PA) from the Philadelphia Union. The teen attacker was also being pursued by Real Madrid, Bayern, and Dortmund, but it would appear that City have out-recruited their fellow European giants. Despite having a German passport, Sullivan can’t play in England until he’s 18, meaning he’d likely go out on loan to another European club once he turns 16. Future looks bright for Philadelphia Foden either way.

PS: HELP US NAME OUR USMNT AHEAD OF COPA AMERICA

We asked you for names of what you would call this USMNT team and you delivered. After hundreds of submissions, it’s too close to call and we need your help in voting for the final nickname. LEND US YOUR VOICE AND VOTE HERE.