GOAL's ideal USMNT 2024 Copa America squad: Haji Wright makes the cut as Josh Sargent and Brenden Aaronson miss out

Despite losing his starting spot at Nottingham Forest, Matt Turner remains the USMNT's undisputed No.1, and we see no issue with him being Berhalter's go-to starter this summer.

Behind him, we've gone for Ethan Horvath, who is currently impressing during a loan spell at Cardiff City, and Inter Miami's Drake Callender.

GOAL's selection: Drake Callender, Ethan Horvath, Matt Turner.

Berhalter's starting fullbacks are pretty locked in, too with Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson both enjoying excellent seasons for PSV and Fulham, respectively.

In terms of their back-ups, our selection committee stuck with Joe Scally and Kristoffer Lund, with Scally in particular earning his spot due to his versatility in being able to play on either flank.

GOAL's selection: Sergino Dest, Kristoffer Lund, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally.

We were happy with what we saw from Tim Ream and Chris Richards in the Nations League final, and so Berhalter's favored centerback duo should be locked in for selection this summer.

Competition for who provides cover, though, is intense. In the end, we opted for FC Cincinnati's Miles Robinson, who started the Nations League semifinal win over Jamaica, and Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers. The latter might be seen as a risk by some given Carter-Vickers' recent injury history, but if fit, he deserves his place.

GOAL's selection: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson.

It remains to be seen whether Berhalter sticks with the MMA midfield of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams this summer following its success at the 2022 World Cup, but there's no doubt that the trio are deserving of their places in the squad.

La Liga duo Luca de la Torre and Johnny Cardoso, meanwhile, have forced their way into the reckoning with their performances in Spain, and will provide excellent cover off the bench.

GOAL's selection: Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah.

Though no longer USMNT captain, Christian Pulisic remains the beating heart of this squad, and the player whose performances will likely dictate just how far Berhalter's team go this summer. The AC Milan standout has locked down his role on the right of the U.S. attack in recent years, with Tim Weah deserving of his spot on the left.

Meanwhile, following his Golden Ball-worthy performances in the Nations League finals, Gio Reyna looks to have moved back ahead of Malik Tillman in the No.10 race, though we feel both should be on the Copa America roster.

GOAL's selection: Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah.

Striker is where Berhalter's toughest decision will likely have to be made, and our selectors were split when it came to which No.9s should make the cut and who should be left at home.

There was an agreement when it came to Folarin Balogun, despite the former Arsenal man's form for Monaco being patchy at best, while he is also yet to fully hit his stride when it comes to the national team. However, he remains the most talented of the striker pool, and thus should still be picked.

So too should Ricardo Pepi, whose performances as an impact substitute for PSV this season should set him up to perform a similar role for the USMNT this summer. He could yet earn a starting spot, but given how he has performed at club level, Berhalter might be better off continuing that trend.

And so it came down to a choice between two strikers who have been in excellent form in the Championship: Josh Sargent and Haji Wright. Both players deserve to be picked on merit, but in the end we sided with Wright following his two goals against Jamaica in the Nations League semifinal. The fact he can also play out wide also works in his favour, as he could very easily provide cover for Weah should it be required.

GOAL's selection: Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright.

As detailed, Sargent would have the most to feel aggrieved about were Berhalter's final squad to match up with GOAL's selection. The Norwich City star has scored 13 goals in just 18 league games this season, with injuries having limited his opportunities and also kept him out of numerous USMNT camps. That, plus his lack of goals at international level, means he just misses out, though in this scenario he would likely then go to the Olympics as one of the U.S.' over-age players.

The other key member of the 2022 World Cup squad who just misses out here is Brenden Aaronson, who has arguably left it too late in the season to rediscover his best form after 18 months to forget at Leeds United and Union Berlin. Tillman has usurped him in the attacking midfielder stakes, and it's hard to see him forcing his way back in unless there is an injury now.

Others who missed the cut in our ideal squad include Sheffield United defender Auston Trusty, Heidenheim midfielder Lennard Maloney and Liga MX duo Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas.

Right now, it feels like there are two main questions hanging over Berhalter when it comes to his starting lineup - who is the third midfielder, and who starts at striker?

Neither is absolutely clear following the Nations League, though Reyna could have done little more to prove his worth against Jamaica and Mexico. Given the USMNT's first opponents at the Copa America, Bolivia, are likely to sit back and defend against the hosts, we've opted for Reyna's creativity over Musah's dynamism.

Up front, meanwhile, Balogun remains the frontrunner to start, and so we've given the Monaco man the benefit of the doubt. However, if Sargent's current form continues through to the end of the season, we might have to revise our thinking come mid-June.

GOAL's XI vs Bolivia (4-2-3-1): Turner; Dest, Richards, Ream, A.Robinson; McKennie, Adams; Pulisic, Reyna, Weah; Balogun.