Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun and the USMNT stars with the most at stake in the CONCACAF Nations League finals ahead of Copa America

Life in Monaco hasn't quite gone to plan for Balogun, at least so far. After dominating Ligue 1 with Reims last season, the striker's first campaign with his new club has been a bit more muted, as he has scored just five times in the league so far this season.

It's been almost a year since Balogun committed to the U.S., and though the new shine hasn't worn off yet, with other strikers in the pool thriving, it's safe to say that the No.9 race is tighter than it was just a few months ago.

Balogun can answer any questions about him being the Copa America starter with a strong camp here. The likes of Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright and Josh Sargent aren't going away, particularly if they can keep scoring at their current rates, but Balogun remains in pole position. If he can get a goal or two in these Nations League games, he'll keep his position relatively secure heading into the summer.

A rough window, though, would open up questions about how he fits into this team. Could Pepi offer more? Is Sargent too hot to bench? Could Wright open different doors? For Balogun, this camp represents a chance to prevent those questions from even being asked.

At one point during his spell at Chelsea, Christian Pulisic said that the USMNT was his escape. When things weren't going well at club level, he knew he'd have the national team, which presented him a place to reunite with friends and rediscover whatever confidence had been lost in west London.

The hope now will be that Reyna can use the USMNT in the same way, especially considering the fact that his club situation has been way, way worse than Pulisic's ever was. Reyna has hardly played since joining Nottingham Forest on loan in January, ensuring that he enters USMNT camp with little to nothing really going for him on the field.

He'll certainly be frustrated with how everything has gone at club level throughout this season, having been unable to really get going at either Borussia Dortmund or Forest. The fastest way to change that is to enjoy a big international break. If Reyna can be a difference-maker for the USMNT, Forest and manager Nuno Espirito Sato will surely take have to take notice as they look to avoid relegation.

It seems this international break comes at a good point for Reyna, who can use it as the springboard he so desperately needs to finally get his 2024 up and running.

Like Reyna, Turner hasn't been playing at Forest. He lost his starring spot a few weeks back, and it's hard to really see him regaining it before the end of the campaign.

He remains the USMNT's No.1, though, but it's up to him to prove that he should stay there, even if it's hard to see Turner losing that job any time soon. Players like Ethan Horvath and Zack Steffen only just found new homes after long spells on the sidelines, and it'll take sustained periods of success to unseat Turner.

Drake Callender and Patrick Schulte, meanwhile are a bit too new to usurp him, and it seems Gaga Slonina is destined to start in the Olympics, and thus will sit out the Copa. Right now, there really isn't anyone who can hope to unseat Turner by the time the Copa kicks off.

That's not to say this month isn't important, though. When you aren't getting minutes, every chance to play is important, and that counts doubly for goalkeepers. It's key to establish some kind of rhythm, even if it's just two games, and having made a few blunders this season, these games feel important for Turner to get some confidence back heading into the summer.

Another mistake, though, will leave Turner with plenty to think about. And, with the Copa countdown on, the U.S. will need Turner feeling as confident as possible if they're to compete with the likes of Argentina and Brazil.

After years of treading water, Cardoso is soaring now. His transition to La Liga since joining Real Betis in January has been seamless, and now we'll get to find out if he can be the Tyler Adams back-up the USMNT needs.

There's no guarantee that Cardoso will start these two games, as Gregg Berhalter could potentially go with a No.10 rather than a No.6 in midfield. If Berhalter does want to go with a more defensive option, though, Cardoso is the natural option to start, presuming Adams is unable to as he works his way back to full fitness.

Cardoso has earned nine caps so far, five of which came in 2023, but we've never really seen him get an extended runout in big games. This is his chance, then, to really vault himself into a good place heading into the Copa America.

Sergino Dest is suspended for the Jamaica game thanks to his boneheaded red card against Trinidad & Tobago, and Scally is the likely replacement at right-back, meaning the Borussia Monchengladbach star has a big chance to prove himself.

Scally was disappointed not to get any run at the World Cup and will surely be determined to ensure that doesn't happen again in 2026. The two fullbacks ahead of him, Dest and Antonee Robinson, will be tough to beat out, but the only way Scally can do that is by taking whatever chances are thrown his way.

This is one of those opportunities. Jamaica will challenge him given their wealth of attacking options, so this will be a good test for Scally. If he passes, he'll move closer to challenging Dest; if he doesn't, the minutes will be tougher to come by going forward.

As mentioned above, Dest won't play against Jamaica, but he will be eligible for the final or third-place game, which is why he was called into camp.

At the time of the aforementioned red card incident, Dest's teammates were rightfully infuriated. The U.S. was cruising to victory before Dest let his emotions get the better of him, leaving his teammates to deal with the mess he created. The rest of the USMNT was furious.

Tensions have obviously cooled since then. Dest is, after all, a key member of the team and someone that players in the locker room have always said they get along with. All is most certainly forgiven after one bad decision by a player that is still growing.

Even so, Dest has to keep his head on straight in big games like this. His return could very well come against Mexico, another team that drew a red card from him in this same competition last year. That game, if it happens, well be tense, physical and nasty, but Dest can't get drawn into any of that.

It's important that Dest proves that he can keep his composure in those sorts of games. If he can't, it's going to be difficult to rely on him at the Copa America this summer, where there will be plenty of dark arts on display.

For years, Richards has been earmarked as the USMNT's centerback of the future. Given his performances in the Premier League this season, he may be the USMNT's centerback of right now, too.

Richards has always been close to solidifying his spot as the top defender, but due to some untimely injury issues and a lack of minutes at club level, hasn't quite been able to do so. He's had his fair share of minutes, and even scored a big goal in last year's CONCACAF Nations League final, but he hasn't quite locked down the spot as top defensive dog.

He may be there now, though. He's been a consistent performer for Crystal Palace this season and looks like an almost guarantee to start for the USMNT this window. More likely than not, Richards will be one of the first names on the teamsheet going forward. With Ream aging out, someone needs to take over that spot as defensive leader, and right now seems like Richards' time to shine.

He'll likely start alongside Ream during this window but, pretty soon, it'll be Richards' moment.