Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie & Co create ‘illusion’ of USMNT strength – with former coach pointing out how there is more potential than pedigree

The United States have several star turns plying their trade a long way from their homeland. Serie A talents such as AC Milan forward Pulisic and Juventus midfielder McKennie fall into that category. Yunus Musah and Tim Weah are also in Italy, Gio Reyna remains on the books of Borussia Dortmund for now, Sergio Dest, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman are all at PSV and there are several players – including Antonee Robinson and Tyler Adams – in the English Premier League.

They have plenty to offer when turning out for their country, as showcased in CONCACAF Nations League triumphs, but a disappointing Copa America showing has highlighted how the USMNT remain a work in progress, Hudson, who took charge between Gregg Berhalter’s two stints at the helm, has told beIN Sports: “They don’t have a huge amount of depth and they’re still building. But unfortunately the perception is because all these players are in big clubs around the world, but they’re not key players in their clubs in Europe. This is where I think it’s a little bit of an illusion about where they’re at. But it’s a team with a lot of promise. They need someone in there that is going to really command respect of those young players and play an aggressive front-foot style of football. They’ve got a lot of attacking players, a lot of speed, dynamic players, and what it means to be American is to be brave, and it’s to go after teams, and you need a coach with that type of staff.”

Hudson added on the collective flop endured during a Copa event on home soil: “I hope some of the American fans hear this, because I think they need to: Those players really, really care about playing for the national team. Even if the performances weren’t great at the Copa América — the sending off [by Weah against Panama] didn’t help them — but if people have a question about what the national team means to those players, it’s undoubted. Those guys love playing for their country, they’re desperate to put football, that team, on the map and make an impact. I know that for sure.”

The United States are building long-term, with one eye on the 2026 World Cup. They will co-host that competition with Mexico and Canada and will have seen key men get another two years’ worth of experience under their belt by the time FIFA’s flagship event returns to the Americas.