USMNT: Top 3 central midfielders for 2022 World Cup qualifying

Gregg Berhalter is building a new era of the USMNT. But who are his best options at central midfielders ahead of the looming 2022 World Cup qualifiers? Here are the top three candidates at the position at present.

The U.S. Men’s National Team will, at some point in the future, look to avenge the humiliation of missing out on the 2018 World Cup in their bid to earn a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The qualifiers were set to commence later this year. That may not be pushed back, but Gregg Berhalter will still be making plans regarding the team he will select throughout the process. So, who might his best options be in central midfield?

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Here are the top three central midfielders for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers at present.

On Saturday, we will list the top three attacking midfielders so these will be more defensively minded players.

3. Jackson Yueill

The San Jose Earthquakes electric and suffocating man-to-man high-press scheme is tremendously taxing on its players. This is especially true in central midfield, with Matias Almeyda’s trio having to cover large spaces of the pitch for a full 90 minutes. It is physically and tactically exhausting. And yet, Jackson Yueill has flourished.

Yueill starts in a deeper position, but he has the freedom to push forwards. When playing for the USMNT, he is more confined to a defensive role, which might not suit his all-action style as much. Nevertheless, his performance against Uruguay last September proved that he has the nuance and awareness to conduct play in a more reserved and controlled manner.

Yueill turned 23 last month, is now a full-time regular in a senior team, and has a bright future ahead of him. He is an excellent passer, and he could well be the successor to Michael Bradley’s crown as the deep-lying distributor for the USMNT, but he possesses more athleticism than the Toronto FC man. That edges his ceiling just that little bit higher, and that is something that Berhalter should explore.

2. Paxton Pomykal

FC Dallas academy graduate Paxton Pomykal may have developed as an attacking midfielder in his youth, sliding through balls between defenders, slaloming into penalty areas, and even showing an eye for goal, but as his first full-time season in MLS proved, he is a much more all-around midfielder.

Under Luchi Gonzalez, Dallas used a versatile midfield trio in which each player was asked to partake in both offensive and defensive moments. Pomykal flourished in this more rounded role and it might be that he eventually settles into a patrolling box-to-box position as he enters his senior years.

Last year, he completed 83.9% of his passes, made 3.88 passes into the final third per 90 minutes, 1.48 passes into the penalty area per 90, and 5.55 progressive passes per 90. He created 1.63 chances per 90. He was also excellent at dribbling, completing 65.8% of his 1.82 attempts per 90. He averaged 205 yards per 90 of progressive distance with his ball carries (that being the number of yards in total he carried the ball towards the opposition goal).

But he was also combative without the ball. He made 3.3 tackles per 90, conducted 25.6 pressures per 90, and made 0.96 interceptions per 90. He is more than just a playmaker now. At just 19, Pomykal turned into an all-around central midfielder, and as he continues to settle into a deeper role, he might force his way into the USMNT starting XI.

1. Tyler Adams

Bar Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams is the USMNT’s best player. Some may argue in favour of Weston McKennie, who is currently playing more regularly in the same Bundesliga that Adams competes in. Others still might highlight Jordan Morris or one of the old guard, but in reality, Adams has potential that saws above all of them.

His injury record is, of course, problematic. After playing eight games for the USMNT in 2018, he made only one international appearance in 2019. And those injuries have stented his development at RB Leipzig somewhat, not affording him a consistent run of starts under Julian Nagelsmann. Nevertheless, he has the perfect skill set to flourish in the modern game.

Amazingly athletic, he is a tough tackler, reads the game superbly, presses relentlessly, timing his charges to the ball to cut off passing angles. He is a neat and tidy passer, a direct and brutish dribbler, if sometimes lacking nuance, and he recognises space superbly, in and out of possession.


For the USMNT, he is the perfect holding midfielder: a destructive presence without the ball and a progressive one with. Gregg Berhalter would be wise to build his midfield around Adams.