By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
Editor’s Note: “Plane to Qatar” is FOX Sports’ weekly characteristic monitoring the progress of gamers hoping to crack the United States Men’s National Team’s 26-player roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Tuesday was a combined bag for a few of the USMNT’s most vital gamers. Christian Pulisic made simply his fourth begin of the season for Chelsea and took benefit of the chance, organising Kai Havertz‘s game-winning purpose within the second half of a 2-1 win in Salzburg — a victory that despatched the Blues into the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League with one group sport to spare.
Elsewhere within the Champions League, Giovanni Reyna went 87 minutes in Borussia Dortmund’s scoreless draw at mighty Manchester City on Tuesday. That marks the longest shift of the season so for Reyna, who has been beset by accidents.
It was additionally the primary time that the 19-year-old attacker, who scored his first purpose in additional than a yr over the weekend, has began consecutive video games for membership or nation since August of 2021. Meantime, Weston McKennie scored for the second time in as many video games in Juventus 4-3 loss at Benfica.
It wasn’t all excellent news. A muscle harm stored Sergiño Dest out of AC Milan’s 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb. Cameron-Carter Vickers was extraordinarily fortunate to not be punished for a missed deal with in Tuesday’s 1-1 tie with Shakhtar Donetsk. And in England’s second tier, Josh Sargent did not rating for the third sport in a row.
With U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter set to call his squad two weeks from Wednesday, here is the place 37 World Cup hopefuls stand.
First class
F/M Brenden Aaronson (Leeds): Aaronson was one of many few vibrant spots for freefalling Leeds in Sunday’s 3-2 loss vs. Fulham.
*M Tyler Adams (Leeds): Adams missed the match with an harm. “We’re hoping it won’t be longer than a few days,” Leeds supervisor Jesse Marsch stated on Tuesday. He’s not alone.
*D Sergiño Dest (AC Milan): Dest was having his greatest efficiency this season earlier than the harm pressured him off at halftime of Saturday’s 4-1 win versus Monza. He wasn’t wholesome sufficient to decorate on Tuesday.
^F Ricardo Pepi (Groningen): Pepi’s fifth purpose in six Eredivisie video games since arriving on mortgage from Germany’s Augsburg helped Groningen upset PSV Eindhoven on Sunday.
M Weston McKennie (Juventus): McKennie scored his first Serie A purpose of the season in opposition to Empoli final week and adopted it up together with his second within the Champions League Tuesday:
M Yunus Musah (Valencia): Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca marked the fifth time {the teenager} has performed all 90 minutes this season, and the primary since Sept. 10.
F Christian Pulisic (Chelsea): The hope is the USMNT headliner can string collectively a couple of begins between now and the World Cup.
F/M Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund): Reyna is rounding into type on the proper time. His purpose over the weekend was a gem:
D Antonee Robinson (Fulham): Jedi went the gap at left back in each of the Fulham’s two wins final week, serving to the membership climb to seventh place within the Premier League.
^G Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough): Steffen has been quietly wonderful for Boro these days. He made 4 good saves in Saturday’s scoreless draw with Huddersfield, and he is making a case to reclaim the No. 1 U.S. keeper job he held by most of World Cup qualifying.
^G Matt Turner (Arsenal): Turner posted his third consecutive clear sheet the Gunners UEFA Europa League win over PSV final week in. The rematch is Thursday in Eindhoven.
F Tim Weah (Lille): The winger has come off the bench in three consecutive Ligue 1 video games since getting back from an ankle harm.
D Walker Zimmerman (Nashville): Center back Zimmerman is one among 9 World roster hopefuls taking part in “fitness workouts” with nationwide crew coaches in Frisco, Texas by Nov. 5, U.S. Soccer confirmed on Tuesday.
Comfort Plus
M Kellyn Acosta (LAFC): The gritty dead-ball specialist arrange the purpose that despatched LAFC into Sunday’s Western Conference last in opposition to Austin.
M Paul Arriola (Dallas): Arriola performed all 90 minutes Sunday in FCD’s season-ending loss to Austin. He and membership teammate Jesús Ferreira will stick round Toyota Stadium for the subsequent 10 days in an effort to keep up their health.
D Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic): Carter-Vickers conceded a penalty in Celtic’s 4-3 weekend win at Hearts and was bailed out of one other mistake on Tuesday:
D Reggie Cannon (Boavista): Injured within the Americans’ 2-0 loss to Japan final month, Cannon on Sunday made his first begin for Boavista since Sept. 17, going the gap in a 3-2 loss to Guimarães.
M Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo): An unused substitute within the earlier three La Liga video games, De La Torre got here off the bench for the ultimate 12 minutes of Monday’s 1-1 draw with Getafe. He’s appeared in simply 5 of Celta’s 11 matches this season, logging a complete of fifty minutes.
⌄F Jesús Ferreira (Dallas): For months, Ferreira appeared just like the U.S. striker most certainly to start out in Qatar. That’s not the case after his season ended with a seven-game goalless drought.
G Sean Johnson (New York City): Johnson made two top-drawer saves Sunday within the Pigeons’ 3-1 playoff win in Montreal. NYCFC performs at Philadelphia subsequent Sunday for an MLS Cup journey (8 p.m. ET FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX Sports app)
D Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls): Participating in health exercises by Nov. 5.
With Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Erik Palmer-Brown and Tim Ream all enjoying recurrently proper up till the World Cup, Long – who did not have an incredible MLS season after lacking most of 2021 following Achilles surgical procedure – could possibly be in bother.
D Mark McKenzie (Genk): The middle back has performed each minute of the Belgian leaders final 11 video games. Genk is 10W-0L-1T over that span with simply seven objectives allowed.
M Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders): Participating in health exercises by Nov. 5.
F Josh Sargent (Norwich City): The striker went the complete 90 in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Championship leaders Burnley.
D Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach): Has began each sport for ‘Gladbach this season, including Bundesliga and German Cup losses last week.
D DeAndre Yedlin (Miami): Participating in fitness workouts through Nov. 5.
Standby list
M Johnny Cardoso (Internacional): If Adams’ injury is more serious than believed — heaven forbid — it would open up a spot for the Brazil-based Cardoso.
G Ethan Horvath (Luton Town): Horvath allowed four goals for the first time this season in Sunday’s loss in Watford. His gaffe gifted the hosts one of them:
M Djordje Mihailovic (Montreal): Though he scored (on Johnson) on Sunday, the playmaker’s already slim roster chances were further diminished by Montreal’s season-ending loss to NYCFC.
D Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes): The center back returned to the French club’s lineup Sunday following a one-match absence.
F Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin): The French-born striker is scoreless in four games for the Bundesliga leaders following Sunday’s loss to Bochum.
*D Chris Richards (Crystal Palace): A projected starter when healthy, Richards has played just 135 minutes of first team soccer since April and still hasn’t returned to training with Palace. It’s hard to see a scenario in which the unquestionably talented center back will be fit enough for World Cup games four weeks from now.
D Tim Ream (Fulham): At 35, Ream’s career season continues. He’s played in every Prem game this season for the Cottagers.
M Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders): Participating in fitness workouts through Nov. 5.
M Malik Tillman (Rangers): Tillman went the distance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Livingston. Rangers travel to Napoli Wednesday for their penultimate Champions League group stage match.
D Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp): The left back went 90 in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to McKenzie’s Genk.
F Haji Wright (Antalyaspor): Held scoreless in Friday’s 2-1 win over Istanbulspor.
*Injured
^Bumped up
⌄Bumped down
Added: None
Dropped: None
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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