Adams, Pepi and the USMNT's winners and losers from October's World Cup qualifiers

Ryan Tolmich

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Adams, Pepi and the USMNT's winners and losers from October's World Cup qualifiers image

For the second straight window, the U.S. men's national team have had their low moments in World Cup qualifying. But, for the second straight window, the USMNT have ended the week with a win, offering a bit of hope for what's ahead.

A win against Jamaica and a damning defeat in Panama were followed up by a statement win over Costa Rica on Thursday as the U.S. fought from behind to earn a much-needed three points. As a result, they sit second through the first six games of this Octagonal, feeling good about themselves as they stare down clashes with Mexico and Jamaica next month.

The theme of this month, though, was depth as Gregg Berhalter opted for rotation (to disastrous effect against Panama).

In some places, that depth was good. Brenden Aaronson starred in place of Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest. The center-back pool stepped up without John Brooks. Tim Weah stepped into the team on short notice against Costa Rica and pushed away any concerns from a bad game against Panama.

But that depth, in other places, wasn't great. And that leaves us with a better look at what this USMNT is. Over the course of the last week, several players distanced themselves from their competitors and what was a vast USMNT player pool entering World Cup qualifying is rapidly shrinking towards a group of trusted, go-to stars.

With that said, here's a look at the big winners and losers from October's World Cup qualifiers:

Winner: Tyler Adams

Adams USMNT 2021

There is no player more important to the USMNT than Adams.

This international window was a perfect demonstration of Adams' value to the USMNT, if it wasn't already apparent before. With Adams on the field, the USMNT are free, consistent, connected. Without him, they're disjointed, confused, tentative.

When Adams is on the field, you know exactly what you're going to get. You're going to get energy. You're going to get otherworldly defensive play. You're going to get movement. And, perhaps most importantly, you're going to get leadership from a player that likely will be the official captain at some stage.

Unless he's truly injured, it's almost impossible for the USMNT to take Adams off the field going forward as he's proven irreplacable to this young team.

That's no knock on Kellyn Acosta, a player that shined in the Gold Cup but struggled mightily in Adams' role against Panama. Rather, it's just a fact: the U.S. doesn't have anyone that can do what Adams can.

In an ideal scenario, the USMNT's midfield includes Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah. McKennie's energy is valuable, as is Musah's ability to drive the ball forward. But, if the U.S. could only have one of those three in the XI, Adams is the answer each and every time.

Losers: Shaq Moore and George Bello

We'll combine the two since the criticism will mostly be the same.

Both Moore and Bello struggled mightily during the Panama game, with Berhalter saying he wasn't happy with his full-backs' positioning in that defeat. In a game defined by rotation, Bello and Moore were the two players who most clearly failed to take their chance.

Moore's performance in particular a surprise given his steadiness at the Gold Cup. This time around, Moore struggled to keep up with the pace of the game, doing too little on both the attacking and defensive ends.

Bello, meanwhile, was plenty noticeable as he struggled on the ball. The Atlanta United defender gave the ball away a few too many times, making him part of the overall disjointed feeling of the night. At just 19 years old, these things happen, so we certainly won't write Bello off, but there's too big of a drop in quality from Antonee Robinson to Bello to consider him a competitor for that spot right now.

With Reggie Cannon eventually expected to return to the team and Joe Scally seemingly set for his USMNT debut sooner rather than later, there will be competition for those backup full-back spots. And, at least during this camp, Moore and Bello didn't do themselves many favors.

Winner: Sergino Dest

At this point, you know what you're getting with Dest. The bad is downright frustrating but the good... oh man.

The good was on full display against Costa Rica, as Dest was rightfully awarded Man of the Match. From his sweet left-footed missile to equalize to his role in the USMNT's second, Dest was at his attacking best on Wednesday after also assisting against Jamaica last week.

When he's in that type of mode, the U.S. are a different team. Dest's presence adds a whole other layer to the USMNT's attack and, for most teams, it will be impossible to keep up with. When you have Dest out wide, Yunus Musah driving from the midfield and Brenden Aaronson cutting in, that right side is going to be a big ole mess for opposing defenses.

The concern with Dest is also easy to see: what happens when he isn't at his attacking best and what happens when he's forced to defend? Those are questions he's still working towards answering, with Berhalter, correctly, pointing out that the full-back is still a young player. He may be playing for Barcelona, but he is only 20.

With that in mind, a Dest that can defend is a scary thought, and maybe someday he'll get there. But, until then, his ability to change games on the attacking side is more than enough to make him a key piece for the U.S.

Loser: Zack Steffen

This isn't neccesarily Steffen's fault. By and large, the Manchester City goalkeeper is a victim of circumstance here. Untimely injuries, quarantine restructions and a positive Covid test have all derailed his time with the national team in recent months, and that isn't even getting into his lack of playing time on the club level.

But the biggest single factor in Steffen's spot here is actually Matt Turner, a player that has solidified his place as the USMNT's starting goalkeeper. Great against Jamaica and faultless against Panama, Turner continues to shine after being the USMNT's best player at the Gold Cup this summer.

Steffen, meanwhile, was given the start on Wednsday against Costa Rica and, from the opening whistle, looked like a player too determined to prove himself. He was partially responsible on the opening goal, although his defense did him exactly zero favors. From there, he settled in but, at that point, the damage had been done as the goalkeeping debate ignited once more.

There's a long way to Qatar, and a lot can change in the coming months. But, if the U.S were to have a must-win game right now, Turner, not Steffen, would almost certainly be the goalkeeper in net.

Winner: Ricardo Pepi

It's pretty much official now: Pepi is the USMNT's go-to No.9.

Pepi scored twice against Jamaica and was relatively dangerous against Panama and Costa Rica, proving that his first impression was anything but a fluke. With his brace against Jamaica, Pepi has more USMNT goals than Josh Sargent has had since 2019.

The spot is Pepi's now because he offers one simple, but very important, thing: goals. You can talk up other players' hold-up play or runs or intelligence or passing or whatever other characteristic you want. But, at the end of the day, strikers need goals, and Pepi is scoring plenty of them for both club and country.

Rumors are now swirling over a potential European move for Pepi, with Wolfsburg the latest team linked. And that move is inevitable, as FC Dallas will be paid a pretty penny for their star striker.

But that move will also benefit the USMNT as it will give the teenager a chance to take another step forward. And the thought of a next-level Pepi is a scary one, as he's already doing everything he needs to do to start up top for the forseeable future.

Ryan Tolmich