How will the USMnt replace the irreplaceable Jedi Robinson?: ‘The next man is up’

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Carson, California – Mauricio Pochettino faces a dilemma while preparing for his debut tournament as United States Men’s national team coach: How to replace Antonee RobinsonOne of the best players on the team, now that it is excluded from this week’s finals of the Nation of the Concacafa due to an undiscovered injury?

Spoiler: There is no one like Robinson, who was a reliable left back Fulham AND USMNT for years. Dominates the Premier League, where he is currently in second place with 10 assists this season, and has recently played a full 90 minutes in winning Tottenham on Sunday. He was also named the American male player of the year in football in 2024.

Now the game Panama In the first CNL semi -finals at the Sofa Stadium on Thursday while Canada And Mexico faces other games. The game and the finals are third place on Sunday. Robinson was forced to withdraw from the USMnt camp on Tuesday – along with the midfielder Johnny Cardoso and the central back Auston reliably – Because of the injuries. Columbus crew Max Arfsten It is included for Robinson on the list, but it might need more than one player to fill shoes.

“I guess you’ll find out tomorrow,” the defender Tim ream He is delighted before the training on Wednesday when asked how the team will make up for the left side. Ream has been playing with Robinson for almost five years on Fulham’s line and knows him better than most.

“Obviously, there is no one like Jedi and it is extremely difficult to replace what the team brings,” Ream said. “So, I think that anyone who will enter should try to be him. But it will be a potentially different way to do things, and now whoever is playing there, we will have to play to their forces.”

Ream plays left for Charlotte fcwhere he signed a two -year contract last August, but traditionally played the national team center. It is comfortable to play on the left in the Pochettin system, although he does not envisage that it is a plan.

“If Push comes to suffocation, you know, that’s not a problem,” Ream said. “You won’t see me flying up and down the wing the way it does. But I think, yes, I can do a job.”

Other Pochettino options can consider the involvement of Arfsten, which in January earned its first two USMNT captains Joe Scalywho approached immediately while Sergino Dest He was recovering from a knee injury. Scally is more defender at home, but he asked him if he could be more entry into the middle in Robinson’s absence.

“We like to be very variable in our accumulation, so the opposition cannot really defend us,” said Scally. “So we’ll see.”

Don’t be surprised when you see Cameron Carter-Vickers On the back line at some point during these two games. This is Celtic The first Back Camp Center under Pochettin since he returned from his own illness. Now that Carter-Vickers is healthy, Pochettino will want to look at him personally.

“He adds a slightly different dynamics to the rest-he brings a bite,” Ream said about Carter-Vickers. “He is also good at the ball at the same time. He has played in some high -level games in the last few years. So, he brings a lot of experience from the club standpoint, maybe not as much as one of us at the national team level, but adds a new face. If he enters, he knows the role and we know what she is capable of.

No matter what Pochettino decides to do, she will have to be creative.

“The next man is up,” Ream said. “The way we train, the way we do, the way we look at the video, everyone knows everyone’s roles, and I think it allows different players to play in different positions if necessary. This will obviously be the case with these games here.

“The next man is up and that person knows their role and what to do to be successful.”

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Laken Litman covers college football, basketball and football for Fox Sports. She had previously written for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author “Strong Like A Woman”, published in the spring of 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the title IX. Follow her on @Lakenlitm.

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