The next generation is here for the USMNT. And Philadelphia Union defender Frankie Westfield is part of that brand-new class of players. While one might not have initially assumed that he would be picked by Mauricio Pochettino for the USMNT's fall window, he was able to earn his place in his lineup ahead of friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada.
How? He's a two-way defender, one who is capable of supporting his team on both ends of the pitch. We saw this quite recently against San Diego FC, which saw Westfield record an assist, three duels won, and a clearance. Another key game that justifies his inclusion? Their August 19 contest against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
The big theme from that game was that it proved Westfield can be poised and confident in the biggest moments, especially as he recorded an assist on Indiana Vassilev's early opener. He also won seven duels to help the Union hold the line in what was a 2-2 draw, one that saw fellow USMNT rookie Neil Pierre score the result-sealing goal just prior to the hour mark.
While he didn't record a goal contribution in a critical/control-of-a-playoff-spot-on-the-line contest against Red Bull New York, he was able to help limit New York to just one goal through his eight duels won. It's worth noting that he doesn't have a goal to show for his efforts this season. But he's still part of the USMNT, and that goes to show that his efforts have nonetheless been valuable for both club and now country.
Why the inclusion of Pierre and Cavan Sullivan helps Westfield
One word: familiarity.
Again, Westfield doesn't have the goalscoring that Pierre and Cavan Sullivan have developed, with the former having scored four times since the World Cup. But the confidence and experience he has acquired over the past few months should be of benefit to him in an unfamiliar environment.
Though different from the case of the USMNT, let's consider Middlesbrough. Despite another USMNT exclusion for Aidan Morris, the arrival of Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten, and Rokas Pukstas has clearly helped rejuvenate his career at the club while also creating an almost unmatchable sense of familiarity. Both Morris and Berhalter have been able to gain confident command of the midfield, and both are creating goal contributions through this early part of the campaign. I will note that, given the arrival of Berhalter and Co. in recent months, I am curious to see how Morris responds to this exclusion.
But that's a topic of discussion for another day.
The fact that Pierre, Sullivan, and Westfield are all included in this USMNT lineup means that there is still an opportunity for a feeling of familiarity between players from the same club to present itself within the national team. Not only that, but given that all three Union call-ups are USMNT debutants, there is a chance that sharing the pitch for the national team will allow all three to learn together once more. By extension, that will only benefit a USMNT lineup that is younger and that doesn't have as much experience as past rosters.
For Westfield, having Pierre join him in the national team could help him find the goal-scoring confidence required to thrive during the international window. He's been able to prove he can create goals, and that clearly played a big role in him getting selected by Pochettino.
But the next step is being able to score those goals, and that will determine whether he can remain part of the USMNT going forward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google