The U.S. men's national team will not be at full strength this summer. Christian Pulisic is out. So, too, are Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah and Yunus Musah. For many within the player pool, though, this opportunity means everything - and history tells us that this Gold Cup will be a launching pad for at least one player's stunning World Cup rise.
Going back to the 1994 World Cup cycle, a total of 12 players entered the Gold Cup with fewer than five caps and proceeded to represent the USMNT in the subsequent World Cup. That list includes both USMNT legends in the making and players who caught lightning in a bottle, but all involved parlayed a Gold Cup into a World Cup dream.
DaMarcus Beasley had just three caps before emerging at the Gold Cup in January of 2002. Same for Pablo Mastroeni, who had two appearances entering that tournament. Stu Holden had yet to feature for the USMNT prior to the 2009 Gold Cup, while Oguchi Onyewu launched his USMNT career four years prior with a run at the 2005 tournament.
More recently, both Matt Turner and Shaq Moore entered the 2021 Gold Cup with six caps between them. Both ended up in Qatar.
The point is this: roster decisions and player absences and outside noise notwithstanding, the USMNT's upcoming friendlies and Gold Cup matter from a player development and visibility perspective, beyond overall team performance - particularly to the newcomers, and for coach Mauricio Pochettino.
This summer's roster features a dozen players with fewer than five caps, including six who have yet to appear for the USMNT. Each of those 12 will believe that they can play their way into the World Cup squad - and that all starts now. Will history repeat itself?
GOAL looks at the top candidates in that category who could change the trajectory of their careers.
