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Heading into the first international break with Gregg Berhalter back in charge of the United States men's national team, the roster for facing Uzbekistan and Oman is both familiar and different at the same time. Without World Cup qualifiers to play in the buildup for 2026, it's a unique opportunity for Berhalter to try out new things in low-pressure situations while working through a deep roster pool. With tougher friendlies around the corner in October versus Ghana and Germany, the team has quite an opportunity to increase their stock before Nations League matches in November but a baseline is needed heading into those. 

With expectations rising for the national team by the day, spots can't be guaranteed for anyone and there also are more competitions where Berhalter needs to utilize more players as the squad can't play every match. Let's take a look at where some players are heading into camp:

Stock up: The newcomers

For an uncapped player, there's no bigger moment than your first chance at a national team cap. Everyone has to start somewhere and for a few players, this could be the start of a long national team career. Dual nationals Kristoffer Lund and Ben Cremaschi may be young but they have the talent to break into the team in the long haul as Berhalter continues his successful run of convincing dual nationals of the project that the USMNT are putting together. While that may be easier to do with a World Cup on home soil, it still takes clear communication with players and a juggling act that Berhalter doesn't get enough credit for.

While at times it can go wrong like Gio Reyna's situation or even Joe Scally publically saying that players were overthinking things under Berhalter, for the most part, there has been widespread support for Berhalter which is one of the reasons that he's back coaching the team. As long as they win these matches while also integrating new players, the camp will have been a job well done.

Stock down: Weston McKennie

Stuck at Juventus, McKennie is in a bit of limbo which could cost him his spot in the starting XI down the line for the national team. Starting at wing back in Juventus' win over Empoli, even though McKennie registered an assist, it was quite an odd fit due to that being Tim Weah's position now. McKennie has been a versatile player during his career, lining up wherever he needs to, but if he's not a regular starter in Italy after struggling in his half season with Leeds United, things could shift with Berhalter getting more depth around the squad.

Luca De La Torre is now a regular starter for Celta Vigo and there is also a growing number of young center backs who are able to play in a back three which could see McKennie on the bench if he doesn't get back to a consistent form. This camp can be viewed as a challenge to show why he should be starting those bigger matches.

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Stock up: The forward line

With Folarin Balogun's move to Monaco, every member of the front three now has a solid path to starting minutes at large European clubs, which will only mean good things for the national team. We got our first view at a Weah, Balogun and Christian Pulisic front three during the Nations League and it only made it more exciting to get to see this pairing again. Even with Weah playing as a wing back for Juventus, his role with the national team will still be in the front three as his directness and lack of fear taking shots from anywhere helps to keep a defense honest, only creating space for the other two.

With such a technically sound trio, defenses will be on edge constantly. If they're all available, they should play as many minutes as possible unless another player steps up and shows that they can reach this level of output and consistency. It's a good problem to have.