The U.S. men’s national team is headed to the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a Round of 32 matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. But the way they got there left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. And one of the program’s all-time greats is sounding the alarm on at least three players who might have played themselves out of the rotation.
Landon Donovan didn’t hold back after watching the USMNT’s 3-2 loss to Turkey last Friday. The game didn’t matter for group standings — the U.S. had already locked up Group D with wins over Paraguay and Australia — and head coach Mauricio Pochettino rolled out nine new starters to give bench guys a run. But for Donovan, it was a chance for depth players to prove they could be trusted when the games actually count.
He didn’t see much to like.
Speaking on Unfiltered Soccer, Donovan named three names: Giovanni Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, and Timothy Weah. And he was blunt about all of them.
The players who disappointed
“To be honest, the guys who I was expecting more out of, if I’m being honest,” Donovan said. “I thought Gio would have more of an impact. He was just sort of there. Pepi was pretty disappointing, you know, in a tough game. Tim Weah was awful. It was just bizarre. I don’t know if he’s lost his confidence or whatever, but those were three guys I thought, ‘Okay, when you get in the next round, if you need a goal, those guys are going to come on the field?’”
Weah got the harshest review. The winger himself said he played “awful” after the match. Donovan went a step further, saying it’s hard to imagine trusting him in a must-score situation now.
“Certainly not Weah now,” Donovan continued. “Gio, maybe there’s something there. Pepi, you could see maybe against Bosnia, because you need to add another player with flow, another goal scorer, whatever. Some of those guys just played their way out of the rotation.”
What this means for Wednesday’s lineup
Pochettino hasn’t tipped his hand on who starts against Bosnia. The team has not confirmed any lineup changes. But Donovan’s read is worth paying attention to because he’s been around the national team setup long enough to know what coaches look for in these moments. A guy who shows nothing in a low-stakes game doesn’t exactly inspire confidence when it’s win-or-go-home.
Reyna has the most leash here. He’s got the technical ability and the pedigree from his time at Borussia Dortmund. But he’s also had a frustrating club season, and reports have surfaced about friction between him and staff at his current club. Pepi, meanwhile, is a pure goal-scorer who hasn’t found the net for the USMNT in a while. Weah might be the toughest case — when he’s on, he’s a game-breaker with pace and directness. When he’s off, he disappears entirely.
Bosnia won’t be a walkover either. They’ve got experienced players and they’ll be motivated to spoil the party. The USMNT has the talent edge, but if Pochettino can’t trust his secondary options, that puts more pressure on the starters to carry the load through the entire knockout run.
One thing that’s clear: Donovan isn’t the only one watching closely. Fans online piled on after the Turkey performance, and the pressure on Reyna, Pepi, and Weah is only going to ramp up as the tournament goes deeper.
The game kicks off Wednesday. We’ll see who Pochettino sends out there and whether anyone gets a chance to redeem themselves.
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