DEFENDERS
Berhalter wants his defenders to press high and be confident on the ball. The manager has spent the last several years identifying players who meet that standard, and he now has to further narrow those favorites into a list of Qatar attendees.
We had a pretty good idea of what Berhalter's starting central pairing would look like, but then Miles Robinson got injured. The center back race is wide open now.
Meanwhile, we still are fairly certain of who will start at full back, with Berhalter having two go-to starters in Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson, but there's an intriguing race building to be their backups.
Sergino Dest - Barcelona
The USMNT's right back of the present and future, Dest still has his weaknesses, but they're more than masked by his strengths.
A dynamic attacking full back who can both score and set up goals, Dest's defensive awareness remains a work in progress, but he is certainly working on it under Xavi at Barcelona. If he ever masters that side of his game, he'd be world class.
Right now, though, he's still a fantastic full back that is a guaranteed starter at right back and an emergency backup at left back heading to Qatar.
World Cup Status: Locked In
Antonee Robinson - Fulham
The other penciled-in starter at full back, Jedi has made himself all but indispensable over the last few years.
Now back in the Premier League with Fulham, Robinson can test himself against even better competition over the next few months.
World Cup Status: Locked in
Walker Zimmerman - Nashville SC
Zimmerman has established himself as the best central defender in MLS and, likely, the USMNT player pool as well.
He's come a long way since being left off the initial World Cup qualifying roster and is now essentially a guarantee to start after proving so reliable in World Cup qualifying.
The big question isn't if Zimmerman starts, but rather who starts alongside him.
World Cup Status: Locked in
Aaron Long - New York Red Bulls
Long had to recover from devastating injury, but he's well and truly back.
After rupturing his Achilles in May 2021, Long returned this February and has somehow maintained his All-Star level.
He's back in the mix with the USMNT too, starting six games and making a strong case to be the team's second center back.
World Cup Status: Locked in
Chris Richards - Crystal Palace
After two loan spells at Hoffenheim, Richards is now looking to play his way into Patrick Vieira's plans at Crystal Palace.
Richards may be the USMNT's most talented center back, but he still has a lot to learn in terms of senior experience. Playing in the Premier League should certainly help with that as he now finds himself ready to make his mark at the highest level.
World Cup status: Locked in
DeAndre Yedlin - Inter Miami
