In their final game of 2020, the USMNT are set to take on El Salvador on Wednesday. It will Berhalter’s December camp, comprising of 21 MLS players, are set to take on the Concacaf side. The match will be played in Miami at Inter’s home stadium and will start at 7:30.

Unfamiliar Faces

In total, 12/24 players are seeking their first cap with the national team. Chris Mueller, Ayo Akinola, and daryl Dike all gain their first call up following impressive performances in the 2020 MLS season.

The big storyline from this camp comes in LA, with Galaxy youngsters Efrain Alvarez and Julian Araujo both accepting call-ups. Alvarez and Araujo have dual-nationalities to Mexico, with Alvarez one of the highest talented U-23’s in the Mexico system.

Due to FIFA’s new rules, a player can still switch nationalities so long as their caps do not occur in competitive matches. But the the addition of Alvarez and Araujo, topped with recent commitments from Sergino Dest and Yunus Musah signify a turning point in the USMNT’s quest for dual-nationals.

Don’t Sleep On Los Guanacos

While not matched in quality, USMNT’s opponent El Salvador does match the stars and stripes in run of form. In the CONCACAF Nations League, El Salvador finished first in their League B group, going 5-0-1 vs. Saint Lucia, Dominican republic, and Montserrat.

El Salvador’s commitment to acquiring American-Salvadorans have been clinical to their recent success. Jon Arnold’s blog “Getting CONCACF’d” has a fantastic piece on their youth development.

Los Guanacos has called up 24 players to their camp vs. the US. Portland Timbers’ Andres Flores, Vitesse’s Enrico Hernandez, and Houston Dynamo’s Darwin Ceren headline the gritty Central American nation

Starting Lineup Predictions

Goalkeeper: Bill Hamid

David Ochoa was a heavy favorite to man between the sticks. However, a hamstring injury has sidelined him in this one, giving the USMNT vet most likely another cap.

Fullbacks: Julian Araujo, Sam Vines

Sam Vines brings a gritty, defensive response to a dynamic El Salvador attack. But the attention will be on Julian Araujo, who is set to earn his first cap at left back.

Centerbacks: Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman

The strongest area in the camp, McKenzie and Zimmerman are coming off of dominant MLS 2020 campaigns. Expect Aaron Long to come in at some point in the match as well.

Holding Midfield: Kellyn Acosta

The most experience outfield player in the camp, Acosta will need an influential performance to be involved in Berhalter’s 2021 plans and beyond.

Midfield: Sebastian Lletget, Brendan Aaronson

Does anyone other than Gregg Berhalter think Lletget will be in Qatar? I hope Berhalter realizes this sooner rather than later.

The #10 role on this team will be the one with the most attention. Brendan Aaronson will soon link up with Jesse Marsch in Salzburg after an influential 2020. Efrain Alvarez will come off the bench in this one, with a cap being the only important part of his appearance. Anything extra wouldn’t hurt as well.

Wingers: Chris Mueller, Djordjie Mihailovic

Mihailvoic is the only available left winger on the team. Berhalter surely had Jordan Morris in this spot, but a successful trip to the semi-finals for the Seattle Sounders complicated things.

What follows is a stacked committee at left wing in this camp. Paul Arriola has a real shout coming back from injury, but Chris Mueller has the run of form. Looking long term, it seems more likely that Mueller will be in Berhalter’s plans more than Arriola at this moment.

Strikers: Ayo Akinola

If the centerbacks position was the most talented, the striker spot is the most exciting. Sebastian Soto recently entered camp as well after killing it in the Netherlands so far. Daryl Dike is also the fan favorite for his ridiculous highlights in Orlando.

But Berhalter has the most to lose with Akinola, who has dual nationality with Canada. It’s no doubt that Akinola would replace Cyle Larin as Canada’s striker soon. Throwing the Canadian-American into the XI can go a long way in locking Akinola up if the new guard of strikers don’t develop.

Match Prediction

El Salvador can put up a fight. This isn’t a random central American country with nothing to prove. The Salvadorians have one of the highest potentials in the region, with win against the states solidifying their spot as one of the best young squads in CONCACAF.

But there is just too much to prove for the USMNT squad. As I said previewing the camp, there are very little spots available for talent stateside. With nations league, World Cup qualifying, the olympics, and the gold cup in 2021, every player on the pitch Wednesday will be examined thoroughly for future call-ups. That, plus the overwhelming talent differential makes this an easy win for the United States to close out 2020.

United States 4-0 El Salvador