A soccer roster that glitters like Gold (Cup) is coming to KC: meet America’s top 23
Gregg Berhalter remembers what the soccer culture in Kansas City used to be like.
Spending the last three years of his MLS career with the L.A. Galaxy, Berhalters recalls clearly the days of playing soccer in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Wizards.
He remembers the fabled David Beckham story at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, when the English superstar shot a soccer ball during practice through the bullseye that used to sit above left field inside the baseball stadium.
Now head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, Berhalter marveled on Thursday how far soccer has come in Kansas City.
“Now to see the infrastructure in Kansas City, and actually, Kansas City is leading the way in the nation in terms of that,” Berhalter said. “Other teams are catching up to the facility side of it.”
Kansas City is one of 23 candidate host cities for the 2026 World Cup, with the final selection scheduled for December.
Long before then, the U.S. will play all three of its 2021 Gold Cup group games in Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park.
It’s the first time since 2003 the USMNT will play in a single stadium three times in a single week, and by the end of the group stage, the U.S. will have played nine games in KC since 2011, more than any other city in the past decade.
The U.S. will begin group-stage play July 11 against one of the winners of the preliminary round, which begins Friday. The home nation will then play host to Martinique (July 15) and Canada (July 18) at Children’s Mercy Park.
The national team will also practice at Compass Minerals National Performance Center, known locally as Sporting KC’s training center. Players report for camp on July 5 and the first practice session is July 6.
“For us on the national team, we’re really comfortable playing there, we really enjoy playing there, and we know that the crowd can be amazing in Kansas City,” Berhalter said.
The 23-man Gold Cup roster features some Sporting Kansas City flavor. Midfielder Gianluca Busio earned his first senior team call-up Thursday morning, becoming just the second teenager with the senior squad in federation history.
“It’s about timing, it’s about form, and his time has come,” Berhalter said. “He’s done a great job and I’m really looking forward to getting him in camp and working with him but also testing him at this international level.”
Busio is one of four player capable of manning in the defensive midfield spot for this Gold Cup team, but Berhalter also sees Busio capable of playing in an attacking midfield role.
Berhalter envisions a midfield that can easily rotate within the flow of the game and not remain static. He has also called up Portland midfielder Eryk Williamson, who has played both as an eight and a six for the Timbers, and the Colorado Rapids’ Kellyn Acosta, who can play defensive midfield, center mid and right back.
“I really like the midfield. I think that could be the strength of this group, and we’ll see,” Berhalter said. “In theory it’s great. We’ll see how it works in practice, though.”
Perhaps most importantly for Sporting KC fans, Berhalter said Busio will see playing time during the tournament.
“We think this is a moment for him and I’m just really anxious to see how he can perform with our group, because I think he’s a really talented player, a really calm player for his age,” Berhalter said. “I think he can make a big impact with us.”
Also on the roster for the Gold Cup is Kansas City native Nicholas Gioacchini, who plays in France for the club team Caen.
United States roster for Concacaf Gold Cup
GOALKEEPERS (3):
Brad Guzan – Atlanta United
Sean Johnson – New York City FC
Matt Turner – New England Revolution
DEFENDERS (8):
George Bello – Atlanta United
Reggie Cannon – Boavista
Shaq Moore – Tenerife
Donovan Pines – D.C. United
Miles Robinson – Atlanta United
James Sands – New York City FC
Sam Vines – Colorado Rapids
Walker Zimmerman – Nashville SC
MIDFIELDERS (6):
Kellyn Acosta – Colorado Rapids
Gianluca Busio – Sporting Kansas City
Sebastian Lletget – LA Galaxy
Cristian Roldan – Seattle Sounders
Eryk Williamson – Portland Timbers
Jackson Yueill – San Jose Earthquakes
FORWARDS (6):
Paul Arriola – D.C. United
Daryl Dike – Orlando City SC
Nicholas Gioacchini – Caen
Matthew Hoppe – Schalke
Jonathan Lewis – Colorado Rapids
Gyasi Zardes – Columbus Crew
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 2:13 PM with the headline "A soccer roster that glitters like Gold (Cup) is coming to KC: meet America’s top 23."