I'm still walking on air after the USMNT's depth players somehow beat Mexico's quasi-A team last night. While this Gold Cup performance was far from pretty, it did tell us a lot about the roster, and ending with a trophy does add quite a bit of gloss. I figured I'd go position by position with my thoughts.

GK: Monster performance by Matt Turner. While he's not as good with his feet as Steffen, he's shown that he's just as good of a shot stopper. Neither of the other goalies played, so I can't comment on them.  

RB: Shaq Moore is a very good fit for Berhalter's style of play. Very good passer, good movement when attacking, and a smart positional defender. Can sometimes get caught out when facing very athletic and/or good dribbling wingers, but he's a solid option.

Reggie Cannon is an excellent athlete and a better defender than Moore, but doesn't offer as much on the ball. I wouldn't be surprised (especially if Dest stays at LB) if these two swap out with each other on a game-by-game basis based on the opponent.

CB: Miles Robinson had an absolutely monster tournament. While I'm still concerned about his ability on the ball against top competition, he showed that he can defend in any circumstance, using both his physicality and his brain. I particularly liked when he'd step up into midfield and win challenges to help out our press.

James Sands really impressed me. While he's not the most imposing player, he's very good at playing out of the back (though he'll sometimes take the odd unnecessary risk) and is scrappy as hell. His versatility to play either CB or CDM helps a lot too. 

Walker Zimmerman is a beast and the air and a good passer of the ball, but he both thinks and runs just a half-second slow. He can get away with that at MLS, but against even decent international competition, those flaws show. 

Donovan Pines is just as athletic as Robinson, but seemed totally lost when he did play. I'd be fine giving other prospects playing time over him, especially since he's 23 and isn't going to get much better.

LB: George Bello seems like a left-footed version of Reggie Cannon. Excellent athlete, solid defensively, just doesn't offer a ton going forward.

I thought Sam Vines took several steps forward in this tournament. After looking lost defensively against Haiti, he got his act together in his own half the rest of the tournament, especially against Canada. The big knock on him is I haven't seen him play a game where he was good both defensively and offensively. While he's still got developing to do, I wouldn't be shocked to see him start at LB in the qualifiers so Dest can play on his more natural right side. 

CDM: Like Miles Robinson, Kellyn Acosta had a monster tournament. While his distribution was very hit or miss, with some excellent passes to go with dumb turnovers, his defensive work was incredible. Not only did he cover an obscene amount of ground, but he actually won the duels he was involved in. The title-winning assist doesn't hurt either.

While Jackson Yueill is the right archetype for the USMNT in the position, it seems pretty clear he just can't handle being the lone holding midfielder.

CM: Sebastian Lletget had a disappointing tournament. While I'm sure his passing completion % was excellent, he didn't offer much anything dangerous, nor was he dominant defensively. While experience like his is valuable for such a young team, that doesn't mean he should be a starter moving forward.

Gianluca Busio showed that he's still a prospect. He looked wildly outmatched as the lone CDM against Canada, and while he recovered with a couple ok performances in the knockout stage, he still needs work when it comes to knowing when to release the ball, as well as how to use his body to not get dispossessed so easily.

Erick Williamson didn't play much in this tournament, but made quite the impression on me when he did. He's never afraid to drive at defenders and dribble past (or through them), even against Mexico in the final. Like Busio, he takes that extra touch far too often instead of passing/shooting, but there's still obviously quite a bit there. 

I was never a big fan of Christian Roldan, but he was better than usual this tournament, providing two assists and a persistent sense of urgency in both the attacking and defensive phases. While I don't think he's creative enough to warrant regular playing time when the European-based players come back, he's shown that he's solid depth at both CM and RW.

LW/RW: Along with Turner, Robinson, and Acosta, Matthew Hoppe really broke out this tournament. His confidence and skill on the ball were welcome from a team which lacked some creativity. While he only scored one goal, he was a constant threat. Also, he ran like a maniac against Mexico despite being in preseason shape (he plays in Europe where they're in preseason; most Americans on this roster played in MLS, which is mid-season). I'd definitely like to see Hoppe play through the middle like he does for Schalke; I think that would cut down on a lot of the mistakes he made in his own end, not to mention that the competition for the starting striker position is still wide open. 

Nicolas Gioacchini has some serious fire in his belly, and he brings it whether it's against Martinique, Qatar, or Mexico. He's also got the touch and positioning to put that passion to good use, with a goal and a couple assists in the tournament, including the game-winning assist against Qatar. He's a great weapon off the bench to unleash against tired opponents after an hour or so, and wouldn't be a bad spot starter in case of injury.

Paul Arriola is a world-class grinder who'd be a Selke Trophy finalist if he played hockey. Unfortunately, his offensive production just isn't that good. While he had some good moments against Mexico (several nice dribbles + hitting the post), he's never going to come close to Pulisic/Reyna levels of creativity or production. Not a bad option off the bench to close out a game, but that's about it. 

Jonathan Lewis should not have been called up for this tournament and showed it against Haiti. There's a reason Berhalter only gave him that one game. Bye. 

ST: I was generally down on Daryl Dike before the tournament because while he was quite good for Orlando City and Barnsley, those two teams play very differently than the USMNT does. And while he was playing hurt for a few games, he wasn't that impressive when healthy. Someone with his frame (6'1", 220) should be holding up the ball much better than Dike did. He didn't come close to giving the US an outlet they often needed.

Gyasi Zardes may not be anything special, but at the very least he understands his role for the USMNT and consistently performs it, well, he doesn't finish consistently, but his movement, hold-up play, and pressing are almost always there. While he's not a long-term answer, he's solid depth.

My Qatar 2022 Roster (assuming everyone is healthy)

GK: Steffen, Turner, Horvath 

RB: Dest, Cannon

CB: Brooks, Richards, Sands, Robinson

LB: Vines, Moore

CDM: Adams, Acosta, (Sands)

CM: McKennie, Musah, (Aaronson), Williamson

LW/RW: Pulisic, Reyna, Aaronson, Gioacchini

ST: Hoppe, Sargent, Zardes