United States defender John Brooks said he will fight for a spot on Gregg Berhalter’s final World Cup roster should the USMNT reach Qatar despite not being called for a trio of upcoming qualifying matches.
– World Cup qualifying: CONCACAF standings
– 2022 World Cup: How the USMNT, Mexico can qualify
Berhalter revealed his 27-man roster on Thursday for games against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, but Wolfsburg center-back Brooks was not among those called up. Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, James Sands, Erik Palmer-Brown and Aaron Long will be the defenders reporting to USMNT training camp in Houston this weekend.
Speaking to ESPN’s Bundesliga play-by-play announcer Derek Rae, Brooks said he will seek to be on future squads as if his “American identity is a stake.”
“Months ago, I accepted responsibility for my play & the decision that kept me off a roster. Now, I’m happy I’ve regained my form but unfortunately, I wasn’t invited to camp,” said Brooks, as quoted by Rae.
Brooks continued: “I accept this as the coach’s decision, but I won’t accept that I can’t change this before the final World Cup roster selections. There should be no questions about my desire to play for this team. My plan is to fight as hard as I can to make it back to the [USMNT].”
“My American identity is at stake, an identity some have questioned over many years. We [Americans] have all been down and out at different times, but we always fight back and I plan to do the same.”
“My American identity is at stake, an identity some have questioned over many years. We (Americans) have all been down & out at different times, but we always fight back & I plan to do the same.”
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 17, 2022
Brooks was born to an American father and German mother in Berlin, and has 45 caps for the USMNT and appeared at the 2014 World Cup.
Speaking to reporters about Brooks’ exclusion, Berhalter said he had a “good conversation with him and explained to him that this is our thinking for the window.”
“This…
Source : espn
