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Former U.S. striker Herculez Gomez questioned the role Patrick Agyemang can play for the USMNT, saying the Charlotte FC forward has yet to demonstrate the quality required at the international level. The forward has 17 goals for Charlotte FC since making his debut and has scored four times in eight caps for the USMNT.
Gomez pointed to Agyemang's missed chances at the Gold Cup and over the last few games, noting an evident lack of quality at the international level while acknowledging the striker's potential.
“The No. 9 position is Patrick Agyemang,” Gomez said on Futbol Americas. “And Agyemang, he’s the guy you root for, but he’s had his chances in this Gold Cup. He’s had his chances in the last three or four games, and you can see that there’s an evident lack of quality at the international level. He’s still very raw, and that’s fine. He’s a player who’s taken a long road to where he is, and it’s commendable, but he’s still not a finished product."
Gomez admitted the options are few beyond Agyemang.
"Where do you go from there?" he said. "I mean Damion Downs is a 2. Bundesliga player, you’ve got Brian White, who is off to an incredible start with the Vancouver Whitecaps, with double-digit goals. But they’re all unproven at the international level, so at least for now, that’s Patrick Agyemang’s to lose."
Gomez's concern is none of the players mentioned are viable challengers for the striker position.
“But has anybody really raised their hand in that position and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to challenge Ricardo Pepi, I’m going to challenge Florian Balogun, I’m going to challenge Josh Sargent’?" he said. "I don’t think so.”
WHAT HERCULEZ GOMEZ SAID
Gomez’s is also concerned about the lack of competition for 38-year-old Tim Ream's starting position. He questioned why nobody has challenged his for the starting role.
“I think more than anything it’s a surprise to me that nobody’s taken that spot from Tim Ream," Gomez said. "That’s something else I focused on is ‘Who will be next to CB 1 Chris Richards' - and it’s still Tim Ream."
Gomez credited the veteran for still performing at a high level, but said the USMNT need more challengers.
“Because nobody in this pool wants to take it away from Tim Ream, or maybe nobody in this pool is capable of taking it away from Tim Ream," he said. "Ream doesn’t even play as a center-back for Charlotte; he’s been often played as a left-back. So credit to Ream, who at this age is still doing what he’s doing, but he’s getting away with it right now. There’re going to be games where you’re playing against better opposition and you’re going to have a ton of the ball, but when you have the ball, that’s Ream’s bread and butter.
“He’s a center-back that comes out playing, and he’s very good, he opens the lanes and he sees things that other center-backs don’t. But if you make him be physical, if you try him, his athleticism, his age, he can be - at this age - a bit mistake prone, and that comes with the territory of his age.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
With World Cup 2026 now only a year away, these key position concerns represent challenges for Mauricio Pochettino's squad. Agyemang's slow development, along with Ream's advancing age, raise questions about the team's readiness.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Following their 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia, the USMNT have qualified for the next round of the Gold Cup and face Haiti in their final group stage game Sunday night.