The right back will sit out this summer’s Gold Cup amid interest from CONCACAF’s top two powers
U.S. men’s national team boss Gregg Berhalter says that Julian Araujo was left off the team’s Gold Cup squad because he is “not fully ready to commit” his international future to the U.S.
The LA Galaxy fullback is also eligible for Mexico and, despite joining the U.S. for friendlies, playing in the Gold Cup would have officially cap-tied him to the USMNT.
With heavy competition at right-back a factor, Berhalter says the door remains open for Araujo if and when he decides he’s ready to officially solidify his international future.
What did Berhalter say?
“In terms of Julian, it’s a case of him being a dual national and not fully ready to commit to the team,” Berhalter said on Thursday. “He knew that the Gold Cup would lock him in permanently and he wasn’t ready to make that step.
“I don’t want to speak for him, but I can imagine when he looks at the depth of the right-back position, he sees a logjam there, and he doesn’t maybe fully see his pathway to being a starter in the next World Cup.
“What I can tell you is that we really value Julian and we think he’s an outstanding player and we think he can make a run at being a starter on this team. A lot of that is going to be up to his form and his development, but he’s a young talented player and we think he has a future for this team, but for the Gold Cup, he’s not going to be taking part.”
A loaded position
As Berhalter said, the right-back position is one of the USMNT’s strongest at the moment with there being plenty of competition for Araujo.
Sergino Dest is the likely starter, although he may also be used on the left. Reggie Cannon, who looks set to leave Portuguese side Boavista, is certainly in contention to start, with DeAndre Yedlin and Bryan Reynolds also in the mix.
Cannon is included on the Gold Cup roster, with Shaq Moore an option on the right with George Bello and Sam Vines on the left.
Another dual national battle
Araujo isn’t the only LA Galaxy player who has been drawn into a tug-of-war between the U.S. and Mexico, with El Tri recently seemingly winning a big one.
Efrain Alvarez was named in Mexico’s Gold Cup squad, which would cap-tie him to El Tri.
“Efrain is 100 per cent committed to Mexico,” Mexico boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino said earlier this week. “There is no doubt about that anymore. Alvarez is a footballer that I have been watching for a long time and that is why he already made his debut in a friendly and he will be seeing more minutes in the next games.
“He is among the young players that are the future of the Mexican national team.”
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