A couple of month ago, USA coach Gregg Berhalter was at pains to point out the dangers of a player leaving the Major League Soccer bubble before they are truly ready to make their mark on the other side of The Atlantic.
“I think it’s important to note that some recent transfers from MLS came too early,” he tells AS. “Think about Bryan Reynolds, who went to Roma. Or George Bello (relegated from the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld). There’s an argument to be made that he could have stayed in MLS and dominated the league and then moved.
“So there’s a number of guys who I’m concerned are leaving too early.
Brandon Vazquez, then, could be forgiven for feeling slightly confused. Despite interest from Leeds United, per CBS Sports, the 23-year-old opted to stay at FC Cincinatti and build on an excellent debut campaign in North America.
But even a tally of 16 goals in 29 MLS games, and regular first-team football in an improving, increasingly competitive league, still wan’t enough to earn Vazquez a maiden USMNT call-up for the September fixtures.
And with this the final international break before Berhalter’s side take on Wales in Qatar, Vazquez’s hopes of securing a seat on the plane to Qatar appear to have gone up in smoke. A boat missed.
Should Brandon Vazquez leave the MLS for Leeds United?
“We think he’s done well,” Berhalter explains to MLS Soccer when asked why Vazquez was left at home despite being in far greater form than, say, Ricardo Pepi.
“I feel bad for Brandon. I talked to him and I told him that it’s not the end. (He must) continue to do what he’s doing and keep himself in the conversation. That’s all he can do.”
Now, there is no guarantee that linking up with compatriots Jesse Marsch, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson in West Yorkshire would have been enough to secure Vazquez a spot amongst Berhalter’s chosen 26.
But it’s worth pointing out that, of the seven Americans currently plying their trade in the Premier League, five have been included in the USA squad for this month’s clashes with Japan and Saudi Arabia. It would have been six, had Antonee Robinson not been ruled out through injury.
The World Cup ship has sailed
Now, Berhalter has given plenty of opportunities to locally-based players over the years. But plying your trade at the highest-possible level obviously does a player’s international prospects no harm. Overlooking Vazquez after an impressive spell in the MLS is one thing. Had he joined Leeds in August before making an immediate impact against Chelsea and co, Berhalter might have found the 23-year-old impossible to ignore.
If Leeds come calling again in the New Year, Vazquez’s may feel that a move to England can provide the shot in the arm his reputation needs. By then, however, the Qatar World Cup will be but a memory.
“He’s grown into this spectacular goalscorer,” USA and FC Dallas ace Paul Arriola says of Vazquez. “I think 100 percent he deserves a chance (at international level).
“When you look at his movements and you look at the things he’s doing, he’s a real, traditional 9. He’s good at holding the ball up, he still makes runs. He’s super dangerous in the box with his feet, with his head. I’m looking at highlights every single week and this guy is scoring one or two goals, assists.
“He’s on fire.”
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