USMNT vs. Grenada: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2023 Nations League

The United States men's national team plays its first competitive game since the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Friday in the CONCACAF Nations League against Grenada.

Friday's away game marks the start of a new World Cup cycle for the team's top European-based stars, but it is also a continuation of a competition that started before the World Cup.

The USMNT sits second behind El Salvador in Nations League Group D with two matches remaining. They do have a game in hand against their group rivals.

The Americans can top the three-team group with victories over Grenada on Friday and at home against El Salvador on Monday.

Friday's result should be straightforward if past matches are anything to look at. They defeated Grenada by five goals in their last meeting on June 10 and they have plenty of attacking firepower on the roster to produce a similar result inside the Kirani James Athletic Stadium.

Christian Pulisic headlines the USMNT roster, but there are also plenty of intriguing players within the squad who could deliver breakout performances on Friday.

The USMNT is still looking for a first-choice forward. Daryl Dike and Ricardo Pepi are the leading candidates to handle that role in the March international window.

There are also a few new faces to the first-team squad, led by Alejandro Zendejas, who announced his commitment to the USMNT over Mexico ahead of the March roster announcement.

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USMNT at Grenada Info

Date: Friday, March 24

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: TNTdrama.com

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Top Storylines

Will The USMNT Get Some Answers in offense?

Dike and Pepi entered the USMNT camp in decent goal-scoring form from the club level.

Dike has seven goals in 19 matches for West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship. Pepi scored nine times in 21 matches for Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Dike scored in his last game before the international break, and he has four goals in his last five games. Pepi has two tallies in the same span.

Pepi broke out on the international stage with three goals in CONCACAF World Cup qualification in the fall of 2021.

Since then, the 20-year-old struggled to make an impact for the national team, registering only an assist in 10 appearances since and ultimately failed to make the final roster as the team headed out to Qatar.

Dike also scored his three USMNT goals in 2021. He netted once in a friendly against Costa Rica and then two times against Martinique in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Both strikers have an opportunity to move ahead of others on the depth chart with a solid performance against Grenada, or versus El Salvador on Monday.

The USMNT lacked a true target man up top at the World Cup, and that is one of the things it must fix to be competitive in the years building up to the 2026 World Cup on home soil.

Dike and Pepi need to finish their chances against Grenada in order for the USMNT to have a stress-free road trip to the Caribbean.

They have plenty of attacking talent behind them in Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson to create the scoring opportunities, but they must finish at least one of them to put the USMNT in front and avoid a loss that the team can't afford.

A win over Grenada would push the USMNT into first place in Nations League Group D and allow it to advance to the semifinals with a draw against El Salvador. A loss means the Americans would be in a must-win spot on Monday in Orlando.

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How Will New Players Look If They Receive Chances?

Ten players on the current USMNT roster have fewer than 10 international appearances.

Zendejas is the most notable name on that list because he finalized his international commitment before the roster was announced.

The Club América player was part of the January camp, but he had time to make his decision because those were friendly matches.

The 25-year-old will be hoping to bring a goal-scoring threat upfront, hoping to get on the end of potential chances created by the likes of Yunus Musah of Valencia.

A majority of the regular first-team lineup, who helped the US reach the round of 16 in Qatar is available for selection, meaning the likes of Zendejas may only see playing time from the substitution bench.

Center-back Auston Trusty, who is having a strong season in the Championship with Birmingham City helping the struggling blues to 11 clean sheets, and FC Utrecht forward Taylor Booth could earn their USMNT debuts at some point in the two-game window.

Trusty could add his name to the USMNT center back conversation if he gets on the field and plays well, adding competition to the aging Tim Ream.

Booth, like Zendejas, could bring something different to the USMNT's approach in the final third. He is listed as a forward by U.S. Soccer, but he has played on the right wing in his last 6 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Booth only has two goals and three assists this season, but he has at least one shot on target in six of his last seven games, per FBRef, and he could be a good option to bring on for extra energy in the final third in the second half.

Djordje Mihailovic could feature in a similar role in attacking midfield off the bench. The AZ Alkmaar player would be best suited in the center of the park, and could be a replacement for Pulisic or Aaronson to allow them to rest if the game is finished off early.

Prediction

United States 3, Grenada 0

The USMNT should come away from Grenada with a win and first place in Nations League Group D.

The American defense shutout Grenada back in June, and conceded just one goal in its two Nations League matches.

The defense gave up a single goal in the World Cup group stage, that being a penalty to Wales, and with Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest in the squad, it should hold the Caribbean side to zero.

Pulisic will be trusted to be the primary creator in attack, and if Dike or Pepi finds the back of the net, it could be a massive confidence boost for the USMNT strikers ahead of Monday's match with El Salvador.

It may not be the 5-0 scoreline we saw last summer, but the Americans strength in depth should be too much again for Grenada.