One of the keys to a successful World Cup next year for the U.S. men's national team will be maintaining a modicum of health.

Last weekend, the U.S. could fully celebrate the fact that this is trending in the right direction. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson , AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun and PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi all made returns to the starting lineup for their respective clubs. Finding steady playing time is another key factor, so the sight of Gio Reyna moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach was also most welcome.

Not that these developments resulted in a USMNT call-up for the September window in every case , but the news is trending positively nonetheless.

Throughout the season, ESPN will be monitoring the progress of the U.S. player pool, deliv

See Full Page