The decision isnt surprising Brooks admits performances havent been good enough following USMNT exclusion
Gregg Berhalter hailed John Brooksâ response to being left off the U.S. menâs national teamâs upcoming squad as âall you can ask forâ after the defender backed the managerâs decision to exclude him due to a poor run of form.
Brooks has struggled in his most recent USMNT appearances and, as a result, was left off the squad to face Mexico and Jamaica in favour of Miles Robinson, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie and Walker Zimmerman.
Shortly after the response was announced, Brooks said that he understood why he was left off the team and vowed to come back in better form to prove himself going forward.
Editorsâ Picks What did Brooks say?âIn life and in soccer, nothing is ever handed to you, nor should it be,â Brooks told Fox Sports. âThe decision to leave me out of this camp isnât surprising given some of my recent performances for the USMNT that arenât up to my standards. My job now is to work hard to be the very best I can be.
âI feel great about this weekâs Champions League performance and my recent play with Wolfsburg, and will keep building on my performance there until I reach my goal of helping the USMNT reach the next World Cup.â
Berhalter respondsâThatâs all you can ask for as a playerâs response,â Berhalter said when asked about Brooksâ exclusion. âNormally what players do is they start picking off other players and saying,â Well, this guy is doing this.â And all John did was take accountability for his own performance.
âWe saw him play midweek in the Champions League at Salzburg. He had a good game and heâs working his way back into form. I donât assume that this is going to be his last time in the national team. Iâm sure heâll be back, and itâs just about regaining your form and performing at a high level when you get the opportunity.â
Brooksâ national team strugglesLong seen as the USMNTâs top center back, Brooks has developed a reputation for struggling in CONCACAF games.
Brooks underwhelmed during the USMNTâs final two qualifiers in September, a 1-1 draw with Canada and a 4-1 win over Honduras, the latter of which saw Brooks taken out at halftime.
He didnât feature in any of the USMNTâs three October matches, with Zimmerman, Robinson, Richards and McKenzie all starting.
The 28-year-old defender has earned 45 international caps, scoring three goals, most notably the winner against Ghana in the 2014 World Cup group stage.
Brooks has been ever-present for Wolfsburg over the last few seasons, starting for the club in the Bundesliga and Champions League in 2021-22.
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