Immense Self-Belief: Hamid hit some controversy earlier this season for commenting that he was simply better than USMNT stalwart Brad Guzan (at the moment, we don’t disagree). Hamid has never been able to make a stamp on the USMNT roster with only six caps in his career, though his mentality and loyalty to DC United show that he is a real leader on and off the pitch.

We like these quotes from him on speaking with Berhalter and responding to Guzan’s distaste after his initial comments (MLSsoccer.com):

On not making the January 2019 USMNT Camp:

“The only conversation I had with coach Berhalter is prior to January,” Hamid said. “I’ve got to prepare myself for here (DC United). This is important. This is my national team right now. This is my Europe. This is my Real Madrid, my Barca, just like Josef Martinez said.”

On Guzan’s response:

“And I never said anything bad about any goalkeeper. In the article, he never mentioned me saying anything bad about him or anyone else. I just said I was better than him. I didn’t say he was terrible.”

Taking all that in to consideration, we think that Bill Hamid would be a great third choice goalkeeper to join in the 2022 World Cup squad. Bringing significant experience and leadership, Hamid would be a difference maker in the locker room, and if worse came to worse, we could rely on him between the sticks too.

Other Notable Performances

Antonee Robinson (21, White Plains, NY) - Wigan Athletic, Championship

Gotta give credit where credit is due; assist for Wigan: For the third week in a row, we are including Antonee Robinson as a standout player, as he continued his impressive run of form in Wigan’s 1-1 tie vs. Birmingham City. The New York native was once again the key driver behind most of Wigan’s threatening attacks as Birmingham's defenders simply seemed unable to keep up with Robinson’s pace and skill on the ball for the majority of the game.

He crowned his performance with the assist to Wigan’s only goal on the day, as Robinson was able to find Nick Powell unmarked at the top of the box with a short pass after drawing in five (!) Birmingham defenders with an intelligent run. A solid defensive outing with two won tackles, one interception and two key clearances wrapped up yet another successful game for the young American, who is making a strong case for a chance to play in a top five league next year, just weeks before the summer transfer window is set to open. Recall, Robinson is still under contract with Premier League side, FC Everton, who could surely use a pacey left back in their squad...

Pushing up high on the pitch: Unlike last week where Robinson performed in a long defensive battle as Wigan was reduced to 10 men early in the game, he was able to push much higher on the field against Birmingham. At times, he operated like an out and out winger on Wigan’s left flank and with a bit more help from his teammates in the final third, Robinson could have clinched two or three assists on the night as he created several chances on the left wing such as this one after sprinting all the way from the midfield line: