da prosport bet： Despite showing strong form for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, the hero of the 2014 World Cup hasn't made an international appearance in two years

da betway： As the United States men's national team prepares to host Ghana in a key friendly on Tuesday, it's hard not to think of past moments in these teams' shared history. It's an unlikely rivalry, one forged not by geography, but by competition on the biggest stage possible.

It's hard not to think of the 2006 World Cup, when a U.S. team that included now-USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter first fell to the Black Stars. It's hard not to think of what happened four years later, when Asamoah Gyan led Ghana to another victory and the World Cup quarter-finals with a goal in extra-time. And it's hard not to think of a young John Brooks soaring for a header in 2014, looking at his hands in disbelief after scoring the biggest goal he'd ever score.

All of that feels like ancient history these days… except for the Brooks part. The USMNT has largely moved on from that 2014 squad, which makes sense given the fact that it's been nearly a decade since Brooks' magic moment. The center-back, though, is still playing at a top level, still contributing in the Bundesliga even after all these years.

Yet, for much of Berhalter's tenure, Brooks has been excluded from the USMNT. It's been years since we've seen him in a USMNT shirt, and, despite the freshness of a new cycle, it doesn't seem likely we'll ever see Brooks again. But why?

Getty ImagesThat magic Ghana moment

It's one of the most iconic goals in USMNT history, one made all the more endearing by the sheer shock of it all. No one could believe it, not even Brooks, who had a look of pure amazement on his face as he struggled to even comprehend what had just happened

Brooks had scored, and he'd scored late. His goal had given the USMNT the lead in their World Cup opener. They would protect that lead, earning a win over their fierce rivals Ghana, before qualifying for the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup.

It was an incredible moment for the then-21-year-old defender, who was less than a year into his USMNT career. Realistically, he wasn't even supposed to be in the game, having only come on as a substitute to replace the injured Matt Besler. With that goal, he became the first American to score as a substitute in the World Cup and, perhaps more importantly, sealed his place in USMNT history.

It looked like the beginning of a long USMNT career for Brooks but, as it turns out, it wouldn't be as long as anyone would have expected.

AdvertisementElsaHighs and lows under Klinsmann and Arena

As Jurgen Klinsmann began his second USMNT cycle, Brooks became an integral part of the team. He played in five of the team's six matches at the Copa America Centenario in 2016, missing only the Bronze Medal match. All the while, he remained a key player in the Bundesliga, playing for both Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg for the better part of a decade.

However, it wasn't all positive. He was a key starter at the beginning of the USMNT's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, playing in the opening loss to Mexico in Columbus. He then put in one of the most infamous performances in USMNT history, totally losing control of the game in a 4-0 drubbing in Costa Rica that ultimately cost Klinsmann his job.

Brooks, though, remained a regular throughout 2017 before suffering a torn thigh tendon in August, ruling him out for several months. It was during that time that the USMNT's 2018 World Cup dreams famous crumbled in loss to Trinidad & Tobago in October.

GettyFalling out of the picture

At the start of Berhalter's tenure, Brooks was very much still in the national-team picture. The defender was still only 25, a player that had likely not even entered his prime years as a defender.

Brooks began Berhalter's tenure in 2019 by starting a friendly against Ecuador before appearing once again in a vital Nations League win over Canada that November. The following year was, for many, a wash due to the coronavirus pandemic, although Brooks did start the 0-0 draw with Wales that November in the USMNT's return to action.

In 2021, though, he seemingly found his stride, headlined by a run that saw him start four out of five games en route to the Nations League triumph over Mexico that June. By the start of World Cup qualifying in September 2021, Brooks appeared to be a player that would be relied upon heavily on the road to Qatar, starting back-to-back games against Canada and Honduras. The U.S. struggled in that match against Canada, a 1-1 draw in Nashville, while Brooks was surprisingly withdrawn at halftime of the eventual 4-1 win over Honduras three days later.

As it turned out, that first half against Honduras was the last time we saw Brooks in a USMNT shirt, as he's spent the last two years totally out of the reckoning.

GettyBerhalter explains, Brooks responds

It began in November 2021, when Brooks was surprisingly first excluded from the USMNT squad. He had been a key player for the U.S. for years, one of the few holdovers from the 2014 World Cup and one still with plenty of years left in him at a high level.

At the time, Berhalter opted to lean on the likes of Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie, pointing at Brooks' up-and-down performances during the previous window. "Regarding John Brooks, it was a really difficult decision,” Berhalter said at the time, “and a lot of it was based on how we felt his performance was with the team, the last time he’s been performing.”

Brooks, for his part, agreed. He felt he wasn't good enough in those two World Cup qualifiers, and vowed to be back better than ever in the future, telling : “The decision to leave me out of this camp isn’t surprising, given some of my recent performances for the USMNT that aren’t up to my standards. My job now is to work hard to be the very best I can be. I feel great about this week’s 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.”

Berhalter replied, saying: “That’s all you can ask for as a player’s response, right? Normally what players do is they start picking off other players and saying, 'Well, this guy is doing this', and all John did was take accountability for his own performance. “

It seemed everyone was aligned and on the same path, but what looked like a one-window exclusion turned into one that hasn't yet come to an end.