Thomas Gilman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)What can the United States possibly do for an encore?
The U.S. men's freestyle squad is coming off one of the most memorable performances in American wrestling history.
The 2017 World Championships in Paris came down to tournament's final match between Olympic and world champions Kyle Snyder of the U.S. and Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia.
As you likely recall, Snyder rallied in the final minute of the match to earn a clutch and dramatic victory that enabled the U.S. to edge perennial power Russia for the team championship.
It was the first U.S. world team title in men's freestyle wrestling in 22 years.
So just what can the U.S. do for an encore?
It's really quite simple.
Win another world team title.
The United States is expected to put another very strong, hungry and experienced team on the mat for the freestyle portion of the worlds this October in Budapest, Hungary.
With the number of weight classes growing from 8 to 10 this year, the U.S. brings in even more firepower with Kyle Dake and David Taylor joining the loaded American squad.
No doubt, Sadulaev and his Russian teammates will be determined to rebound from 2017.
Who knows? It may all come down to another match between Snyder and Sadulaev this year.
Here is a breakdown of where I see the medal chances of each of the 10 USA wrestlers who will compete at the 2018 World Championships.
57 kilograms: Thomas Gilman
Gold: 35 percent
Medal: 65 percent
Gilman loves proving people wrong and he did just that last season by earning a surprise silver medal in his first trip to the World Championships in 2017.
He also proved me wrong. I only gave him a 30 percent chance to win a medal last year.
Gilman had his share of detractors after struggling at times this season, including in the World Cup. But many people also didn't realize he was coming off an injury he suffered during training.
Gilman looks healthy now and that was evident when he won the Yasar Dogu tournament this summer in Turkey where the ultra-confident lightweight put his share of points on the board. Gilman believes he's the strongest 125-pounder in the world, and he may be right.
If Gilman can continue to improve and evolve, he will be a legitimate world title contender this year. Being able to finish for takedowns is another key when he fires in with his effective single-leg attacks.
Gilman scored a combined 34 points in his four matches in Turkey, including 10 in the finals. That's an excellent sign for him.
Gilman also is in excellent shape, so the deeper he goes in the tournament the better he may become as fatigue become a bigger factor.
Japan's Yuki Takahashi is a very slick and skilled wrestler. He proved that by winning worlds last year and by beating Gilman again in the World Cup. Gilman now has an opportunity to learn from those matches. He is definitely eager for another shot at Takahashi.
61 kilograms: Nahshon Garrett
Gold: 10 percent
Medal: 30 percent
I'm giving Garrett the same odds for winning a medal as I did Gilman last year, so maybe that will be a good sign for him as well.
Garrett, as we know, is a tremendous talent who is tough to stop. He's also a wrestler foreign wrestlers haven't seen a whole lot of. The U.S. has a long history of wrestlers making a big impact in their first World Championships and Garrett certainly has the capability to do that.
Garrett can light up the scoreboard with a flurry of points, but he also has given up his fair share of points in his matches.
That was evident when he dropped a 14-7 decision to Hasanzada Mircalal of Azerbaijan in the Yasar Dogu event in Turkey.
The 61-kilogram division is a non-Olympic weight, but that class was one of the toughest at the 2017 Worlds.
Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan downed Gadzhimurad Rashidov of Russia to win his third world title last year. Aliyev has been wrestling up at 65 kilograms this year.
Standout veterans Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia and Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba are the returning bronze medalists. Khinchegashvili won Olympic and world titles the two previous years at 57 kilos.
65 kilograms: Logan Stieber
Gold: 25 percent
Medal: 45 percent
Stieber won a world title at 61 kilograms in 2016 before making the world team again last year at the same weight class.
The big weight cut seemed to take its toll as Stieber went 1-2 at the 2017 Worlds, losing to eventual medalists Rashidov and Khinchegashvili by technical fall.
Stieber has bumped up to 65 kilograms this season and won the world team spot with 2017 world teamer Zain Retherford not competing in freestyle this season.
Stieber looked good in the World Cup and earned a big win over Aliyev in Iowa City.
Georgia's Zurabi Iakobishvili is the returning champion in this division.
Stieber is an excellent wrestler who obviously has wrestled at a high level in his career. The biggest question will be how he adapts to wrestling bigger and stronger opponents at 65 kilograms.
70 kilograms: James Green
Gold: 40 percent
Medal: 65 percent
Green is a proven performer here, winning world bronze in 2015 and world silver in 2017.
With world champion Frank Chamizo of Italy bumping up to 74 kilograms, this may be Green's best opportunity to win a world title this year.
Green is an explosive wrestler with excellent leg attacks, but his defensive abilities are also very good and underrated.
The key for Green may be opening up and not getting stuck in close matches where one mistake can cost you the match. When Green opens up and pushes the pace, he's definitely at his best.
His performance in Budapest could be one of the keys to the U.S. in its chase to win another team title.
74 kilograms: Jordan Burroughs
Gold: 65 percent
Medal: 85 percent
Burroughs had his share of detractors after falling short of the medal podium at the 2016 Olympics.
But Burroughs doesn't have many now after coming back to win his fourth world title in 2017.
Now 30 years old, Burroughs is still at the top of his game. He's still an explosive athlete, but he also has a strong work ethic and the confidence that he's still the best guy on the planet.
His resolve has been tested this year after splitting a pair of close matches this year with the Cuban-born Chamizo, a two-time world champion who moved up to 74 kilograms this year.
Their most recent matchup, at the Yasar Dogu, ended in a 10-10 deadlock with Chamizo prevailing on criteria.
Burroughs has been wrestling at an extremely high level since his stunning setback in 2016. The challenges and reviews in the match in Turkey seemed to benefit Chamizo, who was able to rest and catch his breath.
And there were definitely some calls that were puzzling that went against Burroughs. But you have to expect that at this level and Burroughs knows that as well as anyone. You can bet Burroughs will respond in a huge way in Budapest. He will be more than ready to meet Chamizo again.
Kyle Dake competing at the World Cup (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)79 kilograms: Kyle Dake
Gold: 40 percent
Medal: 60 percent
Dake is another tough wrestler who has waited a long time for this opportunity. And now he finally receives it at the new weight class of 79 kilograms.
Dake is a legitimate threat to win the gold medal after destroying the field at the World Cup and the Yasar Dogu.
Dake is another tough matchup at 174 pounds. His defense is impressive, he's very powerful and he's adept at scoring points in bunches with his ability to lift and turn the opposition. He's also become better offensively and he's always been supremely conditioned.
One question for Dake will be can he score on offense if he needs to late in a match? The way he's been wrestling he may not need to. I wouldn't bet against him. He's as hungry, driven and motivated as anybody on the planet to win a gold medal this year.
86 kilograms: David Taylor
Gold: 45 percent
Medal: 65 percent
Like Dake, Taylor has waited a long time for this opportunity while being stuck behind Burroughs and J'den Cox.
Taylor has had a phenomenal season, starting with his big win at the Ivan Yarygin event in Russia.
Taylor also was dominant at the World Cup and the Yasar Dogu.
He wrestles at a high pace that opponents simply can't match. He's also a relentless, offensive-minded wrestler who is now strong enough to compete at 86 kilograms.
He also is one of the few guys who has beaten Olympic gold medalist Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran, the returning world champion at 86 kilos.
Taylor pinned Yazdani Charati in the 2017 World Cup in his home country of Iran.
I love Taylor's chances to win a world title. It's his first trip to this stage, but he is a veteran who looks equipped to handle anything that comes his way. He's been working his entire life for this opportunity.
J'den Cox (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)92 kilograms: J'den Cox
Gold: 35 percent
Medal: 55 percent
Cox has shown he can deliver on the big stage, capturing back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics and World Championships.
Cox was a tough matchup at 86 kilograms where he looked bigger than nearly everybody he wrestled.
Now he's moved up to the new weight class of 92 kilos, where he's had a solid season.
With Russian standout Abdulrashid Sadulaev moving back up to 97 kilograms after wrestling at 92 earlier this season, Cox may have his best shot at winning gold.
Cox appears to be healthier this year after missing time last year with injuries. Plus, he isn't cutting as much weight which could also work in his favor.
97 kilograms: Kyle Snyder
Gold: 65 percent
Medal: 90 percent
How do you bet against Kyle Snyder?
All he did was win two world titles and an Olympic gold medal before his 22nd birthday.
That includes his dramatic win over Sadulaev in the finals of the 2017 World Championships.
Snyder did suffer a loss at the Yasar Dogu, but all that did was add even more motivation for him to come back strong at the World Championships.
The powerful, technically sound Snyder is the complete package with a work ethic and confidence to match. He's definitely at his best when the stakes are highest.
Sadulaev now has more matches under his belt at 97 kilos and he's also highly motivated to avenge his crushing loss to Snyder from last year.
Here's hoping the rematch happens and that it's in the finals. That obviously would be exciting for everyone to see.
125 kilograms: Nick Gwiazdowski
Gold: 30 percent
Medal: 50 percent
Gwiazdowski was another surprise medalist last year after winning a bronze medal at his first World Championships.
Gwiazdowski has carried that momentum over into this season where he has wrestled really well. He is a very mobile heavyweight with a big gas tank. His biggest issue was battling heavier and stronger guys, and he's addressed that this season by becoming more physical.
Gwiazdowski lost by technical fall to Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Taha Akgul of Turkey at the 2017 Worlds. He rebounded from that setback to win a bronze medal.
Gwiazdowski has improved considerably since that loss to Akgul and that could bode well for him in Budapest. He definitely has an opportunity to improve on his finish from last season.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
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