If the U.S. men’s national team is to win its first Concacaf Gold Cup since 2021 this summer, it will do so severely shorthanded.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino on Thursday named a 27-player USMNT training camp roster ahead of the biennial regional championship and the two early June friendlies that precede it. And as expected, many of the American regulars are missing.
FOX Sports reported on Wednesday that star attacker Christian Pulisic would skip this summer’s tournament following two grueling seasons with Italian club A.C. Milan. Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are unavailable because Juventus is participating in the FIFA Club World Cup instead, as is Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund.
Regarding Pulisic’s absence, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement:
“Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break.
“After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he’s fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.”
“The principal objective is the World Cup,” Pochettino told reporters via Zoom shortly after Thursday’s announcement. “We decided the best [thing] for him and for the national team is the decision that we make.”
Several other prominent names are absent; 2024 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Antonee “Jedi” Robinson is still dealing with the minor injuries that prevented him from participating in the Concacaf Nations League final four in March. Yunus Musah was supposed to be with their USMNT next month; Pochettino said he withdrew from consideration earlier this week for personal reasons. Joe Scally, Josh Sargent and Tanner Tessmann, who all started the Nations League semifinal loss to Panama, were also left off the squad, which will be trimmed to 26 on June 4, when the final list must be submitted to Concacaf. The Gold Cup begins on June 14, with the Americans kicking off group play against Trinidad and Tobago the following day.
Understandably, Pochettino is focusing on not who’s missing but the players that are available, a group led by 2022 World Cup veterans Brenden Aaronson, Sergino Dest, Matt Turner and Haji Wright, and Premier League center back Chris Richards. Now recovered from an ACL tear he suffered last spring, Dest is participating in his first camp under the Argentine manager. So is striker Folarin Balogun, who missed much of Monaco’s season following shoulder surgery.
“It’s so exciting to see different players,” Pochettino said. “It’s a great opportunity for different players to have the chance to challenge and to try to get a place in one year’s time for the World Cup.”
Some of Pochettino’s selections – and omissions – were still surprising. Five players have never been capped at senior level: Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder and the son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter; Orlando City fullback Alex Freeman; Matt Freese, New York City FC goalkeeper; Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan; and German-born forward Damion Downs, who helped Cologne earn promotion to the Bundesliga this season by scoring 10 goals in 29 games. Freeman is the son of former NFL star Antonio Freeman, a Super Bowl champion and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer.
Aaronson returns after being left off the March squad. The New Jersey product won the English second-tier title this season with Leeds United, which will play in the Premier League in 2025-25. Pochettino cited Aaronson’s “energy, positivity, enthusiasm and passion,” when asked why he’d been recalled. “He’s this type of player that transmits to the rest of the team these feelings,” the coach added.
“We learned a lot in the last few camps, for sure in March,” Pochettino said. “This opportunity is amazing. We are so motivated, so excited. We are full energy working and to try to create a good group that we can feel proud of.”
The USMNT will face European foes Turkey and Switzerland in tuneups on June 7 and 10, respectively.
The full training camp roster is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Matt Freese, New York City FC (MLS); Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew (MLS), Zack Steffen, Colorado Rapids (MLS); Matt Turner, Crystal Palace (England)
Defenders: Max Arfsten, Columbus; Sergiño Dest, PSV Eindhoven, (Netherlands); Alex Freeman, Orlando (MLS); DeJuan Jones, San Jose Earthquakes (MLS); Mark McKenzie, Toulouse (France); Tim Ream, Charlotte (MLS); Chris Richards, Crystal Palace; Miles Robinson, Cincinnati (MLS)
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Leeds (England); Tyler Adams, Bournemouth (England): Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver (MLS); Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis (Spain); Luca de la Torre, San Diego (MLS); Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake (MLS); Jack McGlynn, Houston Dynamo (MLS); Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union (MLS); Malik Tillman, PSV; Sean Zawadzki, Columbus
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Charlotte (MLS); Folarin Balogun, Monaco (France); Damion Downs, Cologne (Germany); Brian White, Vancouver; Haji Wright, Coventry (England)
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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