Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna absent due to Club World Cup commitments, team will be trimmed to 26
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USMNT 60-man squad announcedMcKennie, Weah, Reyna absent due to Club World CupU.S. to play two friendlies before Gold CupFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?
U.S. men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino has selected a 60-man preliminary list for the upcoming Gold Cup. The list includes the normal heavy-hitters, names such as Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Antonee Robinson, while the likes of Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna are absent due to Club World Cup commitments.
Among the omissions are Ricardo Pepi and Kevin Paredes, both of whom have dealt with injuries this season. Noahkai Banks, too, was left off after being named to the CONCACAF Nations League preliminary list, as was Cade Cowell. In addition to the regulars and those who have been around the team in recent months, the list also includes new faces, including Alex Freeman, Quinn Sullivan and Sebastian Berhalter, all of whom have had strong starts to the MLS season.
CONCACAF requires each participating nation to submit final rosters by June 4 and can include up to 26 players, all of whom must be on this preliminary list. Pochettino is expected to name a 26-player squad this week ahead of pre-tournament friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland.
The U.S. will open the Gold Cup on June 15 against Trinidad & Tobago before then facing Haiti and Saudi Arabia in their two other group stage matches.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE PRELIMINARY SQUAD IN FULL
GOALKEEPERS: Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Matthew Freese (NYCFC), Diego Kochen (Barcelona)
DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps), George Campbell (CF Montreal), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergino Dest (PSV), Maximilian Dietz (Greuther FUrth), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes), Richy Ledezma (PSV), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Shaq Moore (FC Dallas), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Caleb Wiley (Chelsea), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Caden Clark (CF Montreal), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake), Brian Gutierrez (Chicago Fire), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids), Matko Miljevic (Huracán), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), Timothy Tillman (LAFC), Malik Tillman (PSV), Indiana Vassilev (Philadelphia Union), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Damion Downs (Koln), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Haji Wright (Coventry City) Griffin Yow (Westerlo), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America)
(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
This summer will be the first time the USMNT convenes since March's CONCACAF Nations League disapointment, as the team lost to both Panama and Canada and failed to win the competition for the first time in its short history. The team was heavily criticized in the aftermath, with Pochettino acknowledging that his Gold Cup squad wouldn't be just chosen on talent, but also on mentality.
“The right mindset must be there, because we need to compete for our flag, our country," he told U.S. Soccer. "What we are trying to do as a staff is to optimize every single area of preparation, and the mentality of the players is really important. We need to be intelligent in the way that we are going to select the players and not just choose based on talent alone. We need to have the right characters to be really competitive."
Pochettino stressed that the team must have a renewed mindset as they take the next step toward the 2026 World Cup.
“For sure to start we must compete hard," he said. "We must match the intensity of our opponents, because in these tournaments they are always motivated to play against the USA. Of course we must perform well to win and you don’t always get a result, but for sure in order to win you have to compete. It’s not just about showing up in your home country and trying to play nice soccer.
"No, you must be proud, you must fight for the people that would love to be in your position, for the millions of kids that are going to see us and dream to be one day where we are. This is type of responsibility and commitment we need to show in a different way than we did in Los Angeles.”
ImagnWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?
The U.S. will begin their Gold Cup preparation on June 7 when they face Turkey in East Hartford, Connecticut before then taking on Switzerland in Nashville three days later.