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The US men’s national team have announced a 23-player roster for the Concacaf Nations League finals that features three players who will be in camp with head coach Mauricio Pochettino for the first time.
The headliners among the trio are Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna. The players are considered to be key parts of the squad, but both last appeared with the US at the 2024 Copa América, where the team were eliminated in the group stage. Adams, who captained the US at the 2022 World Cup, underwent back surgery after the tournament and returned to action with Bournemouth late last year. Reyna has found consistent minutes hard to come by this season at Borussia Dortmund with the team struggling in the Bundesliga, although they made it through to the Champions League round of 16.
Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will also appear in his first camp under Pochettino, who was hired by the US in September.
The roster is also notable for the lack of Brenden Aaronson, the Leeds United midfielder who had been a regular with the team, and also for the inclusion of MLS-based players who impressed during the team’s annual January camp and friendly wins against Venezuela and Costa Rica. Most notable among the January camp holdovers are Vancouver Whitecaps striker Brian White, Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang, and Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna.
Here is the full squad, with initial thoughts on each position group:
Goalkeepers
Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
Turner and Steffen have been locked in a competition for the starting job for much of their tenures with the USMNT, and this Nations League will be no different. Turner has more experience playing under Pochettino, starting the coach’s opening friendlies and both legs of the Nations League quarter-final against Jamaica. However, he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, acting as backup to Dean Henderson while starting in the FA Cup. Steffen, meanwhile, started and kept a shutout in the US’s January win against Costa Rica and has been in decent form with the Colorado Rapids to start the year in MLS.
Defenders
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liège), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
There was some hope that Sergiño Dest would make this list having just returned to action for PSV 10 months after an ACL tear, but Pochettino has elected to leave him out. Scally, who is enjoying a solid season with Mönchengladbach, will presumably start at right-back in Dest’s continued absence, while Fossey will provide depth at either wide spot as Pochettino has elected to bring five center-backs to Los Angeles.
Which of those five center-backs start will be a primary question heading into these games. In the quarter-finals against Jamaica, Pochettino opted to pair Ream with McKenzie, leaving Richards on the bench. It remains to be seen how the presence of Carter-Vickers, who has been in good form with Celtic, will change things.
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Midfielders
Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon)
Luna and Tessman are interesting inclusions. The latter has cemented a place in the Lyon team after a difficult start to life in France, perhaps boosted by two solid showings starting as a holding midfielder against Jamaica in the Nations League quarters. To what degree Adams’ return affects Tessmann’s role will be an interesting storyline to follow throughout camp. Reyna, meanwhile, will hope a solid Nations League finals will propel him to better form and more minutes with Dortmund, where he has been out of favor for most of the season.
Forwards
Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Yunus Musah (Milan), Christian Pulisic (Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Sargent has been in terrific form for Norwich, having scored eight goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions for the Canaries. For once, his checkered injury history will not prevent him from furthering his national team career, as he will be the presumed starter as the most experienced option at center forward. Agyemang and White, the two other options there, made positive impressions in January camp and either could be options off the bench if the US is down a goal.
Musah is again listed as a forward on this roster, indicating that Pochettino continues to see the versatile player as a winger in his system. Pulisic enters camp as the unquestioned public face of this team, now enjoying the best season of his career so far with Milan.
