Mikey Varas chooses squad and will serve as interim head coach, with Mauricio Pochettino still not officially named to take over
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Mikey Varas to take over as interim head coach18 players remain from Copa America disappointmentGio Reyna, Christian Pulisic remain, Weston McKennie outGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The U.S. men's national team announced their 24-player roster ahead of their upcoming friendlies vs. Canada on Sept. 7 and New Zealand on Sept. 10. It includes 18 returners from the Copa America group stage exit, and could feature two debuts for Marlon Fossey and Diego Kochen.
The squad is again led by Christian Pulisic, however, it does not feature Weston McKennie. Gio Reyna keeps his place despite the poor start to his club season. Winger Tim Weah and midfielders Tyler Adams and Gianluca Busio will miss this camp with injuries.
Like Weah and Adams, Cameron Carter-Vickers is nursing an injury, and is also not on the squad. Antonee Robinson is earning rest after offseason surgeries, while McKennie is presumably being given time to re-acclimate into his club setting. McKennie only started full training with Juventus in the third week of August and remains in preseason form. Midfielder Tanner Tessmann just joined Lyon, and was not summoned for this camp.
It is otherwise a relatively familiar group. They hold an average of 20 caps, while Pulisic, Tim Ream and Matt Turner – all veterans of the side – keep their spots. The players come from 10 different countries, but only two play their professional ball in the United States – although 14 came through the U.S. soccer system.
Joining Pulisic among forwards on the squad are Brenden Aaronson, Josh Sargent, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright. Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and defender Caleb Wiley make the squad after competing for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics, where they reached the quarterfinals.
US Soccer fired coach Gregg Berhalter after the USMNT crashed out of the Copa America. Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly primed to take over of the United States men's national team but has not yet been officially unveiled as their new manager. There reportedly remain contract issues tied to his leaving Chelsea earlier this summer.
AdvertisementGettyTHE ROSTER
Roster by position (Club/Country, Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS: Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona II/ESP; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 1/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 44/0)
DEFENDERS: Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 2/0), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege/BEL; 0/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Tolouse/FRA; 13/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 61/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 21/1), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 11/0), Caleb Wiley (Strasbourg/FRA; 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS: Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 15/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 22/0), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 5/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 39/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 31/8), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 12/0)
FORWARDS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 42/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 15/5), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 71/30), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 25/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 11/4)
USA TodayWHAT U.S. SOCCER SAID
Interim coach Mikey Varas, who chose the squad, outlined his expectations for the group during the break.
"We have a chance in these next two games to really show what we are about as team,” Varas said in a statement. “Our focus is on bringing a winning mentality and an aggressive approach so we can continue to move the program forward and set ourselves up for a great transition. It’s an incredible honor to have this opportunity.”
Thirteen players are age 23 and younger: Aaronson, Balogun and Schulte (23); Cardoso, Lund, Morris, Tillman (22); Musah, Pepi, Reyna, Scally (21); Wiley (19), Kochen (18).
US Soccer also announced that Jack Robinson will join the squad as head of goalkeeping. Robinson spent six seasons alongside Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool FC from 2018-24 as the team collected numerous trophies including the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.
He joined Liverpool from the English Football Association in September 2018 having previously worked for Manchester United and Leeds United.
WHAT NEXT FOR USMNT?
The U.S. will travel to Kansas City to host Jesse Marsch's surprising Canada team. Marsch, a former U.S. international who was at one point linked with the USMNT job, adds intrigue.
The Americans will then travel to Cincinnati to face New Zealand on Sept. 10.
