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.
“Adams is a player that we wanted to sign at Chelsea, of course that is an important player,” Pochettino said on Tuesday. “He’s a very good player, but of course he’ll need to prove that he’s better than the others. It’s a good competition in the midfield.”
On Reyna, Pochettino said his invite was partially due to the player being unavailable to the US during this summer’s Gold Cup. With Borussia Dortmund set to compete in the Club World Cup simultaneously, the club will retain their rights to the player.
“It’s true that maybe he’s not playing too much, but I think it’s a for us he’s a great player and we want to consider him,” Pochettino said. “The most important thing is … the opportunity to have him 10 days, feeling and connecting and to creating a good relationship that can help him and can help us for the future.”
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.
“Of course, Mark and Tim, they were playing and are a little bit in advantage to another,” Pochettino said, before cautioning that the final call will depend on how players recover from long flights to Los Angeles, how they perform in training, and other factors. “It’s going to be first training station, second training station, and then decide.”
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.
Luna, meanwhile, impressed in January camp and has started off the MLS season as a key creative outlet for Real Salt Lake.
“I think he’s a player that we followed from the day that we signed for the US national team,” Pochettino told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s a player that can provide different things during the game, and I think it’s important for him to feel the confidence from us.”
Pochettino also addressed the absence of Brenden Aaronson, saying that the attacking midfield position he plays is crowded and that he was left off thanks to the numbers game inherent in a 23-man roster.
“I think we have players in in that position, like Reyna for first time, Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Diego Luna, I think there are too many players for only one position,” he said. “When you have the possibility to. call only 23 players in a competition that is only two games in a very short space of time, I think we need a balance. Brenden is a player that we consider highly, but in this moment we need to wait for the next [window].”
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.
“Always we need to remember that we are talking about a player [Sargent] that is doing really well in Championship,” Pochettino said. “They are not in the first division, but we need our players to know that they are performing well and, and of course they deserve the opportunity. We have [Folarin] Balogun, we have [Ricardo] Pepi who are not available, so I think to have him and to have Brian White, and, and of course, Patrick Agyemang, I think it’s good competition.”
Musah is interestingly 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.
