-
Jeff Carlisle
United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino announced his 25-player roster on Thursday for upcoming friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay.
The roster includes returning Borussia Mönchengladbach teammates Giovanni Reyna and Joe Scally, along with PSV Eindhoven‘s Ricardo Pepi. However, notable absences include Juventus‘ Weston McKennie, AC Milan‘s Christian Pulisic, Crystal Palace‘s Chris Richards, and Marseille‘s Tim Weah.
The U.S. will take on Paraguay in Chester, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 15, followed by a match against Uruguay in Tampa three days later.
Pochettino stated, “As we continue to develop our squad and build upon the culture we have created, this serves as a great opportunity for the players selected to demonstrate that they deserve a spot on the final roster for the World Cup.”
“It is crucial that they arrive at camp ready to showcase their abilities on the field and their commitment as teammates. We will focus on competitive aspects during training and challenge ourselves against two strong South American teams.”
Pulisic, Richards, and Weah have all been dealing with injuries. Pulisic suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the last international window, while Weah strained his thigh on October 25, and Richards has been managing a calf issue.
Pochettino indicated that he left Pulisic off the roster to allow him to fully recover.
Meanwhile, the reason for McKennie’s absence remains unclear. Although he played the full match for Juventus in their recent draw against Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League, he is also attempting to impress new manager Luciano Spalletti, who was appointed last week.
The injury list, which includes Fulham‘s Antonee Robinson and Club América’s Alejandro Zendejas, means that Pochettino will again field a squad that is not at full strength.
Robinson underwent knee surgery on May 27 and has yet to appear in a Premier League match for Fulham this season.
Pochettino expressed concern, stating, “We are certainly worried, as he has been out for an extended time and is unable to play.”
Reyna and Scally are back for the first time since participating in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League finals last March. Reyna has also made a club switch, moving from Borussia Dortmund to Gladbach.
Both players participated in a 4-0 victory over St. Pauli, marking Gladbach’s first win of the season. With the absences of McKennie, Pulisic, Weah, and Zendejas, Reyna may see significant minutes.
Pochettino has consistently emphasized that club playing time influences national team call-ups.
“Reyna possesses immense talent, and while he hasn’t been playing regularly, this November is a great opportunity for him,” Pochettino remarked. “We must recognize that some players may struggle to find game time but can still be pivotal for us. There’s no contradiction in my statement.”
Pepi is making his return to the USMNT for the first time since November 2024, bringing with him a surge of momentum after scoring a late equalizer in PSV’s 1-1 draw against Olympiacos in the Champions League.
He’ll vie for playing time alongside Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, who also found the net in the Champions League recently, as well as Coventry City’s Haji Wright.
Richards, a regular starter in defense, was excluded from this roster, and Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner expressed disappointment that Richards had been used last month despite his calf injury.
“Whether it’s Milan or Palace, they don’t have grounds to complain,” Pochettino stated. “We are the first to care and never intended to put a player at risk.”
He expressed disappointment regarding clubs that voice frustrations about the U.S. national team, stating, “It saddens me as I hold a lot of respect for all coaches.”
The November 2024 window marked the last time Celtic defender Auston Trusty was part of the USMNT pool, having capitalized on injuries to club teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers and Vancouver Whitecaps‘ Tristan Blackmon.
Players are set to report to camp in Philadelphia starting on Nov. 9.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (4):
Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0),
Matt Freese (New York City FC; 11/0),
Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0),
Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0)
DEFENDERS (9):
Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 14/1),
Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 35/2),
Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 11/0),
Mark McKenzie (Toulouse FC/FRA; 24/0),
Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 78/1),
Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 37/3),
Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 21/0),
John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel/GER; 4/0),
Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 4/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7):
Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 52/2),
Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 7/0),
Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 11/0),
Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 32/8),
Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 41/0),
Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 10/0),
Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)
FORWARDS (5):
Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 54/9),
Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 27/7),
Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 16/3),
Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/13),
Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 19/7)
Information sourced from The Associated Press was included in this report.