USMNT Gold Cup squad: Dest out; Injuries shape Pochettino's final 26-man roster
Sergiño Dest is the latest core member of the United States men's national team who will not be playing in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The PSV right back missed nearly a year after tearing his ACL in April 2024 but was able to make seven appearances down the stretch as his team stormed back to win the Eredivisie. Nevertheless, managing that injury remains the priority rather than throwing him into the competition despite his appearance in training over the last week.
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'The technical, medical and high performance staffs have done a series of evaluations this week on all the players in camp, and in the case of Sergiño we determined the best decision is for the player to have an individualized training program for the summer so he can focus on being fully recovered and ready to perform next season,' head coach Mauricio Pochettino said a statement.
Dest joins a long list of mainstays who are missing this Gold Cup, including Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, and Antonee Robinson for injuries or personal reasons; Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna also miss out, as their clubs' involvement in the Club World Cup precludes their international involvement. Josh Sargent was also omitted as a coach's decision. As such, Pochettino didn't have much work to do as he made the USMNT's final squad cuts.
Having initially called in a 27-man training squad that required a sole dismissal, Pochettino saw five players depart his camp. Goalkeepers Patrick Schulte (oblique) and Zack Steffen (knee) necessitated the late inclusion of 21-year-old Chris Brady. DeJuan Jones (lower body), Sean Zawadzki (knee) and Balogun (ankle) added to the departure list in defense and at striker.
Still, there are some mainstays of the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América rosters to headline the survivors. Matt Turner projects to start in goal, making up for lost action as he played just four times (three FA Cup starts, one Carabao Cup start) on loan with Crystal Palace. Tim Ream, Chris Richards and Walker Zimmerman provide tournament experience at center back. Brenden Aaronson, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre and Malik Tillman had squad roles in those recent tournaments, while Haji Wright is the sole goalscorer from either preceding major tournament to be on this Gold Cup squad.
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With all of their games on home soil, the USMNT will face Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia — an invited guest of Concacaf who made significant financial investment in the North and Central American confederation before its participation was confirmed — and Haiti in Group D. The top two teams from each of the four groups advance to a three-round knockout bracket.
The Gold Cup title has alternated between Mexico and the U.S. for every installment since 2011, when Mexico beat the U.S. in a second straight Gold Cup final, with the USMNT going on to win in 2013, 2017 and 2021. Given how the groups are configured, their rivalry could resume as soon as the quarterfinal stage if one team wins their group and the other finishes second. If both teams have an identical finish in the group, whether it's first or second, the bracket wouldn't put them together until a potential final.
As for some of the other intriguing elements on the final squad (full roster listed below):
Right back has remained a rotational role since Dest suffered his knee injury. Joe Scally started in his place at the Copa América, but a series of poor performances with the national team leave him off of this squad entirely. Nathan Harriel was the United States' starter at the 2024 Olympics, but 20-year-old Alex Freeman projects to be better suited to make Pochettino's lineup.
A homegrown product of Orlando City SC, Freeman has vaulted up prospect lists with a breakout first half to the 2025 season. The son of former Green Bay Packer wide receiver Antonio Freeman, he stands 6-foot-2 and has impressive and agile mobility for his stature. Among 57 MLS fullbacks and wingbacks who already have 500 minutes this season, Freeman ranks second with 27 chances created, averaging 2.88 chances per 100 touches of the ball. Despite his athleticism and skillset, Freeman has already displayed impressive positional awareness and seldom ventured too far from his post in Orlando's team shape.
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Freeman is already attracting European interest despite only becoming a regular first-division starter three months ago. He could be on a fast track to become Dest's understudy in time for the World Cup — and, depending on how Dest looks in his first full season back from injury, provide a worthy alternative at the position.
Seven players on this Gold Cup squad could stand to make their USMNT debut by the end of the group stage. Perhaps most notable is Sebastian Berhalter, with the defensive midfielder having seen his stock soar along with the entire Vancouver Whitecaps squad under first-year head coach Jesper Sørensen.
The son of Pochettino's predecessor in the role, Gregg Berhalter, the 24-year-old can play defensive midfield but sees himself as best fitting in a more advanced box-to-box role. He's got a knack for arriving late in the box to complete team attacking sequences that often involve him in their buildup, refining his first-touch shooting from just beyond 18 yards to give Vancouver another scoring threat beyond Brian White (who is among the strikers on this roster).
While he wasn't far enough in his development to garner consideration under his father, the work he's done with the Whitecaps makes him a deserving inclusion on Pochettino's squad.
'It's been my dream since I've been a kid, but I think it's something that I'm just taking one game at a time,' Berhalter told The Athletic in late April. 'Being around the national team so much — I think I've watched every recent game more than probably anyone else has. I just worry about winning games here and performing well.'
Here is the USMNT Gold Cup squad in full:
GOALKEEPERS: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
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MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)
FORWARDS: Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Damion Downs (FC Köln), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
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