USMNT names Gold Cup training squad without Christian Pulisic and other stars
The US men's national team's pre-Gold Cup training camp roster does not include many of the team's biggest stars, including Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Antonee Robinson.
Some of the above absences were expected, as McKennie and Reyna will each be with their clubs as they compete in the Club World Cup, which takes place at the same time as the Gold Cup and for which Fifa has given clubs priority over national teams.
The absences of Pulisic, Musah, and Robinson are relative surprises, however. Pulisic, the US's best player and often the team's captain, is coming off the best club season of his career with Milan. However, that season has involved him playing 49 games in all competitions so far, with that total likely to reach 50 for the second consecutive year with an appearance in Milan's Serie A finale v Monza. An extended break over this summer would be Pulisic's first since 2023.
'Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break,' US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement provided to media. 'After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.'
Robinson, meanwhile, is also coming off a heavy workload, playing full 90s in the vast majority of Fulham's games this season, in which he provided 10 assists from left back. He announced on Instagram in March that he has been dealing with tendinopathy, an overuse injury, for most of the last part of the season.
In place of the above are a collection of newcomers and less-experienced players that will seek to make an impression on head coach Muaricio Pochettino in the United States' final tournament competition before next year's World Cup on home soil. In terms of name recognition, the biggest among the inclusions is Sebastian Berhalter, the son of former US head coach Gregg Berhalter. The younger Berhalter has enjoyed a fine start to the MLS season, helping the Vancouver Whitecaps to an MLS-best start along with a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final.
Also included are Orlando City's standout right back Alex Freeman (son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman), FC Köln striker Damion Downs, and Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan. All of the above will be joining a US camp for the first time in their careers.
The roster is also notable for the inclusion of Sergiño Dest for the first time under Pochettino. Dest has only recently made his return to game action for PSV after time away due to an ACL tear. He will be the most experienced defender in the US camp aside from 37-year-old Tim Ream.
Also included after some time away are striker Folarin Balogun and midfielder Luca de la Torre, neither of whom had gotten the call to a US camp since September 2024. Fans will also be interested to see how midfielder Diego Luna fits in after some head-turning performances under Pochettino, starting in the Argentine's first camps as US head coach.
The training camp roster consists of 27 players, with Gold Cup regulations requiring a final roster size of between 23 and 26 players with at least three goalkeepers. In sum, that means at least one and up to four players will be trimmed from this list ahead of the June 4 deadline.
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The full squad is below:
Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
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), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Folarin Balogun (Monaco); Damion Downs (FC Köln), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
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