USMNT Gold Cup squad: Intriguing inclusions, omissions from preliminary group

New York Times

19-05-2025

On Monday, Concacaf released the preliminary rosters for each nation participating in this summer's Gold Cup. Teams were allowed to list up to 60 players who would become eligible for the final 26-man squads, which must be finalized by no later than June 4.
Historically, the Gold Cup has often seen the U.S. men's national team field a rotated squad, mixing a few 'A-team' mainstays into an otherwise more youthful or prospective roster as a coach vets a wider portion of their player pool. With so few remaining competitive windows between now and the 2026 World Cup, however, Mauricio Pochettino's longlist includes more of the veteran core that established itself ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Here are the notables regarding who could participate in this summer's regional championship — as well as a few who are already deemed unavailable.
The Gold Cup will be one of two major men's international tournaments being played across the U.S. this summer. The other, the FIFA Club World Cup, is newly expanded to include 32 teams from around the world, including some with USMNT regulars who will now miss the Gold Cup altogether. FIFA has given priority to clubs over countries for those participating in the Club World Cup.
Weston McKennie and Tim Weah retained first-choice status as the U.S. transitioned from Gregg Berhalter to Pochettino, but both are omitted given Juventus' participation in the CWC. Borussia Dortmund's involvement also rules out Giovanni Reyna, although it's unclear if the 22-year-old midfielder will still be part of the German club's plans come this summer.
The Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami guarantee that MLS will have at least two participating clubs. This also keeps a handful of regular members of the USMNT pool unavailable, including a few 2022 World Cup veterans (Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan and Jesus Ferreira) as well as a few more recent additions (Benjamin Cremaschi, Drake Callender and Jackson Ragen).
The play-in match between Los Angeles FC and Club América could also impact two players listed on the preliminary list. Timothy Tillman is a regular midfielder for LAFC, while Alejandro Zendejas is among Liga MX's most in-form attackers over the past 12 months. Tillman (the elder brother of PSV star Malik Tillman) is already a longshot with so many central midfielders in contention, but Zendejas' club form may tempt Pochettino and his backroom as they survey options in attack.
There are some genuine areas of depth in the USMNT pool, as highlighted in the list. Some, like striker and central midfield, offer numerous players who could start at the international level.
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Concerningly, center back and goalkeeper are among the thinnest groups, a point exposed during the Nations League window in March.
In goal, Matt Turner may yet remain first-choice despite seldom featuring on a loan spell with FA Cup-winning Crystal Palace. Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte, Matt Freese and Chris Brady all start regularly for their MLS clubs. Steffen and Schulte issued mixed performances in their recent international starts, while Freese's cross-claiming is below league average for goalkeepers and Brady is often overworked by a porous Chicago Fire defense.
If Pochettino wants to kick the tires on an untested up-and-comer, he could select Diego Kochen. The 19-year-old started regularly for Barcelona B in 2024-25, while occasionally making the senior club's bench in La Liga and the Champions League. Born in Miami, Kochen has represented the U.S. through the U-19 level and may be the program's top prospect in goal.
That status looks even more secure given the omission of Gabriel Slonina, who was left off of Pochettino's 60-man list. The 21-year-old joined Chelsea in 2022 and his commitment to the USMNT over Poland came to great fanfare, but he struggled during a loan spell with League One side Barnsley this season and must rebuild his stock.
Pochettino selected just nine center backs, a relatively small number considering the bloated nature of this longlist. Many have already been vetted at this level, including all five regulars in Qatar: Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Walker Zimmerman — though it's worth noting that Zimmerman hasn't played for Nashville SC since suffering a concussion on April 5.
Auston Trusty and Miles Robinson have both established themselves as first-choice options for their clubs and offer viable alternatives to the holdovers. The final pair are among MLS's best defenders in the 2025 season: Tristan Blackmon of the Vancouver Whitecaps, and George Campbell of CF Montréal.
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Blackmon and Campbell are two of several players in MLS who have played their way into the pool with regular club involvement. That first-choice status goes a long way as a new coach quickly tries to survey his options ahead of a World Cup, and thrust Patrick Agyemang, Diego Luna and Brian White onto Pochettino's Nations League squad. All three remain in contention to crack the Gold Cup roster.
Also among the notables is Alex Freeman, the 20-year-old right back who has dazzled in his rookie season with Orlando City. At 6-foot-2, Freeman is a true two-way full back who arrives right after a lack of depth behind Sergiño Dest (who is available after missing the Copa América with a torn ACL) was exposed in his year-long absence. Max Arfsten and Sean Zawadzki previously earned call-ups thanks to their work with the Columbus Crew, and are among the 60 players available for the Gold Cup. Sebastian Berhalter and Jack McGlynn are two young midfielders who are vital parts of their MLS teams' engine rooms, and could be viable box-to-box options in McKennie's absence. Berhalter's inclusion, given he's the son of Pochettino's predecessor, carries some added significance.
Other notables from the domestic league include Luca De La Torre, restored amidst his loan to San Diego FC, versatile Emeka Eneli of Real Salt Lake, and dynamic attacking midfielder Quinn Sullivan of the East-leading Philadelphia Union.
A day after finishing off a stunning late surge to defend their Eredivisie title, PSV's American quartet learned of their summer status.
As expected, Tillman and Dest are up for selection, as Tillman tries to carve out an attacking midfield starting role under Pochettino while Dest returns from injury. Joining them is Richy Ledezma. The 24-year-old earned his only USMNT cap to date in 2020, but returns after spending much of the season playing right back for PSV. Concacaf lists Ledezma as a midfielder on this list, and his selection comes after some speculation if he'd make a one-time switch to represent Mexico. Whether he makes the final squad remains to be seen, but it's notable that he is not included on Mexico's preliminary squad.
Rounding out the group is the expected absence of Ricardo Pepi, whose season ended in late January with a knee injury against Liverpool. His omission opens the door for other strikers to make their cases, as Pepi was arguably the pool's most in-form forward up until his season's premature end.
The full 60-man preliminary list, assigned to position groups as listed by Concacaf:
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire); Matt Freese (New York City FC); Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona); Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew); Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids); Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
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Defenders: Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps); George Campbell (CF Montréal); Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic); Sergiño Dest (PSV); Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege); Alex Freeman (Orlando City); Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union); DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes); Kristoffer Hansen (Palermo); Mark McKenzie (Toulouse); Shaq Moore (Nashville SC); Tim Ream (Charlotte FC); Chris Richards (Crystal Palace); Antonee Robinson (Fulham); Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati); Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach); John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel); Auston Trusty (Celtic); Caleb Wiley (Chelsea); Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United); Paxten Aaronsen (Eintracht Frankfurt); Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth); Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew); Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps); Gianluca Busio (Venezia); Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis); Caden Clark (CF Montréal), Luca De La Torre (San Diego FC); Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Fürth); Emeka Eneli (Real Salt Lake); Brian Gutierrez (Chicago Fire); Richy Ledezma (PSV); Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake); Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo); Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids); Matko Miljevic (Huracan); Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough); Yunus Musah (AC Milan); Tanner Tessmann (Lyon); Timothy Tillman (Los Angeles FC); Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC); Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco); Damion Downs (FC Köln); Christian Pulisic (AC Milan); Josh Sargent (Norwich City); Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union); Malik Tillman (PSV); Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC); Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps); Haji Wright (Coventry City); Griffin Yow (Westerlo); Alex Zendejas (Club América)