AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Midfielder Weston McKennie, defender Antonee Robinson and goalkeeper Matt Turner returned to the U.S. national team for friendlies against Ecuador and Australia, as coach Mauricio Pochettino changed more than half his roster.
Pochettino also picked midfielder James Sands, who has not played for the U.S. since the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and midfielder Aidan Morris, who last appeared in October 2024.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers,
midfielder Tanner Tessmann, McKennie and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte were selected for the first time since March. Robinson, the first choice left back, has not played for the U.S. since November 2024 because of injuries.
“It’s a long, long time that we are not seeing him,” Pochettino said Tuesday. “It’s important that he can be with us.”
Turner, goalkeeper Chris Brady, defender Miles Robinson, midfielders Brenden Aaronson and Malik Tillman, and forwards Patrick Agyemang and Haji Wright are on the 26-man roster after missing last month’s friendlies against South Korea and Japan.
Pochettino has tried to shake up what he perceived as complacency when he arrived in October 2024.
“That is not because your name is one or another you are going to have (a) place, sure, in the roster for the World Cup,” he said. “That I think is an idea that we were fighting in the last year to try to fix, that change the culture or to change the division, change to idea of, OK, it’s because in the past I perform in some way or because I did well for a year ago, now I am invited to camp and use my place because that is my place.”
While 14 players were picked who missed last month’s games, 13 players were dropped: goalkeepers Roman Celentano and Jonathan Klinsmann; defenders Noahkai Banks, Tristan Blackmon, Sergiño Dest and Nathan Harriel; midfielders Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Luca de la Torre, Jack McGlynn and Sean Zawadzki; and forwards Damion Downs and Josh Sargent.
Adams, the U.S. captain at the 2022 World Cup, is a regular starter.
“He’s expecting with his wife to have a baby in the next few days,” Pochettino said. “That is why he’s not here.”
Dest, the first-choice right back, is injured, as are midfielders Johnny Cardoso and Gio Reyna, and forward Ricardo Pepi.
Midfielder Yunus Musah, who has seen limited playing time at Atalanta, also was omitted, as was defender Joe Scally, a regular starter for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Pochettino said he doesn’t give players explanations of why they weren’t selected.
“The players that were not called today, they need to be desperate to perform better and to do better and to improve,” Pochettino said. “And the players were called, need to arrive here and be desperate to perform, score goals, (make) saves, tackles, run more than the opponent and to convince us to have the possibility to call again.”
Pochettino praised Christian Pulisic, who has six goals in AC Milan’s first seven games this season. Pochettino had left Pulisic off the roster for a pair of June friendlies because Pulisic wanted to take time off instead of playing the Gold Cup.
“He is the most important player now for the national team, that is performing and is playing under big pressure,” Pochettino said. “He needs to perform every single week and every single game in a place like Milan, and he’s doing well.”
The U.S. plays Ecuador on Oct. 10 in Austin and faces Australia four days later at Commerce City, Colorado.
Pochettino then will have just four more friendlies before calling in players for a pre-World Cup training camp, against Paraguay and Uruguay in November plus a pair of matches in March.
Health and stamina at the World Cup are factors in Pochettino’s decisions.
“We call players with the possibility that every three days they can perform again,” he said. “We are seeing that too many players that can be involved with us, that they cannot play two games or three games in a week.”
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago), Matt Freese (New York City), Patrick Schulte (Columbus), Matt Turner (New England)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Glasgow Celtic), Alex Freeman (Orlando), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati)
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Diego Luna (Salt Lake), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), James Sands (St. Pauli), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Derby), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alex Zendejas (América)
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