As next year’s World Cup approaches, Mauricio Pochettino called a roster of 25 players for his first competitive matches as coach of the men’s national soccer team on Sunday.
The United States will face Jamaica in two CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, the first on Thursday in Kingston and the second on November 18 in St. Louis. The winner of the home-and-away playoff will advance to the final four of the tournament in March at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The United States won the first three Nations League tournaments under Gregg Berhalter, sacked as coach in July after his team was kicked out of the Copa América in the group stage.
Eight of the players summoned by Pochettino to the training camp in Orlando, Florida, have just played this month in the UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious club tournament in the world. Among them is striker Christian Pulisic, who has five goals and three assists for AC Milan in Serie A matches this season.
Key among the omissions was midfielder Tyler Adams, who has suffered a series of injuries over the past two years. Adams, 25, returned to the starting lineup at the weekend for Bournemouth, his club team in the English Premier League, but Pochettino said the former US captain was not yet ready to play for the team American national.
“I consider him a very important player for the future of this team,” Pochettino told reporters in a conference call on Sunday. “But the most important thing now is to see the progression.”
“I would like to have him here because I think he is an important player for us,” added the coach. “But at the same time, we have to prioritize building his race and his course. And I think that’s what’s best for him.
Josh Sargent (groin surgery), Folarin Balogun (shoulder), Haji Wright (ankle), Sergiño Dest (ACL), Gio Reyna (groin) and Luca De La Torre (knee) are also unavailable due to injuries.
Three players returning from injury – defender Chris Richards, midfielder Johnny Cardoso and forward Tim Weah – will rejoin the team this week, although Weah will not participate in Thursday’s match due to a card suspension red postponed from the Copa América. Weah’s Juventus teammate Weston McKennie is also on the US list.
The 25 players come from clubs in nine countries, including all five of Europe’s major leagues. Twenty men were part of Pochettino’s first camp as coach last month when the United States split their two matches, beating Panama in Austin before losing to Mexico in Guadalajara.
The list:
Goalkeepers: Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona Athletic), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace).
Defenders: Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic).
Midfield: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venice), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique de Lyon), Malik Tillman ( PSV Eindhoven).
Advantages: Cade Cowell (Guadalajara), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey), Tim Weah (Juventus), Alex Zendejas (Club América).
