Chelsea in front of Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennieand Leeds United duo of Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams be among those chosen for USA the list of 26 players of the men’s national team before the series of friendlies before the final World Cup.
America will play Japan in Dusseldorf, Germany, on September 23, with a match against Saudi Arabia scheduled in Murcia, Spain, four days later. The team will gather in Cologne for the first day of training on September 19.
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The United States opens the World Cup on November 21 with Waleswith matches with England and Iran to follow.
“It’s important to note that this is not the final lineup,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said in a session available on virtual media Wednesday. “This is not the final squad for the World Cup. A lot can happen between now and November 9, which is when we announce the final squad.
“It’s the conversation I’ve had with the players who didn’t get picked in this camp that a lot of things can happen. Some positions, we’re looking to gauge some that we don’t have enough of. The other players are just not”t selected. “
As this is the last time Berhalter will see his players until the team face Qatar, the players’ absences are also notable. Union Berlin in front of Jordan Pefokwho has three goals and two assists so far this season, are among the shortfalls.
While he had to deal with a muscle injury at the weekend, he scored 75 minutes in last weekend’s 1-0 win. FC Cologne brought Berlin to the top of the Bundesliga.
“About Jordan, it’s been a tough one,” Berhalter said. “It was a decision we weren’t going to bring in four strikers. We felt we didn’t have enough game time to give four strikers a chance. So we went with these three, and we’re pretty confident We know Jordan’s Profile We know what he can do We don’t feel the need to see him in this camp to determine if he might be on the list or not. “
Fulham back left Antonee Robinson was also disqualified due to an ankle injury he received in the previous 1-2 loss Tottenham Hotspur back on September 3. His place on the list is guaranteed if he’s healthy. Injury is also prevented Lille midfielder Timothy Weah not participate.
Defender John Brooks is another shortcoming. Long on the outside looking in, and despite his playing pedigree dating back to many years in the Bundesliga, Brooks has yet to score any minutes for the new club. Benfica.
Even in the absence of Pefok, the competition for the striker position is still very fierce.
Norwich City forward Joshua Sargent was rewarded for his stellar start to the season in the English Championship, one of which he scored five goals in eight league appearances. He was called up to the squad for the first time since the first round of World Cup qualifiers in September 2021.
Ricardo Pepi got a surprise callback, his first since the World Cup qualifying window held in March 2021. Pepi had endured a barren time in front of goal, having failed to score. as of October 2021.
But Pepi contributed an assist for the new club FC Groningen in the 1-0 win last weekend Cambodia and is therefore included.
Pepi and Sargent are joined by FC Dallas in front of Jesus Ferreirawho scored his 18th goal of the season in Saturday’s 2-1 win LAFC. It means FC Cincinnati‘S Brandon Vazquez and Antalyaspor‘S Haji Wrightboth are in good form for their respective clubs, miss.
“When you talk about someone like Ricardo [Pepi]Berhalter explained, who scored three goals in qualifying, played in several World Cup qualifiers with us. , finally, has been around for a while.
“The decision was made to give these guys a chance. I feel bad for Brandon [Vazquez]. I talked to him, and I told him it wasn’t over yet and just keep doing what he’s doing and keep yourself in the conversation. That’s all I could do. “
The goalkeeper position is another position that has been late in interest, due to the lack of first minutes played by some team members.
A knee injury for Middlesbrough’s Zack Steffen saw him miss four games in a row and would prevent him from appearing for the Americans. Arsenal Goalie Matt TurnerThe town of Luton’s Ethan Horvath and New York City FC‘S Sean Johnson will compete for a few minutes in the upcoming window.
“Matt Turner, I don’t expect fitness to be an issue,” Berhalter said of the former New England Revolution the goalkeeper has only made one appearance for Arsenal since joining the Premier League club this summer. “Maybe a little rhythm and rust can do the trick.
“I think for Zack [Steffen]it’s catching up, it’s practicing with him,” Berhalter added. “He’s lost a considerable amount of time, and for him, I think that’s important – and this is the conversation I had with him. he – is to stay in his everyday environment, work every day to get back on the field. “
Berhalter also revealed that he has been in contact with the dual national midfielder Alejandro Zendejas. The Club America player who represented the United States at youth level before appearing in two senior friendlies for Mexicoeven though Questions have been raised about his eligibilityas he has not signed a one-time official conversion contract with FIFA to represent El Tri.
“This is a guy in our youth programs,” says Berhalter. “So when you ask if he’s in our sights, he’s on our radar and he’s a guy who’s been in the youth national teams and has matured in [U.S.] youth football system.
“We’ve tracked him, we’ve tracked him. I’ve actually talked to him on the phone, and he’s in good shape. So we’ll continue to monitor him. him in the next few months.”
ROSTER DETAILS BY LOCATION (CLUB / COUNTRY; CAPITAL / TARGET)
TARGET PARTICIPANTS (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town / ENG; 8/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 10/0), Matt Turner (Arsenal / ENG; 18/0)
PROBLEM (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista/ POR; 27/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/ SCO; 11/0), Sergino Dest (AC Milan/ ITA; 17/2), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 27/3), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ ENGLISH; 8/0), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach / GER; 2/0), Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp / BEL; 8/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 74/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 31/3)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; February 52), Tyler Adams (Leeds United / ENG; January 30), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 11/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus / ITA; September 35), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 19/0), Malik Tillman (Rangers/ SCO; 2/0)
INSTRUCTIONS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United / ENG; June 22), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; October 47), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; July 13), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 11/48), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen / NED; 11/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea / ENG; 51/21), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; April 12), Josh Sargent (Norwich City / ENG; March 19)
