Following a disappointing Nations League, GOAL projects which players could be on the USMNT roster for the Gold Cup
With the release this week of the USMNT's 60-man preliminary list, we have a general idea of what Mauricio Pochettino's Gold Cup squad will look like. As important, we know who won't be on it.
Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna's exclusions were no surprise. All three are bound for the Club World Cup, although that may change depending on Reyna's club future. Ricardo Pepi's exclusion was expected, as the PSV star continues to recover from the injury that knocked him out of action in the winter.
That leaves several positions up for grabs, particularly with starters McKennie and Weah absent.
For the first time since 2019, the USMNT looks set to bring a full-strength squad to the Gold Cup. That is by necessity. After a dreadful two-game CONCACAF Nations League set in March, and with a World Cup just more than a year away, Pochettino needs to fine-tune this team – and do it quickly.
All indications are that the U.S. will be taking this summer's tournament very seriously, which means the team's top players are expected to be involved. The stars need to be aligned, literally. Christian Pulisic has participated in this tournament just once, playing back in 2019, but he and other European-based stars look set to be in the squad.
In the modern-day Gold Cup, the U.S. are the second-most successful team, only trailing Mexico in terms of titles with seven to El Tri's nine. They have qualified for every edition of the competition since 1991, and won most recently in 2021.
Pochettino is expected to cut that 60-man list down this week, ahead of the Gold Cup, where he'll have to have a 26-player squad. There are two friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland to consider, too, ahead of the Gold Cup kickoff.
Who will be on that final squad? Which players are on the outside looking in? Which players can Pochettino count on and what tough decisions will the USMNT boss have to make?
GOAL projects the USMNT's 2025 Gold Cup roster.
GettyGOALKEEPERS
GOAL's picks: Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen, Matt Turner
Despite his lack of minutes at the club level, Turner will be in the squad. But that doesn't mean there aren't very real questions around this goalkeeper race. Is he still the starter? Does Pochettino rotate? Could he perhaps turn to someone else entirely?
Schulte and Steffen have been the players who have competed regularly in camp, so it seems likely they'll be the two pushing Turner throughout the Gold Cup. Both remain key figures for their teams in MLS and, after the Nations League results, both will have legitimate hopes of getting time during this summer's tournament.
As for the other three, Kochen is an intriguing prospect and could very well be the ceremonial young third goalkeeper at next summer's World Cup. But right now, there's a starting job to win. The same can be said for Brady. Freese, meanwhile, has the opposite issue – being a bit older with less USMNT experience.
Of the three, he seems the most likely to leapfrog into this group and compete right now, but it seems there's ground between him and the other two MLS stars.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesDEFENDERS
GOAL's picks: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sergino Dest, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, John Tolkin, Auston Trusty
Starting with the center-backs, Pochettino has some tough decisions to make. Richards is totally locked in at this point, but there are still open questions about his partner. There are multiple players vying for that role, and this summer will go a long way towards figuring it out.
Pochettino needs to give several players long looks. Carter-Vickers, McKenzie and Trusty are the highest on the depth chart, and all of them have something to prove. Ream, meanwhile, has little to prove and could return in the fall if none of those three make the most of this opportunity.
At right-back, Dest is back, although he may need to be eased back in. PSV did that after his injury return, and he did go a full 90 minutes in their season finale. If he needs more recovery time, Scally has proven more than capable in the year since Dest originally went down with that ankle injury.
Antonee Robinson returns at left-back, so no questions there. Scally is a potential backup there, but Pochettino will likely call in another. Tolkin and Wiley both have made good cases, but we'll give the Holstein Kiel defender the nod after his impressive start in Germany, despite his club's relegation.
Getty ImagesMIDFIELDERS
GOAL's picks: Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Diego Luna, Aidan Morris, Yunus Musah, Tanner Tessmann, Malik Tillman
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No McKennie and no Reyna, so there are opportunities to be taken. We'll start with the No. 10, which will surely be a position of focus. Both Luna and Tillman have made their cases to start, and whichever doesn't will likely head to minutes on the wing. Brenden Aaronson is in the mix as a 10, a winger or even as a No. 8, although it could very well be his younger brother, Paxten, that makes the squad after his breakthrough in the Eredivisie.
For the deeper-lying midfielders, Adams is a lock, of course, while Cardoso deserves an extended run with McKennie out. Musah provides depth all over the field, while Tessmann and Morris have both taken leaps with their clubs.
Finally, there's Berhalter, who is the real wild card. On form alone, he deserves to be here and could sneak in, given his heroics with the Vancouver Whitecaps. If not him, look out for McGlynn or Busio to take that spot.
ImagnFORWARDS
GOAL's picks: Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent, Brian White, Haji Wright, Alejandro Zendejas
Wingers are a real concern, particularly without Weah. Leading the way, obviously, is Pulisic, who will start on one side and play as many minutes as possible. On the other? Pochettino could turn to Wright or Zendejas, both of whom have shown a goalscoring touch on the club level. Midfielders Aaronson, Luna, Tillman or Musah could also plug that gap, so there's depth to this group.
At striker, Balogun is back and will likely get plenty of minutes in his first Pochettino-led camp. Sargent will have a lot to prove after a rough CONCACAF Nations League. For the third spot, If we're going on goals, the edge goes to White, as the Whitecaps star continues to light up MLS.