Currently in-form New York City FC keeper Sean Johnson has been added to the roster of players currently gathering in Cincinnati, replacing Zack Steffen.
US Soccer announced the roster change on Friday afternoon, confirming that Steffen’s absence was for personal, rather than health reasons.
“U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter has added goalkeeper Sean Johnson to the training camp roster to prepare for June friendlies and the start of its CONCACAF Nations League title defense,” US Soccer announced on their website.
“The BioSteel USMNT Training Camp roster will begin reporting to camp in Cincinnati this weekend. Johnson replaces Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who has had to withdraw from camp for family reasons.”
Johnson’s omission from the original 27-man roster was perhaps a minor surprise, as he is currently the most in-form American keeper who is seeing minutes on the field. Johnson heads into the camp on the heels of five consecutive shut-outs for NYCFC.
Nevertheless, he was passed over in the role of third keeper in favor of Ethan Horvath, who has struggled for playing time at Nottingham in the English second tier.
While spending most of the season on Manchester City’s bench, Steffen has struggled with a recurring back problem during the last year, having missed several national team games as well as key opportunities at his club. His withdrawal from the camp likely solidifies Matt Turner’s position as the starting keeper for Gregg Berhalter for the time being.
The Americans kick off their quartet of games on June 1 against Morocco in TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.