The USMNT returns this month, and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has finalized the 23-player roster for the U.S. training camp, gearing up for the highly-anticipated matches against Germany, the four-time World Cup champions, and Ghana, an African powerhouse.
Training sessions will kick off in Nashville on the eighth of October as players start reporting for duty.
Perhaps most notably, Gio Reyna is set to rejoin the team for the first time since the 2022 FIFA World Cup under Berhalter’s management. It was during that World Cup that Berhalter’s decision to keep Reyna on the bench for most of the tournament led to chaos, marking the most significant scandal in US Soccer in at least a decade.
Reyna has been sidelined for some time due to a leg injury sustained during the CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada in June, only returning to the Dortmund bench in recent weeks. This injury also kept him from participating in the September camp, but he is eager to reconcile with his coach and make a strong return.
Berhalter has included key figures like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Sergiño Dest, Yunus Musah, Tim Ream, and Folarin Balogun in the squad, recognizing their impressive performances in the early stages of their European campaigns. Additionally, promising talents Kevin Paredes and Kristoffer Lund maintain their spots after their September call-up.
Nineteen players who participated in last month’s friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman have been called back, with notable names like Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi, Brenden Aaronson, Malik Tillman, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, and Luca de la Torre among them.
Berhalter has chosen only two goalkeepers, both from Premier League club Nottingham Forest: established starter Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath, who was recently demoted by Forest and is currently inactive.
Injuries persist for World Cup captain Tyler Adams and forward Josh Sargent. Apart from those two, the most critical absence is Antonee Robinson, and as of now, the reason remains undisclosed. We can only speculate that it might be due to a minor injury sustained at Fulham.
Johnny Cardoso makes a return to the squad after being replaced in last month’s camp due to an injury. Joe Scally returns after his permission to be dismissed in last month’s camp due to family reasons. His replacement from the September camp, DeJuan Jones has also been named by Berhalter.
Cameron Carter-Vickers makes his return to the national team after recovering from a lengthy hamstring injury for Celtic’s midweek Champions League loss to Lazio.
The lone fresh addition is Lennard Maloney, a 23-year-old midfielder from Heidenheim. The defensive midfielder, who holds dual German-American nationality, has played in all six Bundesliga matches for his recently promoted team this season.
The upcoming matches against Germany (October 14th) and Ghana (October 17th) hold significant importance for the USMNT as they pave the way for the Copa America next summer. While the U.S. secured convincing victories against Uzbekistan and Oman in the previous window, the October friendlies provide an invaluable opportunity to face two formidable opponents in preparation for Copa America next summer against South America’s top teams.
USMNT ROSTER FOR OCTOBER FRIENDLIES (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)
GOALKEEPERS (2): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 9/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 33/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 12/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/2), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 7/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 2/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 52/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 12/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 26/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 6/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 7/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 17/0), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim/GER; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 46/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 29/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 20/4), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED;6/0)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 34/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 4/2), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 1/0), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 18/9), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 62/26), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 33/5)
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