United States Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter announced his 27-man training camp roster on Monday for their upcoming Copa America tuneup games against Colombia and Brazil.
Some of the players will be making a final push to get their names on the final roster for the summer tournament as several make their return to the team.
Josh Sargent makes his return after missing out on the Concacaf Nations League Final in March through injury. Since his last appearance for the team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he has been in sparkling form for Norwich City in the English Championship as he bagged 16 goals for the team in the just concluded season.
The forward will be looking to get some game time in with Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright also being brought in to see who will be the go-to guy at the center forward position.
One of the big concerns for the team has been who can fill in the right-back position in the absence of Sergino Dest as he is ruled out of the Copa America due to a torn ACL he suffered in training at PSV Eindhoven. Thus, Berhalter has brought in Shaq Moore from Nashville SC to see if he can provide cover.
Out of the 27 players on the roster, 18 were apart if the 2022 World Cup squad. A few will come into the camp with questions about their form such as the Matt Turner, Tim Ream, Gio Reyna, and Tyler Adams, who all have played sparingly over the past few months with their club teams.
On the other end, the U.S. will have a handful of players that have played spectacularly over the club season, and Berhalter will hope this carries over to the international stage. Christian Pulisic leads the way as he had an excellent first season with AC Milan in Serie A, scoring 15 goals in all competitions. Weston McKennie bounced back from a nightmarish time at Leeds United to help Juventus as he has recorded 10 assists for the Bianconeri.
Sargent and Wright did quite well for their respective teams in England, but the revelation of the European club season has been Johnny Cardoso. Since making the move to Real Betis in Spain’s La Liga from Internacional in Brazil in January, the defensive midfielder has shined and could certainly be among the starters in the center of the park should Adams, McKennie, or Yunus Musah be unavailable.
This will be without a doubt be an important summer for the U.S. as they see how they have progressed as a team with the 2026 World Cup two years away from being played on home soil along with co-host Canada and Mexico.
“This summer presents an opportunity for us to progress and grow as a team as we continue to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Berhalter said in a statement on the U.S. Soccer website. “We have a talented group of players and are excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world.”
The U.S. will first play against Colombia on June 8 at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland, followed by the game with Brazil on June 12 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
USMNT Roster
GOALKEEPERS: Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
DEFENDERS: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
MIDFIELDERS: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Timmy Tillman (LAFC)
FORWARDS: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
