United States Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has named his 22-man roster for the upcoming friendly games against South Korea and Japan, with several surprises highlighting a mix of MLS- and European-based players.
With nothing but exhibition games remaining before the World Cup kicks off next summer, it is expected that Pochettino will spend the next few international windows settling on his final core of players. However, if the current roster is any indication, the Argentinean is still casting a rather wide net to explore the options.
Compared to the 26-man squad that finished runners-up at last summer’s Gold Cup, several notable stars of the team who took the summer off for various reasons do return.
The crop of five forwards includes Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Josh Sargent, all of whom were conspicuously absent in the summer, but are returning after successfully navigating the starts to their domestic seasons in Europe. Sargent has been on a tear in the English second tier, netting four goals in four games across league and cup.
Mexico-based Alex Zendejas also returns to the front-line options after a long break, his last caps coming last November in the Nations League quarterfinals against Jamaica. The only holdover from summer is Southampton’s Damion Downs, who has had a slow start so far in the new season, but keeps his place regardless.
In the midfield, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna and Jack McGlynn all retain their spots after apparently impressing the coach during the summer. The only new addition amongst the six listed players at the position is Columbus Crew’s Sean Zawadzki, who will be looking for his first cap since his debut in the 2024 Camp Cupcake friendly against Slovenia.
In the defense, there are few major surprises, with ageless Tim Ream and budding Premiership star Chris Richards leading the bunch. American fans will be happy to see Sergiño Dest return for what should be his first USMNT appearance since March, 2024. Injuries have been an issue in the time since, however he has started the 2025-26 season at PSV Eindhoven on fire, proving to be one of the Eredivisie’s better players.
Two defenders will be looking to make their debuts: Augsburg’s Noahkai Banks is a promising 18 year-old central defender that could eventually push for a spot on the field alongside Richards, while Tristan Blackmon comes with significantly less hype as a 29 year-old prospective debutant.
The biggest jaw-dropping surprises were saved for the keeper position, where Pochettino is still scrambling to define his priority list.
This time around, the name that will stand out the most is that of Jonathan Klinsmann, son of former USMNT coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Playing at Italian Serie B club Cesena, Klinsmann the younger claimed the team’s starting spot during last season, and has been a solid presence, albeit outside of the top division. He recently turned some heads by saving a pair of spot kicks in Cesena’s penalty shootout loss in the Coppa Italia.
In addition, FC Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano will also be looking to make his debut after several years of being a solid performer in MLS. He was a part of the 2023 Camp Cupcake roster, but was not used in the friendlies against Serbia and Colombia.
Matt Freese is in the position of being the veteran of the bunch with his seven caps, and could still see the majority of the action after being Pochettino’s starter in the Gold Cup.
Perhaps the most notable aspects of the roster were the names that did not appear, as several assumed key players and favorite fringe cases were left off. Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah are absent, although it is anybody’s guess whether it is due to their lack of significant playing time in the new season, a sign that their respective summer sojourns still rankle the coach, or if they are being left in Europe with a view towards impending transfers.
Haji Wright is the most glaring omission from the group of forwards considering his blazing hot start in the English Championship for Coventry. While it is assumed that Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun will work their way back into the team in the coming months, it is good that both were left with their club teams as they are both returning from several injury-hit months.
Johnny Cardoso and Malik Tillman were likely left off the roster to allow the players to spend more time with their new teams, Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively.
After settling back in MLS with his old team New England, Matt Turner’s omission does come as somewhat of a surprise, although his lack of use in the Gold Cup could signal that Pochettino is simply ready to look elsewhere.
The players will begin to gather on Sunday in New Jersey for the extended camp. They will face South Korea in the same state in Harrison’s Sports Illustrated Arena, formerly Red Bull Arena, on Saturday, September 6, followed by a trip to Columbus, Ohio to face Japan in the Lower.com Field.
Detailed Roster by Position (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 7/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 10/1), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg/GER; 0/0), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 7/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 1/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 74/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 31/3)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 6/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 31/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 12/3), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 11/2), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)
FORWARDS (5): Damion Downs (Southampton/ENG; 5/0), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 78/32) Josh Sargent (Norwich/ENG; 28/5), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 44/7), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 11/1)
