Upcoming Friendly Matches
On Thursday, Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States men’s national soccer team, unveiled a 25-player roster ahead of two upcoming friendly matches: one against Paraguay in Chester, Pennsylvania on November 15, and another against Uruguay in Tampa on November 18.
Roster Highlights
This selection sees the welcome return of Borussia Mönchengladbach athletes Giovanni Reyna and Joe Scally, alongside PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi. However, the roster notably lacks several key players, as Juventus’ Weston McKennie, AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic, and Marseille’s Tim Weah will not be participating due to injuries.
Pulisic has been grappling with a hamstring issue sustained during a previous international break, while Weah is recovering from a thigh injury he incurred on October 25. The reason for McKennie’s omission remains unclear, even as he has recently participated in a match against Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League.
Fitness Concerns and Opportunities
The squad’s fitness concerns are exacerbated by other absences, notably Fulham’s Antonee Robinson and Club América’s Alejandro Zendejas. Despite this, Reyna and Scally’s inclusion marks their first return since the 2025 Concacaf Nations League finals held in March. Reyna has also transitioned to Borussia Mönchengladbach from Borussia Dortmund and recently featured in Gladbach’s recent 4-0 win against St. Pauli, their inaugural victory of the season.
Given the injuries to McKennie, Pulisic, Weah, and Zendejas, there may be increased opportunities for Reyna to showcase his skills on the pitch.
Pepi, making his first appearance for the national team since November 2024, brings momentum as he recently scored a crucial equalizer for PSV in a 1-1 Champions League draw against Olympiacos. Alongside him, AS Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, who also netted a goal in the Champions League this week, and Coventry City’s Haji Wright will be competing for forward positions. Notably, Auston Trusty of Celtic is making his return to the fold after 2024, having benefited from injuries affecting fellow defenders.
Training Camp and Roster Breakdown
Players are expected to start arriving at the training camp in Philadelphia on November 9. Below is the roster categorized by position:
Goalkeepers (4)
- Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0 caps / 0 goals)
- Matt Freese (New York City FC; 11/0)
- Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0)
- Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0)
Defenders (9)
- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 14/1)
- Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 35/2)
- Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 11/0)
- Mark McKenzie (Toulouse FC/FRA; 24/0)
- Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 78/1)
- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 37/3)
- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 21/0)
- John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel/GER; 4/0)
- Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 4/0)
Midfielders (7)
- Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 52/2)
- Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 7/0)
- Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 11/0)
- Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 32/8)
- Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 41/0)
- Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 10/0)
- Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)
Forwards (5)
- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 54/9)
- Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 27/7)
- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 16/3)
- Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/13)
- Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 19/7)
