Soccer
The U.S. men’s national team’s FIFA World Cup roster has been revealed.
Gio Reyna, Chris Richards, and Alex Zendejas were among the 26 players named to Mauricio Pochettino’s roster, U.S. Soccer announced in a FOX broadcast on Tuesday. A total of 13 of the 26 players on the roster were part of the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup roster in Qatar including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Matt Freese.
Richards, who missed Crystal Palace’s Premier League finale on Sunday, could return for the UEFA Conference League Final on Wednesday before joining up with the USMNT for final pre-World Cup tuneups against Senegal (May 31) and Germany (June 6).
“We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “These were very difficult decisions, and we are thankful to all the players who were part of this journey. This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud.”
Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and the aforementioned Wright will all compete for minutes at the No. 9 position after delivering positive club seasons. Balogun and Pepi both scored 19 goals apiece for Monaco and PSV respectively while Wright tallied 18 at Coventry City, helping the Sky Blues seal Premier League promotion for the first time in 25 years.
Wright scored for the USMNT at Qatar 2022, finding the back of the net once in the Round of 16 defeat to the Netherlands.
Among the players not named to the final roster were Real Salt Lake attackers Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo, Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris, Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann, and Atletico Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso. Cardoso underwent ankle surgery earlier this month, forcing him to miss Atletico’s remaining matches.
Augsburg defender Noahkai Banks was also left off the roster, despite previously being called up last September. Banks, who is also eligible for Germany, made only three appearances for Augsburg since March 1.
Per FIFA, Final rosters will not be considered official until June 2, allowing national teams the opportunity to make changes as needed until then.
A player in the final squad may only be replaced by a player from the provisional roster in the event of a serious injury or illness, no later than 24 hours before their team’s first match at the World Cup. In addition, a goalkeeper in the final squad may be replaced by another goalkeeper from the provisional squad in the event of a serious injury or illness at any time during the tournament.
The USMNT will take on Paraguay in their Group D opener on June 12 (Inglewood, Cali.) before facing Australia on June 19 (Seattle, Wash.) and Turkey on June 25 (Inglewood, Cali.).
Here is the full USMNT World Cup roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0; Naperville, Ill.), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 14/0; Wayne, Pa.), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 53/0; Park Ridge, N.J.)
DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 18/1; Fresno, Calif.), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 37/2; Almere, Netherlands), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 15/2; Plantation, Fla.), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 27/0; Bear, Del.), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 80/1; St. Louis, Mo.), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 36/3; Birmingham, Ala.), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 52/4; Liverpool, England), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3; Arlington, Mass.), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 24/0; Lake Grove, N.Y.), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 6/0; Media, Pa.)
MIDFIELDERS: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth/ENG; 52/2; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps; 11/1; Columbus, Ohio), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 64/12; Little Elm, Texas), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 36/9; Bedford, N.Y.), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 45/0; Pico Rivera, Calif.), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 28/3; Fürth, Germany)
FORWARDS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 57/9; Medford, N.J.), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 25/8; London, England), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 35/13; El Paso, Texas), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 84/32; Hershey, Pa.), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 49/7; Rosedale, N.Y.), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 20/7; Los Angeles, Calif.). Alejandro Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 13/2; El Paso, Texas)
Read MoreLarry Henry Jr