McKennie is Again and Jedi Returns: Pochettino Reveals U.S. Males’s Crew Squad

Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

Last month, after U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino summoned a squad half-filled with MLS players for 2026 World Cup tuneups versus Japan and South Korea, he suggested that his next two rosters would feature more of the European-based regulars.

Pochettino made good on his word on Thursday, recalling Juventus’ Weston McKennie, Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann, Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers and Toulouse’s Mark McKenzie for the first time since March.

With the MLS Cup playoffs set to start later this month, only 10 of the 26 players summoned for the two upcoming friendlies against Ecuador on Oct. 10 and Australia on Oct. 14 hail from MLS teams.

Star man Christian Pulisic, who assisted within the 2-0 win over Japan, returns in maybe one of the best type of his profession. The 27-year-old AC Milan star presently leads Italy’s Serie A in each targets and assists. 

Tim Weah is on the roster, too, as is all-world left again Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, U.S. Soccer’s male athlete of 2024 who has not performed for the nationwide group since November due to damage.

Pochettino additionally introduced again Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris for the primary time in a yr. Fellow defensive midfielder James Sands, on mortgage at Bundesliga facet St. Pauli from New York Metropolis FC, will get the nod as nicely for the primary time since Pochettino was employed in September 2024. 

Veteran goalkeeper Matt Turner, who began all 4 video games for the Individuals on the 2022 World Cup, returns after being omitted in September following his mortgage from Lyon to former membership New England Revolution. 

Brenden Aaronson, barely used in the course of the Concacaf Gold Cup final summer season, additionally will get the callup. Aaronson has carved out a beginning position with Premier League membership Leeds United this season.

Among the many gamers unnoticed embrace Johnny Cardoso, Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi (all three are coping with accidents), in addition to Giovanni Reyna and World Cup 2022 captain Tyler Adams.

Pochettino will clarify the reasoning for Adams’ omission throughout a video convention with reporters on Thursday, in accordance with a USMNT spokesperson. The coach will communicate from Austin, the place on Wednesday he watched Nashville SC beat the house facet to win the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Australia and Ecuador are each ranked within the Prime 25 of FIFA’s world rating. The 2 nations have additionally already certified for subsequent summer season’s 48-team soccer extravaganza, which can be co-hosted by the U.S. Canada and Mexico.

The total U.S. roster is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Chicago Hearth; Matt Freese, NYCFC; Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew; Matt Turner, New England

Defenders: Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew; Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic (Scotland); Alex Freeman, Orlando Metropolis; Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse (France); Tim Ream, Charlotte; Chris Richards, Crystal Palace (England); Antonee Robinson, Fulham (England); Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Leeds (England); Diego Luna (Actual Salt Lake; Weston McKennie, Juventus (Italy); Aidan Morris, Middlesbrough (England); Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders; James Sands, St. Pauli (Germany); Tanner Tessmann; Lyon (France); Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) 

Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Derby County (England); Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco (France); Christian Pulisic, AC Milan (Italy); Tim Weah, Marseille (France); Haji Wright, Coventry Metropolis (England); Alex Zendejas, Membership América (Mexico) 

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities who has lined United States males’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Comply with him @ByDougMcIntyre.

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