Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie will return to the U.S. national team for the first time since the World Cup, joining a young squad that played four friendlies earlier this fall.
Dropped from the previous list because they have just recovered from injuries – and because coach Mauricio Pochettino wants to take a serious look at young players – the three veterans were among the 25 players called up for Wednesday’s CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Haiti.
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Camp opens Monday at the national training center outside Atlanta, followed by games in Miami on Nov. 14 and Cincinnati on Nov. 17.
It will be the high-profile trio’s first action since the World Cup round of 16 loss to Belgium – a match in which Balog was allowed to play despite receiving a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous round. Pulisic was also in the spotlight in Seattle that afternoon and left early with what was later diagnosed as microfracture of his tibia and fibula.
Pulisic, who returned to full fitness last weekend, scored the opener in AC Milan’s 3-1 win over rivals Inter Milan, and Balogun scored his first goal since the World Cup in Monaco’s 3-1 loss to Paris FC.
Pochettino called up 19 players for the September-October camp, which featured home wins over Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada.
Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie return to the US men’s national team for the first time since the World Cup.
(Alex Grimm via Getty Images)
In addition to Pulisic, Balogun and McKennie, three other additions this month were surprises: Nashville’s Reed Baker-Whiting, a 21-year-old left back, and Santiago Castañeda, a 21-year-old midfielder from Paderborn, were invited to their first senior camp, and Reynes, a B-5 back, will try to make his first U.S. cap since 2023.
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The senior camp will take place at the same time as the Under-23 team begins preparations for the 2028 Olympics with overseas camps and friendlies. (The national training center also has an under-20 camp.)
Pochettino fielded dozens of Olympic-eligible players for the major competitions between September and October, and for the Haiti matches he decided to keep seven of them, including teenage strikers Kavan Sullivan, Julian Hall and Justin Ellis.
Others are expected to attend youth camps. List details will be announced this week.
“We are delighted to bring this group together at the start of our journey in this important competition,” Pochettino said in a written statement. “These players are competing and our main goal is to win the tournament and advance.”
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Pochettino is expected to speak at length about the list on Wednesday morning.
AC Milan’s midfielder Yunus Musa is the most notable absence among the September-October campers. Pochettino also refused to bring back World Cup members such as winger Tim Weah, striker Brenden Aaronson, centre-back Mark McKenzie, right-back Joe Scally and goalkeeper Matt Turner.
World Cup striker Ricardo Pepi was also not selected and had a goal and an assist for PSV Eindhoven last weekend, although he is still working his way back from the injury that cost him a place in the latest US camp.
Right winger Jack McGlynn, who has been in excellent form at Stoke City, has also been transferred.
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Three-time champions USA have failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Nations League since the competition began in 2019. The first game will be played in Miami due to security concerns in Haiti.
USMNT roster for Nations League quarterfinals
GoalkeepersMatt Freese (New York City), Diego Kochen (Lingby), Brian Schweik (Nashville SC).
Defenders: Reed Baker-Whiting (Nashville SC), George Campbell (West Brom), Sergio Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union), Brian Reynolds (Rennes), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Anthony Trussi Robinson (Fulham).
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Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough), Santiago Castañeda (Paderborn), Weston McKenney (Juventus), Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York), Joe Reyna (Strasbourg Till Alsace)
Strikers: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Justin Ellis (Orlando City), Julian Hall (Red Bull New York), Christian Pulisic (Milan), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union).