The U.S. men’s national team will welcome a bunch of new faces this fall for its first post-World Cup friendlies, head coach says Mauricio Pochettino Bringing in 13 uncapped players in four games, he described it as a “fresh start” for the team.
The 28-man roster includes 13 uncapped players, including forwards Calvin SullivanThe 16-year-old is in the midst of a breakthrough season in Major League Soccer (MLS) and has agreed a deal to join Manchester City after his 18th birthday. Several other MLS standouts join Sullivan on the list philadelphia union teammate Neil Pierre and frankie westfieldwhile the Red Bull New York duo Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall Also successfully advanced. The vast majority of the USMNT’s non-national team players are 21 years old or younger, with the average age of non-national team players being 19 years and 6 months.
Pochettino has chosen to balance his squad with 13 players from this summer’s World Cup, including midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Riccardo Pepi. forwards and other key players Christian Pulisiche coped with an injury-plagued World Cup, and Folarin BalogunHe has not played since this summer’s campaign due to fitness issues and a failed move to Everton, and Weston McEnanywill be missed as the USMNT coaching staff prioritizes new faces. However, an experienced team in the training camp can both help maintain the team’s competitiveness in the short term and introduce a promising new generation to meet the requirements of the national team.
There are also two players on the list who have returned from a long absence from the national team: Midfielder Yunus Musa and linebacker George Campbell. Moussa was a starter at the 2022 World Cup under Pochettino’s predecessor Gregg Berhalter but was dropped in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, while Campbell earned his only cap to date in a friendly against Venezuela in January 2025.
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U.S. national team fall friendly roster
Goalkeeper(4): chris brady (chicago fire), Matt Freese (New York City Football Club), Diego Cohen (Linby Boldcrubb), Brian Schwark (Nashville, South Carolina)
Defender (10): George Campbell (West Bromwich Albion) Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Peyton Miller (new england revolution), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union), Chris Richards (crystal palace), Anthony Robinson (fulham), Myers
Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Alston Reliable (celtics), Frankie Westfield (Philadelphia Union)
Midfield (9): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough), Zavier Gozo (Crystal Palace), Adri Mehmeti (New York Red Bulls), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), brooklyn raines (New England Revolution), Gio Reyna (RC strasbourg Assas), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forward (5): Cole Campbell (SV elversberg); Justin Ellis (Orlando City), Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Kavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
USMNT Fall Friendlies
All times US/Eastern)
- September 26: U.S. National Team vs. Peru (4:30 p.m., TNT)
- September 29: USMNT vs. Chile (8 p.m., TNT)
- October 3: U.S. National Team vs. Mexico (10 p.m., TNT)
- October 6: USMNT vs. United States Canada (8 p.m., TNT)
Player development focuses on the Olympics and World Cup
Pochettino plans to use this week’s international window as an opportunity to learn more about a group of young players who he says have been given opportunities to join the national team, all with the hope of building a strong working relationship with them.
“I think [the coaching staff] “We have shown that we can take a young man with huge talent and push them and give them the tools to take advantage of their talents and develop them over time,” Pochettino said.[This]It’s a great opportunity for me to get to know these guys, see them, analyze, see areas for improvement and ways they can develop, because [they] Not all are the same. them [all] There are different characters, different personalities, different backgrounds, different fears, brave in different ways. They need to make mistakes, but we need to work on that and give them different arguments and different tools to keep improving. “
While Pochettino’s job is ultimately to lead Team USA to success at the 2030 World Cup, he made several references to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Thursday. He reiterated U.S. Soccer’s ambition to win gold in men’s soccer, a U-23 competition where the U.S. has never won a medal and where the vast majority of non-participating players meet age requirements. Under-23s head coach Steve Cerundolo will join Pochettino and his coaching staff in training camps this autumn, but even with that in mind, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility that young players could quickly earn a place in the senior team rotation.
“When you compare him to a 30-year-old, 26-year-old or 28-year-old centre-back who might be playing in another country or might be playing in MLS, I don’t see a difference because [has] Pochettino said of 18-year-old Niall Pierre, “They are more experienced than the others, or something like that. Both can make mistakes. Both can be good… Football is about today and that’s how we want to set up the process and the cycle.”
He also cited Lamine Yamal as an example of the proper development of young talent, even if their youth remains a defining feature of their professional personality.
“From now on, if these guys are here and perform the way we expect them to, maybe they will have a chance to continue playing,” Pochettino said. “I don’t know. If you see Lamine Yamal win the World Cup in Spain [when he was] 18 years old [and] Now after two years at Barcelona, or more than two years, you say, ‘No, but he is young and we need more experience. ‘Why? He is the best. If some players [are] Same ages – 17, 16, 18, 19 – all fine, we behaved well, why [we] go [say] No? “
Yunus Musa benefits from ‘open door’ policy
Pochettino’s tenure with the United States has been defined by an open-door policy, with the manager previously showing a desire to expand his squad despite less than two years to prepare for this summer’s World Cup. With four years to go until next season, he will be doubling down on his efforts to include more than just uncapped players – Moussa’s return demonstrates the coaching staff’s willingness to welcome a variety of players in strong form.
Moussa was a starter at the 2022 World Cup and became a mainstay in the player pool over the next two years, so much so that in October 2024 he scored the first goal of Pochettino’s tenure. The midfielder later fell off Pochettino’s radar after struggling to find game time and form at club level, but things are finally looking up for the 23-year-old. He started four of AC Milan’s five games in the new season and was rewarded by Mauricio Pochettino.
“I think Yunus is like everyone. The door is open to everyone. Now it’s a new beginning. It’s a new cycle,” Pochettino said. “We’re looking, we’re watching, we’re chasing, we’re watching, there’s an opportunity for everyone if We feel they deserve this opportunity… Yunus is still young. He didn’t play in the last World Cup, but now, after seeing[ing] From the start of the season, he’s performed as we expected because there are some players who can play all the games but they don’t perform to the level that we expected, but that’s why we’re calling again and I think it’s really open, like [it is] for other players. “
Veterans need to be “role models” for newcomers
Pochettino’s roster is almost evenly split between uncapped players and experienced players, with 13 players who have participated in this summer’s World Cup progressing, while Moussa and Campbell have extensive experience in the national team. In many ways, the demands placed on them have not changed.
“My expectation is that they need to behave naturally, they need to do what they need to do,” Pochettino said. “I don’t expect the senior players to behave in a different way. They need to be natural. They need to do what they want to do. Our guidance[ance] will be there. this will be all principles [that we] Problems were solved, discipline was followed, and everything was in line with what we expected of them. “
However, these veterans will take on a new set of responsibilities in the coming weeks – assisting the coaching staff in the transition of the national team while proving their worth as potential mainstays in the 2030 cycle.
“The senior players need to perform in a natural way because they also need to focus on performance,” Pochettino said. “Of course, at the same time, when you are an experienced player you can have conversations, but they need to know that younger players will see everything through the way you move, walk, talk, behave, on and off the pitch. That’s why I think this is a very important period for us to see if everything is being observed as well. [those] Old players are role models for young people. if someone behaves poorly[ing] It’s going to have consequences in ways that we didn’t expect, but I think it’s going to be more natural… I hope that we see that perfect combination of energy, experience, bravery, all the qualities that I think this country should have in every moment, not just on the playing field, but also developing the right habits to compete in the best possible way. “