Pepi, Pulisic, Steffen, headline USMNT roster for November's Nations League series
11/10/2024 10:04 AM
The first pair of competitive U.S. men’s national team matches under Mauricio Pochettino get underway in four days time and several key inclusions were made in his roster.
Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, and Zack Steffen headlined Pochettino’s 25-player roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal round. The Americans will travel to Jamaica on Nov. 14 before hosting the Reggae Boyz in the second leg on Nov. 18 in St. Louis.
Chris Richards, who returned to the Crystal Palace bench this weekend, was also called in for duty. Brandon Vazquez, Alex Zendejas, and Cade Cowell have all been included after positive endings to their Liga MX regular season schedules.
Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Haji Wright were not named to the roster. Adams only made his league debut with Bournemouth on October 26 while Carter-Vickers returned from a toe injury on Oct. 27.
Sargent is sidelined for two months at Norwich City due to a hamstring injury while Wright left Coventry City’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Saturday after rolling his ankle.
Pochettino surprisingly only called in one left back and right back with Antonee Robinson and Joe Scally claiming those spots. Both players have continued to excel at club level for Fulham and Borussia Moenchengladbach respectively.
Christian Pulisic will headline the attacking options for Pochettino as he continues to play a major role for AC Milan. Brenden Aaronson and Malik Tillman have also enjoyed productive first halves of the season at club level while Tim Weah is finding his form at a perfect time.
The USMNT have won 20 of 33 all-time meetings with Jamaica and are currently riding a seven-match unbeaten streak. Haji Wright’s brace propelled the Americans past the Reggae Boyz in the semifinals of last season’s Nations League semifinals as the USMNT won 3-1 in extra time.
Longtime club manager and former England head coach Steve McClaren took over as Jamaica head coach last July. He’s led the Reggae Boyz to a 2-2-0 record in his first four matches in charge.
Here is the full USMNT roster for November’s CONCACAF Nations League series vs. Jamaica:
GOALKEEPERS: Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona Atletic/ESP; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 47/0)
DEFENDERS: Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 15/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 64/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 23/1) Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 48/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 30/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 17/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 46/8), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 15/1), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 17/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 56/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 9/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 43/1), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 4/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 16/0)
FORWARDS: Cade Cowell (Guadalajara/MEX; 10/1),Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 31/11), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 74/31), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey/MEX; 9/4), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 41/6), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 9/1)
