The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team took another step toward the start of the FIFA World Cup with Tuesday’s 26-player roster announcement.
The USMNT will kick off the World Cup June 12 at SoFi Stadium against Paraguay. This is the first expanded World Cup of 48 teams.
The roster returns 13 players from the 2022 World Cup team that advanced to the Round of 16 in Qatar. For the other half of the roster, 13 players, this will be their first World Cup
“To have the opportunity to play in 2022 and know what it’s all about, the emotions, the excitement, but now to do it on home soil, in front of friends and family, it’s really exciting to be here,” midfielder Tyler Adams said.
Adams served as captain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He joins the midfield engine of Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie among the returning group. Matt Turner, Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Gio Reyna, Brendan Aaronson, Tim Ream, Cristian Roldan, Haji Wright, Tim Weah and Joe Scally were all part of the 2022 team.
“We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup,” USMNT coach Mauricio 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 country proud.”
According to U.S. Soccer, the average age of the roster by the opener will be 26 years old and 332 days, the fifth youngest that the U.S. has sent to the World Cup. In 2022, the average age was 25 years and 216 days, the second youngest.
After their opener, the USMNT will face Australia (June 19) in Seattle and conclude Group D play against Turkiye, June 25, back at SoFi Stadium.
One of the biggest issues is the health of defender Chris Richards. Richards, who plays with Crystal Palace, suffered an ankle injury recently. He is still with his club ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final. Richards said that he will be ready to play by the time the U.S. opens the World Cup.
“We will see tomorrow (Wednesday) if he plays,” Pochettino said. “Then go from there, if we need to make a change.”
The roster becomes official June 1, that’s the deadline for teams to submit their final list to FIFA. Once the list is submitted, injured players can be replaced on the roster until 24 hours before the opener against Paraguay.
This is the second time the USMNT will play a World Cup in the United States. The first time was in 1994. The best performance in the World Cup for the U.S. came in 2002, when the team advanced to the quarterfinals.
The U.S. will play a pair of friendlies before final preparation begins for their June 12 opener. The U.S. will face Senegal Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then Germany, June 6, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
“I think we have time to train, we have time to prepare for the World Cup and to arrive in the best condition,” Pochettino said. “Our group is very tough. We need to put out the group that can perform the best.”
GOALKEEPERS: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
MIDFIELDERS: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
FORWARDS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)