Mauricio Pochettino has announced his roster for the international break in October, where the United States will compete against Ecuador and Australia. Key players, including Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, and Gio Reyna, are absent due to injuries and personal reasons. Weston McKennie returns to the national team for this match period.

With the World Cup approaching, Pochettino aims to enhance the team’s performance after their victory over Japan last month. Discussing recent cultural changes in the squad, Pochettino emphasized that maintaining confidence and competition among players is crucial for success.

“It’s about giving players confidence and the possibility to fight for a place… It’s not because your name is one or another, you are going to have the place for sure in the roster for the World Cup.”

This roster features experienced players, such as Matt Turner, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and others who missed the previous Gold Cup matches.

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 12/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; 19/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 9/0), Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse; 22/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 77/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 33/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham; 50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 35/3)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; 53/9), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 14/3), Weston McKennie (Juventus; 60/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough; 9/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 39/0), James Sands (FC St. Pauli; 11/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon; 8/0), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen; 25/3)

FORWARDS (6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco; 19/6), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; 80/32), Tim Weah (Marseille; 45/7), Haji Wright (Coventry City; 17/5), Alex Zendejas (Club América; 13/2)

Absences

Gio Reyna is sidelined with a thigh injury, while Sergino Dest and Tyler Adams are unavailable for different reasons. Other notable absences include Yunus Musah, Josh Sargent, and Joe Scally due to various injuries.

This camp will offer a vital opportunity for players to showcase their skills ahead of the World Cup.