Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna will participate in their first U.S. national team camp under Mauricio Pochettiino as the coach named the 2022 World Cup veterans to his 23-man roster for next week’s Concacaf Nations League finals in Los Angeles.
Usual USMNT headliners Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah were also included alongside Adams and Reyna, who were injured for Pochettino’s first two camps after the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager was hired last September. The Americans will face Panama in next Thursday’s semifinal at SoFi Stadium, with the winner advancing to the March 23rd final there against either Canada or Mexico.
The U.S. is looking to add a fourth consecutive Nations League title after lifting the trophy in 2021, 2023 and last year.
“This is a massive opportunity to win a trophy and that is our clear objective,” Pochettino said in a press release. “We must continue to show our quality, our bravery and our commitment to each other. We have an important moment to represent our country and our supporters, and we are very excited for this opportunity.”
Here’s the full roster, followed by three quick thoughts and quotes from Pochettino’s Monday afternoon conference call with reporters.
Goalkeepers: Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew (MLS); Zack Steffen, Colorado Rapids (MLS); Matt Turner, Crystal Palace (England)
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic (Scotland); Marlon Fossey, Standard Liege (Belgium); Mark McKenzie, Toulouse (France); Tim Ream, Charlotte FC (MLS); Chris Richards, Crystal Palace ; Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, Fulham (England); Miles Robinson, Cincinnati (MLS); Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany); Auston Trusty, Celtic
Midfiedlers: Tyler Adams, Bournemouth (England); Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis (Spain); Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake (MLS); Weston McKennie, Juventus (Italy); Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund (Germany); Tanner Tessmann, Lyon (France);
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Charlotte (MLS); Yunus Musah, AC Milan (Italy); Christian Pulisic, AC Milan; Josh Sargent, Norwich City (England); Timothy Weah, Juventus; Brian White, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS)
Reyna gets the call despite his lack of club minutes
Adams, who scored the game-winning goal in last year’s championship match versus Mexico, was a shoo-in for this squad following his return to fitness following back surgery. The American captain at Qatar 2022, Adams has been at the height of his powers for Premier League Bournemouth, which is on pace for a top-half finish this season.
“It’s great to have him,” Pochettino said of Adams. “In the last months he was performing really, really well with his team, Bournemouth … it’s a great opportunity for us to [get to] know him.”
Reyna’s inclusion, meantime, wasn’t necessarily a sure thing. The 22-year-old has played sparingly for Borussia Dortmund since returning from a groin strain that sidelined him for all of September and October. He’s logged just 541 minutes all season and was an unused substitute in the Black & Yellow’s most recent match in the Bundesliga.
But Reyna remains one of the Americans’ most talented attackers, and he’s owned the Nations League in years past, scoring in all three previous editions. He was named the tournament’s top player last year.
“It’s true that maybe he’s not playing too much but I think for us, he’s a great player,” the coach said when FOX Sports asked about Reyna’s struggles at club level. “We want to win this competition and he can help. That is why he’s with us. But at the same time, I think he can do better.”
There was also a practical consideration when it came to Reyna. With Dortmund scheduled to particpate in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, Reyna won’t be available to the national team for the simultaneously-staged Concacaf Gold Cup if he’s still with the German titan.
“If not, it’s going to be difficult to see him,” said Pochettino. “it’s important to create this relationship for the future.”
Poch rewards Carter-Vickers, Trusty and January campers
After recovering from injury, central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, who briefly played for the Argentine at Tottenham, is the only other callup who will be participating in his first camp under Pochettino. The experienced 27-year-old, another World Cup vet, helped Celtic reach the knockout stage of the Champions League, where he and fellow center back Trusty then nearly helped the Scottish side upset Bayern Munich. Those performances clearly didn’t go unnoticed.
Pochettino also rewarded six members of his January camp squad with invitations this month — including Diego Luna and Brian White (who combined on the game-winning goal against Costa Rica) and Patrick Agyemang (who scored in that game and in his USMNT debut versus Venezuela).
WIth just three training sessions before the March 20 opener versus Los Canaleros, continuity is important. Everyone must be able to hit the ground running.
“It’s important for us to have players that we already know and who already have been working with us,” Pochettino said.
No room for Zendejas, Brenden Aaronson or Miles Robinson
Aaronson has been a U.S. regular for most of the last four years. But he was among a number of regulars left off Pochettino’s list this month. The others are Robinson, who had started three of the new coach’s first six games at the helm, and Alex Zendejas, who has been tearing up the Mexican league with Liga MX champ Club America.
All three had a case. Ultimately, it became a numbers game — even with normal roster locks like Folarin Balogun, Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman all unavailable this month because of injury or, in Dest’s case, having just returned from one.
With just 23 spots available under Concacaf rules, there was also no place for Europe-based trio Gianluca Busio, Aidan Morris or Paxten Aaronson, Brenden’s younger brother.
“We’re disappointed because we cannot call all [of them],” Pochettino said. “The difficulty always when you have too many players is to be right.
“It’s really painful because sometimes it’s not only the performance, it’s the balance,” he added. “We selected these 23 players because we really believe that we can find a very good balance and compete in our best way to win.”
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre.
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