Alejandro Zendejas has been included in the United States’ 26-man squad for the World Cup.
Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter were also named in the squad. The squad announcement was made by manager Mauricio Pochettino. Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann were not included.
Players Included After Injury Layoffs
Sergiño Dest, Tyler Adams, and Haji Wright have been included in the squad. All three return after missing friendlies in March due to injuries. Zendejas was not called up in March following a knee injury last autumn.
Reyna, the son of former United States captain Claudio Reyna, was nearly sent home from the 2022 World Cup. This was due to a perceived lack of commitment, according to then-manager Gregg Berhalter. Pochettino regards Reyna as a “jugador especial”, even though he has only started four matches this season with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He has not started a game since 19 December.
Sebastian Berhalter, the 25-year-old son of the former coach, debuted for the national team last June. He has become the US team’s primary corner kick taker.
Omissions From the Squad
Patrick Schulte was among those omitted from the squad, having been included in the March list. Tessmann and Aidan Morris were also left out. Johnny Cardoso (right ankle surgery) and Patrick Agyemang (ruptured right Achilles tendon) were unavailable due to recent injuries. Cameron Carter-Vickers is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in October.
Luna missed the March matches due to a knee injury. He had played in 17 of 18 international matches last year.
Returning Players From the Last World Cup
Half of the squad are returning players from the last World Cup. These include goalkeeper Matt Turner; defenders Dest, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and Joe Scally; midfielders Adams, Weston McKennie, Reyna and Cristian Roldan; and forwards Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Wright.
Chris Richards and Miles Robinson have been selected after injuries prevented them from participating in the 2022 tournament. The United States were eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16 in 2022. Richards’ fitness is a concern after tearing two ligaments in his left ankle on 17 May.
Other Notable Selections
Ricardo Pepi has been included this time, after being among the final cuts four years ago.
Players from the 2022 squad who were not selected this time include goalkeepers Ethan Horvath and Sean Johnson; defenders Carter-Vickers, Aaron Long, Shaq Moore, DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman; midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Luca de la Torre and Yunus Musah; and forwards Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Morris and Josh Sargent.
Only eight players were called up from Major League Soccer. This is the lowest figure since 2010, when there were four. No attackers from the MLS were chosen.
Five players are based in England, three in the German Bundesliga, and three in the French Ligue 1.