The U.S. men’s national team will head into the CONCACAF Gold Cup without several familiar faces, including star Christian Puliisic.
Pulisic, along with Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Yunas Musah, Gio Reyna and Antonee Robinson were all absent from Mauricio Pochettino’s list of 27 players called in for friendlies on June 7 and 10 and then the Gold Cup, starting June. 15.
“As we continue preparations for the World Cup, this is a fantastic opportunity to work with this group of players for an extended period and it’s important we take advantage of every moment we have together,” Pochettino said. “Of course, we want to win and to perform in a very good way. These players have earned the chance to compete for our fans and to show their quality and mentality.”
This is the final competition that Pochettino will have the opportunity to call in the complete group before next year’s FIFA World Cup.
The USMNT bottomed out in the CONCACAF Nations League in March, finishing last in the four-team field.Now, any chance at retribution will have to be done without Pulisic.
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported that Pulisic has been dealing with a hip injury since March wile playing for AC Milan, whose season ends Sunday.
“Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break,” U.S. Sporting Director Matt Crocker said in a statement. “After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he’s fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.”
Pochettino said Musah’s absence is a “personal excuse.” For players like Weah, McKennie (both with Juventus) and Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), they are expected to be with their club teams for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
Here is the USMNT roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Damion Downs (FC Köln), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Related Articles
Angel City FC signs Iceland’s Sveindís Jónsdóttir through 2027 Mark Delgado’s return ends early in LAFC’s El Trafico draw with Galaxy Late goal helps Galaxy earn draw against rival LAFC in El Trafico Angel City FC defender Savy King discharged from hospital Sunday after heart surgery Angel City FC drops 3rd straight to Bay FC Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( USMNT’s Christian Pulisic to miss CONCACAF Gold Cup )
Also on site :