USMNT announces young roster for September friendlies vs. Canada, New Zealand

The United States men’s national team has announced its roster for a pair of upcoming friendlies in September, with the lineup filled with a slew of young stars. The U.S. will play Canada on Sept. 7 and New Zealand on Sept. 10.

This September window will mark the first set of friendlies since the team’s early exit from Copa América and subsequent firing of Gregg Berhalter. Mauricio Pochettino has been reportedly hired as Berhalter’s replacement, but U.S. Soccer has yet to make that official announcement. In the meantime, Mikey Varas has filled in as the interim coach.

The USMNT is sticking to a similar pattern with its roster, skewing young and skewing Europe. 13 of the 24 players on the roster are under 24 years old, while only two (defender Tim Ream and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte) play in MLS clubs. Only six players — Christian Pulisic (71), Ream (61), Matt Turner (44), Brenden Aaronson (42), Yunus Musah (39) and Gio Reyna (31) — have more than 30 caps.

The roster features two teenagers: 19-year-old defender Caleb Wiley, who has two caps, and 18-year-old keeper Diego Kochen, who earns his first call-up. Other than Kochen, 25-year-old defender Marlon Fossey is the only other uncapped player, earning his first call-up since 2019.

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This September window will mark the first time since 2016 that the U.S. will face New Zealand. The two teams are rare opponents, having only faced each other three times. The United States has yet to lose against New Zealand, posting two wins and a draw in those meetings.

With Canada, however, there is a long history of rivalry with the neighbors to the north. The two teams last met over a year ago during the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, where the USMNT beat Canada in the quarterfinals in penalty kicks.

The USMNT will be missing some of its biggest players for this early window. According to a press release from U.S. Soccer, Weston McKennie and Tanner Tessman are staying with their clubs due to not having a real pre-season; both are expected to join for the October international window. Antonee Robinson is also off the roster in order to give him time to rest from two offseason surgeries, with the implication that he will also re-join the team in October.

The U.S. will have two more big friendlies next month, starting with a 2023 Gold Cup rematch against Panama on Oct. 12 and a (likely contentious) matchup against Concacaf rival Mexico on Oct. 15.

Full USMNT roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona II/ESP; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 1/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 44/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 2/0), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege/BEL; 0/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Tolouse/FRA; 13/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 61/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 21/1), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 11/0), Caleb Wiley (Strasbourg/FRA; 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 15/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 22/0), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 5/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 39/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 31/8), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 12/0)

FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 42/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 15/5), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 71/30), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 25/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 11/4)