At long last, Folarin Balogun is on a U.S. men’s national team roster.
The USMNT’s new interim head coach B.J. Callaghan announced a 24-player squad on Thursday ahead of the team’s CONCACAF Nations League matches later this month. The final 23-player roster for the Nations League knockouts is due on June 5.
The USMNT will play Mexico in a semifinal on June 15 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and will have a game on June 18 (whether a final or a third-place game) three days later against either Canada or Panama.
The squad includes a first-ever formal call-up for Balogun, who officially chose the USMNT over England and Nigeria in mid-May after a concerted recruiting attempt from U.S. Soccer. The only mystery over that one solitary cut Callaghan will have to make appears to be in goal, where four players (including uncapped duo Drake Callender and Josh Cohen) are on the initial list.
Several notable players are missing. Team captain Tyler Adams remains out after missing the final weeks of Leeds’ Premier League campaign with a hamstring injury, while a broken arm will keep center back Tim Ream out for all of the USMNT’s summer obligations. Cameron Carter-Vickers underwent successful knee surgery last month and remains out, while Zack Steffen will miss three to four months after undergoing a surgical procedure to his knee as well.
Callaghan noted in remarks to reporters on Thursday that another absentee, Kellyn Acosta, was left off the roster “out of an abundance of caution” over an unspecified injury that kept him out of the first leg of Los Angeles FC’s CONCACAF Champions League final on Wednesday.
USMNT Nations League roster
Goalkeepers (4): Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), Josh Cohen (Maccabi Haifa; 0/0), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC; 12/0), Matt Turner (Arsenal; 26/0)
Defenders (7): Sergiño Dest (AC Milan; 24/2), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 8/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham; 34/2), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 21/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; 4/0), Auston Trusty (Birmingham City; 1/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 39/3)
Midfielders (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional; 6/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo; 14/0), Weston McKennie (Leeds United; 43/11), Yunus Musah (Valencia; 25/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; 18/4), Alan Soñora (FC Juárez; 2/0)
Forwards (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; 30/7), Folarin Balogun (Stade Reims; 0/0), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht; 2/0), Ricardo Pepi (FC Groningen; 14/6), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; 58/23), Tim Weah (Lille; 29/4), Alex Zendejas (Club América; 3/1)
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