U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has named a 26-man roster for the 2022 World Cup and as expected, it is heavy on young players.
The squad heading to Qatar is led by some of the team’s biggest Europe-based young stars like Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.
With an average age of 25 years, 175 days, this is the second-youngest USMNT World Cup squad ever, only behind the college-laden 1990 squad.
The inclusion of Reyna, Musah and Joe Scally, all 19, means it is the first time a USMNT World Cup roster has more than one teenager.
Steffen among notable absences
One of the biggest headlines with the roster will be the exclusion of Zack Steffen, who looked set to battle with Matt Turner for the starting goalkeeper role but instead will miss the World Cup completely.
Amid a standout season with Fulham, 35-year-old defender Tim Ream got a call-up despite last featuring for the USMNT back in September 2021. Reggie Cannon, James Sands and Mark McKenzie were among the defenders to miss out.
Defensive duo Sam Vines and Chris Richards had already confirmed they would miss out due to injuries.
Sergiño Dest and Luca de la Torre, who have battled injuries of late, made the cut as Berhalter has until 24 hours before the opening match against Wales to replace injured players.
Forward Haji Wright is a notable inclusion, with Ricardo Pepi missing out. Wright told Pro Soccer Wire this weekend that he was unsure of his USMNT status despite his red-hot form with Antalyaspor.
“We are excited to take this group to compete in the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” Berhalter said. “Final roster decisions are always difficult, and we appreciate everyone’s contributions who helped us get to this point. We believe we have a talented group, a strong team spirit, and one that is ready to compete. We are extremely proud and honored to represent the United States and appreciate all the amazing support from our fans as we head to Qatar.”
USMNT World Cup roster (Club; caps/goals; hometown)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town/ENG; 8/0; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 10/0; Lilburn, Ga.), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG; 20/0; Park Ridge, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 11/0; Southend-on-Sea, England), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan/ITA; 19/2; Almere, Netherlands), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 29/3; Oak Hills, Calif.), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 15/1; Powder Springs, Ga.), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 46/1; St. Louis, Mo.), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 29/2; Liverpool, England), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 3/0; Lake Grove, N.Y.), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF; 75/0; Seattle, Wash.), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 33/3; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 24/6; Medford, N.J.), Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 53/2; Plano, Texas), Tyler Adams (Leeds United/ENG; 32/1; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 12/0; San Diego, Calif.), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 37/9; Little Elm, Texas), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 19/0; London, England), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 32/0; Pico Rivera, Calif.)
FORWARDS (7): Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 15/7; McKinney, Texas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 49/11; Mercer Island, Wash.), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 52/21; Hershey, Pa.), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 14/4; Bedford, N.Y.), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 20/5; O’Fallon, Mo.), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 25/3; Rosedale, N.Y.), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor/TUR; 3/1; Los Angeles, Calif.)
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