Christian Pulisic headlines USMNT’s September roster, Weston McKennie left out

Christian Pulisic, AC Milan teammate Yunus Musah and Norwich City striker Josh Sargent headline the 24-player U.S. men’s national team roster for this month’s friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.

With the expected hiring of new head coach Mauricio Pochettino yet to be confirmed, U.S. under-20 boss Mikey Varas selected the squad that was named on Sunday and began assembling in Kansas City ahead of Friday’s match there versus Jesse Marsch’s Canada and the Sept. 10 exhibition with the Kiwis in Cincinnati.

Several USMNT regulars were left off the roster, most notably midfielder Weston McKennie. The 26-year-old did not participate in Juventus’ preseason while the Italian club attempted to transfer him to another team, and while McKennie has since returned to the Juve fold, he has yet to appear in a Serie A match this season.

Tim Weah was omitted after injuring his hamstring in Juve’s season opener, while central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers of Scottish side Celtic is dealing with a minor toe aliment. Left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson is being rested this camp and was allowed to stay with Fulham of England’s Premier League. Fellow 2022 World Cup starters Tyler Adams and Sergiño Dest remain unavailable because of long-term injures.  

The full September roster is as follows: 

Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath, Cardiff City (Wales); Diego Kochen, Barcelona II (Spain); Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew (MLS); Matt Turner, Crystal Palace (England)

Defenders: Auston Trusty, Celtic (Scotland); Marlon Fossey, Standard Liege (Belgium); Kristoffer Lund, Palermo (Italy); Mark McKenzie, Tolouse (France); Tim Ream, Charlotte FC (MLS); Chris Richards, Crystal Palace; Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany); Caleb Wiley, Strasbourg (France) 

Midfiedlers: Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis (Spain); Luca de la Torre, Celta Vigo (Spain); Aidan Morris, Middlesbrough (England); Yunus Musah, AC Milan (Italy); Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund (Germany); Malik Tillman, PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United (England), Folarin Balogun, Monaco (France); Ricardo Pepi, PSV Eindhoven; Christian Pulisic, AC Milan; Josh Sargent, Norwich City (England); Haji Wright, Coventry City (England)  

Pulisic leads the way with 71 career USMNT games. Veteran Tim Ream is second with 61. Eighteen of 24 players return from the USMNT’s 2024 Copa América roster. Two of the others selected will be looking for their first senior international caps this month: 18-year-old Barcelona goalkeeping prospect Diego Kochen and Belgium-based left back Marlon Fossey. 

Other noteworthy names include center back Auston Trusty, who made 32 Premier League appearances for Sheffield United last season but couldn’t get a national team sniff under previous coach Gregg Berhalter. Trusty, 26, has played just twice for the USMNT. Former Atlanta United wing-back Caleb Wiley, a 19-year-old who represented the U.S. at the Paris Olympics last month, was also included. 

“We have a chance in these next two games to really show what we are about as team,” Varas, who’s not expected to be on Pochettio’s staff if and when the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager formally takes over, said in a press release. “Our focus is on bringing a winning mentality and an aggressive approach so we can continue to move the program forward and set ourselves up for a great transition. It’s an incredible honor to have this opportunity.” 

Varas will be assisted this month by former FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez. Estevez previously served as Berhalter’s deputy with the USMNT from 2019-2021.

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