USMNT head coach Gregg Berhlater has named a 27-player ‘training roster’ for their friendlies against Colombia and Brazil ahead of Copa America 2024 this summer.
Per U.S. Soccer, Berhalter will select the final roster for Copa America after the friendlies against Colombia and Brazil. The roster has to be cut to a maximum of 26 players and a minimum of 23 for Copa America with the final list submitted no later than June 15.
The USMNT face Colombia at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland on June 8, then head to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on June 12 to play Brazil.
These two games will be brilliant preparation for the Copa America tournament on home soil, as the USMNT are expected to go deep in that tournament as they continue to build for the 2026 World Cup, also on home soil.
Any surprises from Berhalter?
The main surprises on this roster are that center back Walker Zimmerman and forward Brandon Vazquez are both left out, while Shaq Moore, Timmy Tillman and Sean Johnson are a few of the surprise inclusions. Sergino Dest is out injured, so Moore and Joe Scally will get minutes at right back with Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie also able to play there.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina will be fully-focused on preparing to play for the U.S. Olympic team this summer, so Johnson making this roster makes perfect sense. Zimmerman has been a mainstay for the USMNT in recent years but it looks like Richards and McKenzie have overtaken him in the center back depth chart and Tim Ream remains in the squad with Miles Robinson also pushing to start.
Midfield and attack is stacked with Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright all scrapping for the starting spot up top. That is some serious center forward depth, something the USMNT hasn’t had in a long time and maybe ever, and Vazquez being left off this roster proves it.
The usual studs will lead this side this summer with Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah to play pivotal roles, while we can expect a lot more from Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Chris Richards and Cameron Carter-Vickers as they come off very strong seasons with their club teams in Europe.
This is also a big summer for attacking midfielders Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson as they try to sort out their club situations this summer after tough loan spells.
Below is the USMNT roster in full.
USMNT roster for Brazil, Colombia friendlies
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 13/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 39/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 16/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 18/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 56/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 16/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 41/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 9/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 38/2), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 11/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 20/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 51/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 35/0), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 26/8), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 10/0), Timmy Tillman (LAFC; 1/0)
FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 40/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 10/3), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 23/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 66/28), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 23/5), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 37/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 9/4)
Source link : https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/usmnt-name-roster-for-colombia-brazil-friendlies-before-copa-america-2024
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Publish date : 2024-05-23 03:00:00
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