The latest United States men’s national team pre-Gold Cup roster features notable absences and has left much of the American soccer world baffled, as Mauricio Pochettino’s team misses out on a major opportunity to build chemistry and momentum ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino’s pre-Gold Cup squad has certainly raised eyebrows.
Although the once prestigious tournament has lost its luster in recent years, the 2025 edition of the Gold Cup presents a set of larger implications, particularly for the United States men’s national team. First, it’s a redemption opportunity for what was a massively disappointing 2025 USMNT Nations League campaign, losing to Panama in the semis and Canada in the third-place match. The U.S. put up paltry efforts in both games in front of a pair of tepid home crowds, and it was seen as yet another embarrassment following the 2024 Copa America.
The 2025 Gold Cup is also the final competitive tournament the U.S. will play in before next summer’s World Cup, which will also be on home soil.
So while the last few Gold Cups have seen many top American players omitted from the roster in favor of training with the club teams for the upcoming season, many thought there would be an “A-list” squad this time around. They were mistaken.
Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, and Yunus Musah were all left off of Pochettino’s pre-Cup roster — Pulisic and Robinson due to lingering injuries and high minutes logs from the 2024-25 club season, McKennie, Weah, and Reyna due to Club World Cup commitments for Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, and “personal reasons” for Pulisic’s AC Milan teammate Musah.
Even more baffling was the exclusion of bubble players who had solid seasons in European club soccer, in favor of domestic Major League Soccer talent with questionable long-term national team potential.
On the surface, it appears Pochettino may have “busted” the team up as he continues searching for players he believes can contribute more to the national team than the often underperforming European core.
On the other hand, players opting out of competitions or managing minutes has been an ongoing issue for the USMNT since the Gregg Berhalter era. Regardless of how it’s explained, the latest roster that is likely to compete in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup is devoid of expectations. Only a handful of the players selected are realistic candidates for the final World Cup roster a year from now.
Pochettino’s latest roster is a grim indictment of the current state of the program as it nears the end of what has been an abysmal 2026 cycle — one that continues to alienate fans and set expectations for the team at an all-time low.
2025 Pre-Gold Cup Roster
To better understand who’s missing, here is the 27-man roster Pochettino has selected for upcoming friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, and the possible 2025 Gold Cup team:
GOALKEEPERS (4):
Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 30/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 51/0)
DEFENDERS (8):
Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; 10/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 19/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 68/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 24/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 32/3)
MIDFIELDERS (10):
Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 47/8), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 24/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)
FORWARDS (5):
Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 17/5), Damion Downs (FC Köln/GER; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 4/1), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 15/4)
Why No Pulisic and Verdict on the “Old Guard”
In his press conference, Pochettino and the federation emphasized two key points: first, that it was Pulisic’s decision to withdraw from the Gold Cup due to a long European season.
According to multiple sources, Pulisic has been dealing with a hip issue that has required injections. If this is the case, why didn’t U.S. Soccer communicate it clearly? Wouldn’t it have been easier to simply say the Milan winger is recovering from injury? The lack of transparency makes it appear as though Pulisic is skipping the tournament just to rest ahead of the next European season where AC Milan is not playing any continental competitions.
On the other hand, Pulisic has reportedly been playing through this injury for months, logging significant minutes for Milan and performing well. Given the current state of the U.S. men’s program, having the team captain on the roster could have sent a positive message that demonstrates commitment and leadership. Instead, it’s yet another baffling episode in a pattern of U.S. Soccer prioritizing external interests over its own success.
The second notable moment came when Pochettino stated, “If you come here to play golf, to have dinner, to see your friends… no. This is not the culture we want to create.”
It raised the possibility that some absences were intended as messages to underperforming players and a signal that the coach is seriously evaluating new options.
Would that necessarily be a bad thing? Looking at some of the absences, perhaps not.
Musah and Reyna had dreadful club seasons and currently have no business on the national team based on form. Josh Sargent squandered his chance with Pochettino during the Nations League and seems to be on the outs.
Other omissions are harder to explain. Joe Scally had a consistent season in Germany, and Antonee Robinson had a career year in England. Their exclusions raise the question: is U.S. Soccer prioritizing resting players over winning?
Bubble Players Who Have Completely Fallen Off the Map
While many agree the current USMNT “core” needs to be broken up, some missing bubble players make little sense.
Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio both showed they merit extended looks. Aidan Morris, who had decent showings under Pochettino early on, is completely absent.
Paxten Aaronson, after a solid season with FC Utrecht, still can’t crack the full national team—a surprise given his midfield play in the Eredivisie.
Pochettino also doesn’t appear to rate Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers or Auston Trusty very highly either.
Where There Is Chaos, There Is Opportunity
The current mess gives new players a unique chance to break into the squad. By performing well, and potentially winning the Gold Cup, some could earn a spot in the A team.
Malik Tillman and Johnny Cardoso, both coming off strong European seasons, will be looked to as breakout candidates, while Diego Luna also has a chance to cement his place on the roster.
Sergiño Dest and Folarin Balogun will now work under Pochettino, with Balogun eyeing a return as the first-choice striker while Ricardo Pepi recovers from injury.
Wildcards like Sebastian Berhalter, Brian White, Haji Wright (potentially as a winger), Quinn Sullivan, and Damion Downs could emerge as surprise contributors depending on their Gold Cup performances.
A Lost Generation?
Former USMNT legend Tab Ramos told Urban Pitch after news broke that Pulisic was out and a B squad would be heading to the Gold Cup:
“It’s unfortunate that, once again, we will not have our strongest team together to prepare,” Ramos said. “After this summer, competitive opportunities will be fully behind us. We will have to hope that all players are in good form with their clubs going into next summer and that somehow it all comes together as a team.”
That seems to be the operating philosophy of U.S. Soccer lately: Fingers crossed, hoping it all somehow works out in the end. Meanwhile, the federation and coaching staff continue to fumble their way through what has been a dismal 2026 cycle.
Letting players “pick and choose” competitions, “negotiating” minutes with European clubs during must-win windows, and paying a coach $6 million per year to manage mostly substitutes, it’s a colossal waste for now.
Optimism is at an all-time low for the USMNT. This latest roster has done little to ease the frustration of fans tired of a generation of players who talk the talk but never walk the walk.
Holy hell, talk about negativity for negativity sake. Of all the players purposely and negatively listed as being “snubbed,” only one wasn’t club or injury related. Severe injuries happen most often when a player is already hurt. If Pulisic is hurt, and you force him to play, and he tears his ACL 12 months before a home World Cup, you’d be the first one demanding retribution.
So, you just wrote an entirely negative article about the coach because one player has personal issues and was left off the team. Congratulations on being 100% wrong about sports and being paid for sport’s reporting.
Furthermore, I see a very good roster, despite the absences, with 15 proven players who can win this tournament on the “depleted” roster. Maybe, you should consider a career in real estate, Debbie Downer.
The article also highlighted which players could potentially benefit from the absences. It’s by no means an attack on MP, although there are things he can be criticized for.
The Gold Cup isn’t a very prestigious tournament anymore. Pochettino can’t help unavailabllity of players related to the CWC (another useless tourney created for financial reasons only). Today’s players are more professional than in years past. Better to let injured players heal and reboot a little too freshen up competition. As talented as some US players might be, nothing promotes performance like the threat of being replaced. I have every confidence in Poch and whatever team he selects for next sumner
Pochettino is a good manager, but again we will see what happens in this Gold Cup. Am not sure the USMNT can take another bad tournament. Morale is LOW for the team right now.
It’s up to this mixed squad to change the status quo.