With the World Cup next year get closer, Mauricio Pocsettino called 25 men on Sunday for his first competition matches as a coach of the national male football team.
The United States will face the Jamaica in a pair of quarter-finals of the Concacaf Nations League, the first Thursday in Kingston and the second on November 18 in St. Louis. The winner of the two -legged playoffs will pass in the final of the tournament in March at the Sofi stadium in Inglewood.
The United States has won the first three tournaments of the League of Nations under Gregg Berhalter, who was dismissed As a coach in July, after his team was rebounded by the American COPA in the group phase.
Eight of the players Pochettino summoned to the training camp in Orlando, Florida, have appearances in the UEFA Champions League this month, the most elite club tournament in the world. Among them, striker Christian Pulisic, who has five goals and three assists for AC Milan in Serie's matches this season.
The key among omissions was midfielder Tyler Adams, who has been faced with a series of injuries in the past two years. Adams, 25, returned to the departure training for Bournemouth, his club team in the English Premier League this weekend, but Pochettino said that the former American captain was not yet ready to play for the American national team.
“I consider him a very important player for the future of this team,” Pochettino told journalists during a teleconference on Sunday. “But the most important thing now is to see the progression.”
“I would like to have it here because I think he is an important player for us,” added the coach. “But at the same time, we need the priority to build his race and his trip. And I think it's the best for him.”
Josh Sargent (groin surgery), Folarin Balogun (shoulder), Haji Wright (Ankle), Sergiño Dest (ACL), Gio Reyna (groin) and Luca de la Torre (knee) are also inaccessible due to injuries.
Three players returning from an injury – defender Chris Richards, midfielder Johnny Cardoso and striker Tim Weah – will join the team this week, although Weah will be held on Thursday's match with a suspension of the postponed red card from Copa America. The teammate of the Weah club at Juventus, Weston McKennie, is also on the list of the United States.
The 25 players come from clubs from nine countries, including the five main European leagues. Twenty men were part of the first pocket camp as a coach last month when the United States divided its two games, beating Panama in Austin before losing Mexico in Guadalajara.
The list:
Goalkeepers: Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona Atletic), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace).
Defenders: Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic).
Milieuseurs de terrain: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhove).
Advances: Cade Cowell (Guadalajara), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey), Tim Weah (Juventus), Alex Zendejas (Club America).
