Gio Reyna and Joe Scally will make their US men’s national team returns in the upcoming international window, while Christian Pulisic is among several regulars set to miss out. But while the Milan midfielder has just recovered from an injury suffered during his most recent time with the national team, Weston McKennie’s absence is a bit more surprising.
Reyna and Scally, both of Borussia Mönchengladbach, are among a 25-player squad named by manager Mauricio Pochettino for two friendlies: against Paraguay on 15 November at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, and against Uruguay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on 18 November.
This window is the second to last before Pochettino names his roster for the 2026 World Cup, and the last meeting of the national team until March. The squad will be missing a number of regulars aside from Pulisic and McKennie: Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards has been dealing with a knock, Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Malik Tillman is out having just made his return from injury, while Marseille winger Tim Weah and Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson remain sidelined with their own ailments. In their place are some interesting names who have often been on the fringes of national team contention.
Here’s the full USMNT roster by position, along with some brief thoughts on each group:
Goalkeepers
Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew)
Freese is the most experienced of this bunch and now seems the odds-on favorite to start at the World Cup, with New England Revolution goalkeeper Turner not called in this time around. Turner was the US starter in 2022 but Pochettino has mostly stuck to this rotation of goalkeepers, with Freese garnering the most time in recent friendlies.
Defenders
Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse FC), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Robinson’s recovery from an offseason knee operation has continued to hold him out of significant action for Fulham. His ommission means his absence from the national team will have extended to a full calendar year. Arfsten has been Pochettino’s favored option for left-back (or left wingback if playing with three center-backs), but he’ll face some competition from Tolkin, who returns to the national team for the first time since this summer’s Gold Cup. Scally’s return as an option at right-back is also notable – he hasn’t been in a US squad since March’s Nations League finals.
Keep an eye on who Pochettino goes with at center-back in the absence of Richards. McKenzie, Ream and Miles Robinson have all seen significant time in the position, with Trusty called in to provide another option for the group.
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Midfielders
Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
Pulisic’s absence from this group will grab headlines, but Italian outlets reported that the absence was agreed upon between Milan and the national team. Pulisic suffered a hamstring injury last time out for the US, which he is only now recovered from. Weah suffered a thigh injury for Marseille on 26 October, so his absence is somewhat expected.
The bigger surprise exclusion is McKennie, who has started Juventus’ last three Serie A games. That will be the major talking point of this camp, along with one name who is in this group: Reyna, who like Scally last appeared for the US in the Concacaf Nations League finals. On his day, Reyna is one of the most talented and creative members of the US player pool, but struggles with injuries, form, minutes at club level, and persistent questions about his attitude have plagued him. Reyna has played just 131 competitive minutes for ‘Gladbach this season after an offseason move from Dortmund in search of playing time.
Forwards
Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Pepi returns to the squad for the first time in a year, having suffered a knee injury at the end of 2024. He will seek to stake a claim as an option at striker for the US after Balogun impressed with goals in the team’s most recent friendlies. Pepi has scored three times in eight appearances for PSV this season, with the most recent coming this past weekend. Aaronson joins McKenzie, Trusty and Freese in a class of players from the Philadelphia Union academy who will be making a homecoming of sorts with an appearance against Paraguay.
