USMNT drops September friendlies squad as Pochettino hire looms

AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic, AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna headline the 24-player United States roster that will play a pair of upcoming friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.

The U.S. will square off against Canada, which is managed by former U.S. assistant coach Jesse Marsch, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sept. 7. The Americans then face the All Whites at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium three days later.

While the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino as USMNT manager is expected to happen any day now, the team will be managed by Mikey Varas on an interim basis for the duration of the window, which has been the U.S. Soccer Federation’s plan for weeks.

Varas, 39, served as assistant coach under previous manager Gregg Berhalter, who was fired following the USMNT’s poor performance at the Copa América, where the team failed to advance past the group stage.

Varas is reportedly in advanced negotiations to become the first manager of MLS expansion side San Diego FC. The futures on the remaining staff members are part of the discussions for hiring a new manager.

“The opportunity is once in a lifetime,” said Varas. “Anytime you get to represent your country, you have to cherish that moment. At the end of the day though, it’s more than an opportunity. It’s also a massive responsibility, and we are committed to making sure we have this group to show everyone who we are as a team.”

The current coaching staff now includes Nico Estevez, who rejoined the staff this summer after working as an assistant from 2019-21. Jack Robinson, the former goalkeeper coach of English Premier League side Liverpool who has been appointed head of goalkeeping for U.S. Soccer, will work with the goalies for this camp. 

Varas added: “We have a chance in these next two games to really show what we are about as a team. 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.”

The roster contains plenty of familiar faces, containing 18 players who were also on the Copa América roster. But there are also some notable absences. Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie started training in only the third week of August, and is still in preseason mode. The same is true of Tanner Tessmann, who recently completed a move to Ligue 1 side Lyon. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson is being given a break after two offseason surgeries, while Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is dealing with a toe injury.

Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Venezia’s Gianluca Busio, PSV Eindhoven defender Sergiño Dest, Wolfsburg’s Kevin Paredes and Juventus midfielder Timothy Weah will also miss the two matches due to injuries.

“September is always a tricky window,” said Varas. “You have players coming off international tournaments and then straight into preseasons, players who are trying to establish themselves and their places at clubs, and you have a lot of movement in the transfer window. So you have to look at the whole picture and what is going to be best long term.”

Among the uncapped players are FC Barcelona II goalkeeper Diego Kochen and Standard Liege defender Marlon Fossey.

“Marlon we haven’t seen since 2019. He hasn’t been in the group for a long time, but I think it’s a great example that even if you haven’t been in for a while, what you do with your club matters,” Varas said. “We’re always watching a really big pool of players. Right now, it’s a great opportunity for the entire right back pool.

“Unfortunately with Sergiño Dest out, who we miss dearly, it’s opened up the opportunity for us to test other guys. He’s done a great job with Standard Liege, performing really well. We’ve been tracking him, and we want to give him an opportunity.

“Diego will see his first time with the senior national team. He’s a young player playing for Barcelona B that we see as a high potential player. This is an opportunity for him to come in and not only compete with the senior team, but also get an amazing experience so that we can keep building for our future.”

The U.S. holds an all-time record of 17-11-12 against Canada, with the most recent result being in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, in which the USMNT prevailed 3-2 in a penalty shootout after extra time finished 2-2.

The matchup with Canada could have some added spice given the fact that U.S. Soccer passed on hiring Marsch when Berhalter’s contract was renewed in 2023 and after some of the comments from Marsch following the Americans’ Copa exit in which he said the team “lacked discipline.”

The USMNT has faced New Zealand three times in its history, going 2-0-1 in those matches. The last encounter was a 1-1 draw back in 2016.

FULL USMNT ROSTER:

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona II/ESP; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 1/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 44/0)