USMNT: Mauricio Pochettino Names Roster For October Friendlies
Poch names first roster as head coach of U.S.
For the first time as head coach of the United States Men’s National Team, Mauricio Pochettino has named a roster ahead of upcoming CONCACAF friendlies.
Pochettino will coach the USA for the first time on Oct. 12 vs. Panama in Austin, Texas. Kickoff from Q2 Stadium for the USMNT’s Hispanic Heritage Match. The U.S. will then visit Mexico in Guadalajara on Oct. 15.
The roster is lead by Christian Pulisic who is the hottest American player in the game today. The AC Milan man has netted five goals and two assists in eight matches to start the 2024-25 campaign.
Poch’s squad also has seen some familiar faces return to the U.S. roster. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen and midfielder Gianluca Busio will return to the USMNT fold for the first time in 2024. Steffen’s last call-up came in March 2023, and he’ll look to earn his first cap since World Cup qualifying in March 2022.
Busio helped the USA reach the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time since Sydney 2000 and is back with the full USMNT for the first time since the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.
While Matt Turner was also named to the squad, he will face some competition in Steffen along with Ethan Horvath and Patrick Schulte. It seems clear that the No. 1 spot is up for grabs.
See the full roster below:
U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM – OCTOBER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 45/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege; 1/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 5/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 14/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 62/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 46/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER; 12/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 44/8), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 13/1), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 17/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 56/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 7/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 41/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 14/0)
FORWARDS (6): Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 17/5), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; 30/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 73/31), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 25/5), Timothy Weah (Juventus/ITA; 41/6), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 13/4)