A young U.S. squad will face Wales and Panama in the upcoming international friendlies as several European-based stars return after nearly a year away
Christian Pulisic has been joined by a series of new faces in the latest U.S. men’s national team squad, with the likes of Gio Reyna, Konrad de la Fuente and Yunus Musah among 10 uncapped players called up.
The U.S. is set to face Wales on November 12 before meeting Panama four days later in Austria in what will be the team’s first gathering since a February friendly against Costa Rica. That match, which served as the conclusion of the annual January camp, only featured MLS-based players.
This time around, though, head coach Gregg Berhalter has turned to an entirely foreign-based squad, with stars such as Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Sergino Dest all involved.
Pulisic’s selection had appeared in doubt as the Chelsea star recently suffered a hamstring injury during the warm-up of his side’s 3-0 win over Burnley. He is, however, included in the squad and Berhalter is looking forward to working with some of the nation’s top players.
“We are excited about getting this group back together,” he said in a statement. “I’m proud of the way the players have handled the challenging times – they really stuck together.
“We have built a solid foundation, and now we get a chance to continue our work together ahead of what is going to be a critical 12 months for our team.”
While the involvement of several key stars for the first time in a while offers a significant boost to the USMNT, a number of newcomers to the squad will also have the chance to impress.
Chief among them is Musah, the New York-born England youth international who has stood out at Valencia this season. Indeed, his decision to accept a call-up is a positive for Berhalter, although there is still the possibility he could represent the Three Lions, Italy and Ghana at full international level, given that the two upcoming USMNT fixtures are both friendlies.
Dortmund star Reyna, who was widely expected to earn a call-up in March if the international fixtures had not been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, is also involved following an impressive start to the 2020-21 campaign with the Bundesliga giants.
Barcelona youngster Konrad de la Fuente also earns his first call-up, having been included in the first-team squad this season as he awaits his first official appearance. Chris Richards, meanwhile, has earned a senior debut for Bayern Munich, and he too is involved for the first time.
Leicester City goalkeeper Chituru Odunze, Internacional midfielder Johnny Cardozo, PSV youngster Richie Ledezma, Wolves midfielder Own Otasowie, Caen‘s Nicholas Gioacchini and Telstar’s Sebastian Soto are also first-time call-ups.
USMNT squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City), Zack Steffen (Manchester City)
Defenders: John Brooks (Wolfsburg), Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Sergino Dest (Barcelona), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich), Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Owen Otasowie (Wolves)
Forwards: Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Uly Llanez (Heerenveen), Gio Reyna (Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Sebastian Soto (Telstar), Tim Weah (Lille)
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