UPDATE (July 25, 2:25 pm ET): Concacaf approved the request Sunday and Kessler will be eligible for the Gold Cup quarterfinal match against Jamaica.
ORIGINAL (July 24, 6:10 pm ET): Pending Concacaf approval, New England Revolution center back Henry Kessler is set to join the US men’s national team’s roster for the 2021 Gold Cup as an injury replacement for Nashville SC center back Walker Zimmerman, it was announced Saturday.
The USMNT will face Jamaica in a quarterfinal Sunday evening at AT&T Stadium (9:30 pm ET | FS1, Univision, TUDN) after topping Group B. Their previous game, a 1-0 victory over Canada, saw Zimmerman go down with a hamstring strain, thinning out an already-light defensive pool.
Per amended Gold Cup rules, teams can replace injured players up to 24 hours prior to the quarterfinal. The replacement must come from the 60-player provisional roster, which Kessler appeared on.
San Jose Earthquakes forward Cade Cowell, alongside Kessler, was called in midweek to join the USMNT’s training camp. However, Cowell has returned to his MLS side after a brief look by head coach Gregg Berhalter and his staff.
Kessler is yet to make his USMNT debut, though was part of the country’s Under-23 roster for Olympic Qualifying earlier this year. Should the 23-year-old New York City native formally join, he could feature alongside Revolution teammate Matt Turner, who has started all three previous Gold Cup games at goalkeeper.
A second-year player in New England, Kessler has one goal in 34 MLS games (28 starts). He’s helped the Revolution atop the Eastern Conference standings and to last year’s conference final.
