New head coach Mauricio Pochettino has named his first US men’s national team roster, calling up four MLS players for October friendlies against Panama and Mexico.
GOALKEEPERS (4)
- Ethan Horvath - Cardiff City
- Patrick Schulte - Columbus Crew
- Zack Steffen - Colorado Rapids
- Matt Turner - Crystal Palace
DEFENDERS (8)
- Marlon Fossey - Standard Liege
- Kristoffer Lund - Palermo
- Mark McKenzie - Toulouse
- Tim Ream - Charlotte FC
- Antonee Robinson - Fulham
- Miles Robinson - FC Cincinnati
- Joe Scally - Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Auston Trusty - Celtic FC
MIDFIELDERS (7)
- Brenden Aaronson - Leeds United
- Gianluca Busio - Venezia
- Johnny Cardoso - Real Betis
- Weston McKennie - Juventus
- Aidan Morris - Middlesborough
- Yunus Musah - AC Milan
- Malik Tillman - PSV Eindhoven
FORWARDS (6)
- Folarin Balogun - Monaco
- Ricardo Pepi - PSV Eindhoven
- Christian Pulisic - AC Milan
- Josh Sargent - Norwich City
- Timothy Weah - Juventus
- Haji Wright - Coventry City
October friendlies
- Oct. 12 vs. Panama - 9 pm ET | Q2 Stadium - Austin, Texas
- Oct. 15 at Mexico - 10:30 pm ET | Estadio Akron - Guadalajara, Mexico
The Pochettino era begins at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium, where the USMNT will face Panama. Both sides met this summer at Copa América 2024, a 2-1 win for Los Canaleros that set the Yanks up for a group-stage exit and the eventual dismissal of former head coach Gregg Berharlter.
Three days later, Pochettino & Co. will travel to Guadalajara to face FIFA 2026 World Cup co-hosts Mexico. It'll be the first international friendly for the USMNT at their southern neighbors in over 12 years (a 1-0 win in August 2012), and their first trip overall to Mexico since 2022 World Cup qualifiers (0-0 draw).
MLS call-ups
Two MLS goalkeepers are in the 25-player squad: Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids) and Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew).
Steffen, who joined Colorado last winter from Premier League powerhouse side Manchester City, will look to earn his first cap since World Cup qualifying in March 2022. Meanwhile, Schulte is fresh off Columbus winning the Leagues Cup 2024 title and back-stopped Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The other two MLS representatives are center backs Tim Ream (Charlotte FC) and Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati).
Ream, who has the second-most caps (62) in the squad, joined Charlotte this summer from EPL side Fulham. He was part of the 2024 Copa América squad, as was Robinson.
MLS alums
Eleven of the 21 players competing abroad spent time in an MLS academy or first team.
That list includes former New York City FC fullback Joe Scally, Philadelphia Union product Brenden Aaronson and ex-FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi.
Pochettino era begins
Both friendlies will serve as the first measuring sticks for the USMNT under Pochettino, who took over the program last month with the stated goal of making a historic run at the 2026 World Cup.
“We need to believe that we can win, that we can win not only a game: We can win the World Cup,” the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager said during his introductory press conference.
With less than two years before the US co-host the tournament (along with Mexico and Canada), and just nine international windows between now and then, the work starts now for Pochettino.
