USMNT Announces 23-Man Roster for Nations League Finals

The final 23-man roster for the United States Men’s National team has been released by the USSF ahead of the Nations League Finals later this month in Los Angeles.

While many of the usual suspects made the squad, manager Mauricio Pochettino did include a few surprises in the mix.

Here’s the official roster in its entirety:

GK (3): Matt Turner, Zack Stefffen, Patrick Schulte

DEF (8): Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Auston Trusty, Marlon Fossey, Joe Scally, Cameron Carter-Vickers

MF (6): Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Tanner Tessmann, Diego Luna, Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso

FW (6): Yunus Musah, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Brian White, Josh Sargent, Patrick Agyemang

The ‘big four core’ of McKennie, Pulisic, Adams, and Weah make up the spine of this team. Despite not garnering consistent playing time, Reyna got the call ahead of the Aaronson brothers and Gianluca Busio. Cardoso’s inclusion was a no-brainer — though Tessmann’s was mildly interesting. He’s been playing well for Lyon over the last few weeks, and that seems to have resonated with Pochettino.

The goalkeeper choices aren’t all that surprising. There was a chance we’d see starlet Diego Kochen as a third-string option. Instead, veteran Zack Steffen earned that role.

Defensively, save for the recently returned Sergino Dest, much of the group is what you’d expect from a full-strength capacity. You’ll most likely see Robinson, Richards, McKenzie, and Scally locked in as automatic starters. Trusty and Carter-Vickers have the chemistry and experience together from their time at Celtic. Ream is the veteran leader who likely won’t feature save for an absolute emergency. Fossey has played well in Belgium, and clearly earned Pochettino’s respect as a guy who can fill in as an outside back option.

Luna’s inclusion is the most fascinating from the midfield spot. He’s long been a favorite of the fanbase despite not really getting a look during the Gregg Berhalter regime. He clearly showed enough bite and tenacity from the most recent camp to earn Pochettino’s trust. It’ll be a golden opportunity for Luna to establish himself — especially with Malik Tillman out injured.

At forward, the lack of depth at the No. 9 spot is glaring. With injuries to Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright, and Damion Downs, two MLS players in White and Agyemang got the call. White has played well in league play, and Agyemang scored during the last camp. Having said that, the starting spot has to be Sargent’s to lose. Many consider him the best striker in the Championship, and it’s only a matter of time until he’s up playing for a first division club somewhere.

Musah and Weah being listed as forwards is also a curious choice. Each have played outside back and on the wing for their clubs. Musah also has extensive experience centrally as a No. 6.

The U.S. will square off in the semifinals versus Panama on March 20th at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.