USMNT Releases 60-Man Roster for Nations League Final Four

The United States Men’s National Team released its 60-man preliminary roster Monday morning for the upcoming Nations League Final Four.

This competition will be held at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles from Mar. 20-23. Action will kick off on the 20th when the United States plays Panama. Mexico will play Canada on the other side of the bracket. The winners will play each other on the 23rd, and the two losers will also square off against one another on the same day.

This preliminary roster was constructed as the basis for which each team can be selected. For the most part, there aren’t too many surprises from the U.S. point of view.

Longtime stalwarts such as Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Gio Reyna, and Yunus Musah are all present. Fellow core members including Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Joe Scally, Josh Sargent, Brenden Aaronson, and Mark McKenzie are also present.

You’ve also got many of the MLS-based players who’ve been involved in some form or fashion for years (Miles Robinson, Tim Ream, Walker Zimmerman, Jordan Morris, Djordje Mihailovic) as well as younger ones (Nathan Harriel, Patrick Agyeman, Max Arfsten, Emeka Eneli, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn) all fighting for a spot on the team.

With all of that said, there are also some rather intriguing names coming from across the pond.

Brenden’s younger brother Paxten has been one of the better attacking players in Holland this past season. GK Diego Kochen continues to be called in despite not having a single cap for FC Barcelona’s senior team. Noahkai Banks is the perceived future for the senior team at centerback. Playing for Augsburg in the Bundesliga at 19 years of age, he’s got a world of potential and a gigantic ceiling. Borussia Dortmund winger Cole Campbell has been a prolific youth team scorer. The hope is that he’ll eventually get a loan to showcase his bright future in more of a consistent capacity.

Griffin Yow is a tricky winger plying his trade in Belgium. Maxi Dietz, John Tolkin, and Damion Downs all play in Germany. Downs in particular is a name to watch. He provides a serious presence in the box as a 6’4″ target striker. In 22 appearances this year for 1.FC Koln, he’s notched 9 goals and 4 assists.

In terms of notable names left off the roster, Mauricio Pochettino has left off Sergino Dest, Haji Wright, and Malik Tillman due to injury. Richy Ledezma — the midfielder/defender for PSV Eindhoven — was curiously left off the list. Some assume this may mean he could be filing a one-time switch to represent Mexico in the future.