McKennie in, Pulisic and Reyna out of USMNT squad for October’s World Cup qualifiers
McKennie in, Pulisic and Reyna out of USMNT squad for October’s World Cup qualifiers
The Juventus midfielder is back in the team after being dismissed for violating Covid protocols
Weston McKennie is set to rejoin the U.S. men’s national team for October’s World Cup qualifiers after being dismissed from the group in September.
McKennie headlines a 27-player roster set for three qualifying matches as the U.S. will take on Jamaica on October 7, Panama on October 10 and Costa Rica on October 13.
The U.S. team is without several key faces, though, with Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna both not called in as they deal with injuries.
“We are excited to get the group back together for this next round of World Cup qualifiers,” USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter said.
“This squad represents a diverse group of talent, and we will need to rely on each and every team member to navigate through these three games. Our focus now is Jamaica and preparing to win that game.”
Where are Pulisic and Reyna?
Pulisic and Reyna are both out after suffering injuries during the last round of World Cup qualifiers.
The Chelsea star has been dealing with an ankle injury suffered in the win over Honduras, while Reyna suffered a hamstring injury in September’s first match against El Salvador.
Notable absences and returns
In addition to Pulisic and Reyna, the squad has several notable absences, especially up top.
Both Josh Sargent and Jordan Pefok have been left out of the team, with Gyasi Zardes and Matthew Hoppe returning to the attacking group after missing out in September.
Paul Arriola is also back in the mix, as is Tim Weah, who missed last month’s matches due to injury.
In the midfield, Yunus Musah is back after working his way back to full fitness while Gianluca Busio and Luca de la Torre are also among the new additions.
Defensively, Shaq Moore’s strong Gold Cup run has kept him in the picture ahead of Joe Scally despite the Borussia Monchengladbach star’s strong start in the Bundesliga.
The USMNT squad
Goalkeepers: Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: George Bello (Atlanta United), John Brooks (Wolfsburg), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Tenerife), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray)
Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Luca de la Torre (Heracles), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Tim Weah (Lille), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew)