Gio Reyna and Joe Scully will return to the US men's national team in the upcoming international window, and Christian Pulisic is among several regulars who will miss the tournament. But while the AC Milan midfielder has just recovered from an injury suffered during his last international appearance, Weston McKennie's absence is a little more surprising.
Reyna and Scully, both from Borussia Monchengladbach, are part of the 25-player squad selected by coach Mauricio Pochettino for two friendlies: against Paraguay on November 15 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, and against Uruguay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on November 18.
This is the penultimate window before Pochettino names his squad for the 2026 World Cup and the national team's last meeting until March. The team is missing several players other than Pulisic and McKennie: Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards is knocked out, Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Malik Tillman is out after returning from injury, and Marseille striker Tim Weah and Fulham left-back Anthony Robinson remain sidelined with their own ailments. In their place, several interesting names appeared, who often found themselves on the verge of competing for the national team.
Here's the full USMNT lineup by position, as well as some quick thoughts on each group:
Goalkeepers
Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati) Matt Freese (New York City) Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew)
Freese is the most experienced of the group and now appears favorite to start the World Cup as New England Revolution goalkeeper Turner has not been called up this time. Turner was the starter for Team USA in 2022, but Pochettino has largely stuck with that goalkeeping rotation, with Freese getting the most minutes in recent friendlies.
Defenders
Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew) Serginho Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando City) Mark McKenzie (Toulouse) Tim Rome (Charlotte) Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati) Joe Scully (Borussia Mönchengladbach) John Tolkien (Holstein Kiel), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Robinson's recovery from off-season knee surgery continues to keep him out of important games for Fulham. His absence means his absence from the national team will last up to a full calendar year. Arfsten has been Pochettino's favorite choice at left-back (or left wing-back if playing with three centre-backs) but will face some competition from Tolkien, who returns to the national team for the first time since the Gold Cup this summer. Scully's return as a right-back is also noteworthy, having not played for the United States since the Nations League final in March.
Keep an eye on who Pochettino plays at centre-back in Richards' absence. McKenzie, Ream and Miles Robinson spent a lot of time in the position, with Trusty brought in to give the group another option.
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Midfielders
Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps) Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough) Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach) Christian Roldan (Seattle Sounders) Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon) Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
Pulisic's absence from this group will make headlines, but Italian media reported that Pulisic's absence was agreed between Milan and the national team. Pulisic suffered a hamstring injury last time out in the US, from which he is only now recovering. On October 26, Weah suffered a thigh injury while playing for Marseille, so his absence is quite expected.
The big surprise exception is McKennie, who has started Juventus' last three Serie A games. He will be the main talking point in this camp, along with one name that is In that group: Reyna, who, like Scully, last played for the United States in the Concacaf Nations League final. Reyna is one of the most talented and creative players in the United States in his time, but he has been plagued by problems with injuries, form, playing time at the club level and constant questions about his attitude towards the game. Reina has played just 131 minutes for Gladbach this season after moving from Dortmund in the off-season in search of game time.
Forwards
Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United) Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake) Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Pepi returns to the team for the first time in a year, having suffered a knee injury at the end of 2024. He will be looking to claim the US striker role after Balogun impressed with goals in the team's recent friendlies. Pepi has scored three goals in eight appearances for PSV this season, most recently coming last weekend. Aaronson joins McKenzie, Trusty and Freese in the Philadelphia Union's class of academy players who are set for a homecoming of sorts against Paraguay.
