USMNT roster: Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall named to youthful USA squad as embrace of young talent begins
The squad for the fall friendlies is almost evenly divided between players who competed at this summer's World Cup and uncapped players, the latter group boasting an average age of 19 years and six months
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The U.S. men's national team will usher in a batch of fresh faces for their first post-World Cup friendlies this fall, head coach Mauricio Pochettino introducing 13 uncapped players to the fold for a four-game stretch he has described as a "new start" for the group.
The 28-player roster includes 13 uncapped players, including forward Cavan Sullivan, the 16-year-old in the midst of a breakout season in MLS who has a deal in place to join Manchester City following his 18th birthday. Several other prominent MLS talents cracked the list like Sullivan's Philadelphia Union teammates Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield, while Red Bull New York duo Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall also made the cut. The vast majority of the USMNT's uncapped players are 21 or under, and the average age of the uncapped players is 19 years and six months.
Pochettino elected to balance out the squad with 13 members of this summer's World Cup team, including midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Ricardo Pepi. Key players like forwards Christian Pulisic, who dealt with an injury-plagued World Cup, and Folarin Balogun, who has not played since this summer's competition amid his own fitness issues and a failed move to Everton, and Weston McKennie, will miss out as the USMNT coaching staff prioritizes fresh faces. The experienced contingent in camp, though, will both assist in keeping the team competitive in the short-term as well as introducing a promising new generation to the demands of the senior national team.
Rounding out the roster are two players who return after long absences from the national team: midfielder Yunus Musah and defender George Campbell. Musah was a starter at the 2022 World Cup under Pochettino's predecessor Gregg Berhalter but was shuffled out of the fold in the build-up to the 2026 tournament, while Campbell earned his one and only cap thus far in a friendly against Venezuela in Jan. 2025.
USMNT roster for fall friendlies
Goalkeepers (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Diego Kochen (Lyngby Boldklub), Brian Schwake (Nashville SC)
Defenders (10): George Campbell (West Bromwich Albion FC), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles
Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Frankie Westfield (Philadelphia Union)
Midfielders (9): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough), Zavier Gozo (Crystal Palace), Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Brooklyn Raines (New England Revolution), Gio Reyna (RC Strasbourg Alsace), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards (5): Cole Campbell (SV Elversberg); Justin Ellis (Orlando City SC), Julian Hall (Red Bull New York), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
USMNT's fall friendlies
All times U.S./Eastern)
- Sept. 26: USMNT vs. Peru (4:30 p.m., TNT)
- Sept. 29: USMNT vs. Chile (8 p.m., TNT)
- Oct. 3: USMNT vs. Mexico (10 p.m., TNT)
- Oct. 6: USMNT vs. Canada (8 p.m., TNT)
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