Twenty-seven players called up to USMNT training camp in Cincinnati

CHICAGO – After successfully qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter has called 27 players for the USA’s final set of home matches before Qatar 2022. The BioSteel USMNT Training Camp roster will begin reporting to Cincinnati this weekend.

With its World Cup ticket in hand, the USA will play four important matches this June as it prepares for the sport’s biggest stage. The USMNT kicks off the international window on June 1 against African powerhouse Morocco at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, UniMas, TUDN), before USA-Uruguay, presented by Allstate on June 5 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. The match against the two-time FIFA World Cup champions and 13^th-ranked Uruguay is set for 5 p.m. ET on FOX, Univision and TUDN.

The slate continues with the launch of the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League as the U.S. will attempt to defend its inaugural title, playing group stage matches against Grenada on June 10 (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, UniMas, TUDN) at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas and at El Salvador on June 14 (FS1, Univision, TUDN).

“We are excited to get the group back together as we prepare to compete against two fellow World Cup participants and begin the defense of our Concacaf Nations League title,” Berhalter said. “With the World Cup six months away, we aim to maximize these opportunities and continue to progress as a team. We are looking forward to experiencing the incredible support of our home fans for the last time before we represent them in Qatar in November.” 

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 7/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 29/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 16/0)

DEFENDERS (9): George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld/GER; 6/0), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 24/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 8/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 23/3), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes/FRA; 3/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 25/2), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 0/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 73/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 28/3)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 51/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 27/1), Luca de la Torre (Heracles/NED; 7/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 31/9), Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montreal/CAN; 6/1), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 16/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 31/0), Malik Tillman (Bayern Munich/GER; 0/0)

FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 18/5), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; 44/9), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 9/3), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 46/10), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 48/21), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 22/2), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor/TUR; 0/0)

The matches are scheduled during a FIFA international window, making all players available for selection.

WORLD CUP BOUND

The U.S. successfully completed the gauntlet of Concacaf qualifying in March, clinching its berth to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on the final matchday. In what promises to be one of the toughest groups in the tournament, the USMNT was drawn into Group B alongside the final UEFA play-off winner (one of Ukraine, Wales or Scotland), 2020 European Championship runners up England, and IR Iran.

The USA will have six preparation matches before heading to Qatar in November – these four during the June international window plus two additional friendlies in September. The trio of June matches on U.S. soil represent the USMNT’s final home games before the World Cup, with the June 10 match vs. Grenada in Austin serving as the team’s final send-off before Qatar 2022.

FINISHING THE SEASON STRONG

A number of USMNT players abroad head into camp with new silverware as the European club season comes to a close. Three players have already won titles abroad, with a number of additional season-ending honors on the line this weekend.

Forward Brenden Aaronson helped Red Bull Salzburg win the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup earlier this month, while defender Antonee Robinson and Fulham won the English Championship in convincing fashion, earning promotion to the Premier League for the 2022-23 season. Bayern Munich and midfielder Malik Tillman also won the Bundesliga title.

This weekend, midfielder Tyler Adams has the chance to lift the DFB Pokal as RB Leipzig takes on Freiburg in the domestic cup final on Saturday. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen and Manchester City hold a narrow one-point lead in the EPL table heading into this weekend’s final matches. Also in England, goalkeeper Ethan Horvath and Nottingham Forest will be playing for promotion to the Premier League in the Championship Playoff Final on Sunday, May 29 vs. Huddersfield Town.

In addition, forward Jordan Morris and midfielder Cristian Roldan helped the Seattle Sounders become the first MLS club to capture the Concacaf Champions League title earlier this month, topping Liga MX’s Pumas 5-2 in the two-legged final.

WELCOME BACK…

USMNT fans will be thrilled to Weston McKennie’s name back on the roster list. The Juventus midfielder has returned to full training after suffering a broken foot in the 1-1 draw against Villarreal on Feb. 22 in the UEFA Champions League that forced him to miss the USA’s final three World Cup Qualifiers.

After long layoffs from the USMNT, three players’ stellar club form have propelled them back to the National Team: defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, midfielder Djordje Mihailovic and forward Haji Wright. Carter-Vickers last played for the USA in 2019 and made eight appearances for the USA after earning his first cap in November 2017. On loan at Celtic, the center back anchored the Scottish giants to the league title and a League Cup championship.

Wright is on a red-hot scoring streak for Antalyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig, tallying in the team’s last seven matches and netting 14 goals on the season as his club is unbeaten in its last 10 games. A regular with the U-17 Men’s Youth National Team during the 2014-15 cycle, Wright has never appeared for the senior USMNT but was called into a summer training camp in May 2019.

Mihailovic has enjoyed a career resurgence since moving to CF Montreal last season. This spring, he’s scored seven goals and added five assists in 16 matches across MLS and Concacaf Champions League play. While he was called up for the team’s January pre-World Cup qualifying training camp, he hasn’t appeared for the USMNT since December 2020.

… AND WELCOME ABOARD

Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman is the lone player on the roster receiving his first call-up to the senior USMNT. A dual national of the United States and Germany, he will be available to the represent the U.S. pending a successful completion of his application to FIFA for a one-time change of association.

Tillman played for the U-15 Men’s Youth National Team in 2016 and has since appeared at a number of levels in Germany’s Youth National Team set-up as recently as March 2022. The 19-year-old made seven appearances for the 2021-22 Bundesliga champions this season, while spending most of his time with Bayern II in the fourth-division Regionalliga.

AGING NICELY

The USMNT was by far the youngest team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, garnering valuable experience going through the rigors of World Cup qualifying. Through 14 qualifiers, the team’s average age of players that appeared was 24.07. The next closest was Ecuador, whose average age of all players during their 18 qualifying matches came in at 25.81.

• BY THE NUMBERS: The USMNT’s 2022 World Cup Qualifying Run

From the available data for the qualified teams, the USMNT played the 10 youngest lineups worldwide during the recently concluded cycle, with all 14 lineups falling in the 22 youngest Starting XIs in the world during qualifiers dating back to October 2020. After its successful qualifying campaign, each match is another opportunity for the young USMNT player pool to gain experience against top-flight competition.

ROSTER NOTES

• The roster is composed of 17 players from Europe and 10 players from Major League Soccer.

• In total, players represent clubs in 12 different countries: USA (9), England (4), Germany (4), France (2), Austria (1), Canada (1), Italy (1), Netherlands (1), Portugal (1), Scotland (1), Spain (1), Turkey (1).

• As of the first day of training on May 28, the roster will hold an average age of 24 years, 211 days. Sixteen players are 24 or younger.

• The roster averages 22 caps and 13 in official competition.

• Nineteen players were part of the USMNT’s March World Cup Qualifying squad.

• As the USA opens 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League play this window, Gregg Berhalter calls upon 15 players that featured during the team’s run to the 2019-21 CNL title.

• With 73 caps, DeAndre Yedlin is the senior-most player on the roster, followed by Kellyn Acosta (51), Christian Pulisic (48), Jordan Morris (46) and Paul Arriola (44).

• Center back Cameron Carter-Vickers will look for his first USMNT appearance since June 5, 2019 against Jamaica. The 24-year-old center back returns to USMNT camp on the back of a stellar season on loan with Celtic, appearing in 45 matches across all competitions while providing four goals to help Celtic claim the SPFL championship.

• Though he took part in the first part of January Camp this year, Djordje Mihailovic will seek his first cap since Dec. 9, 2020 vs. El Salvador. The 23-year-old midfielder has contributed seven goals and five assists in 16 matches across all competitions for CF Montreal this season

• Three players have the chance to make their USMNT debut during the June window: midfielder Malik Tillman (Bayern Munich), forward Haji Wright (Antalyaspor) and defender Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach).

• The lone USMNT newbie in camp, Tillman has previously represented German youth teams in official competition, and will be available to represent the U.S. pending a successful completion of his application to FIFA for a one-time change of association.

• Tillman previously represented Germany at the U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-21 level. He also twice represented the U.S. U-15 Men’s Youth National Team in two friendly matches in 2016, teaming up with current USMNT Pool Players George Bello, Gianluca Busio and Gio Reyna.

• Last called up for camp in May 2019, Wright returns to the USMNT on the back of a standout season with Turkish club Antalyaspor where he has tallied 14 goals in 32 appearances, good enough for fourth on the Turkish Super Lig scoring charts going into the season’s final matchday.

• Joe Scally also returns to USMNT camp after last taking part during the November World Cup Qualifiers. The 19-year-old full back finished his first Bundesliga season with 33 goals across all competitions for Borussia Mönchengladbach, providing a goal and two assists.

• Striker Jesús Ferreira tops the MLS Golden Boot chart with nine goals in 12 matches for FC Dallas this season. The 21-year-old has four goals and one assist in his last four matches.

• Ferreira’s FC Dallas teammate Paul Arriola has registered a goal in each of his last three matches for the club.

• Winger Brenden Aaronson is back in USMNT camp after missing the March qualifiers through injury. The 21-year-old helped Red Bull Salzburg earn the Austrian Bundesliga and ÖFB Cup titles for a second straight season, collecting six goals and eight assists in 40 matches across all competitions.

• Like Aaronson, injury also forced goalkeeper Matt Turner to miss out in March. The soon-to-be Arsenal goalkeeper has appeared in three matches since his return, keeping a clean sheet and helping New England Revolution to an unbeaten 1-0-2 record.

• Midfielder Tyler Adams has a chance to lift hardware this weekend as RB Leipzig take on Freiburg in the German DFB Pokal Final on Saturday. The 23-year-old appeared in 36 matches this season, helping Leipzig to a fourth-place finish and a place in the UEFA Champions League next campaign.

• Center back Erik Palmer-Brown followed his return to the USMNT in March by garnering April Player of the Month honors for French side Troyes. The 25-year-old has been a fixture on the back line for the club since the new year, making 18 of his 20 Ligue 1 appearances since January.

• Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris are back in camp after helping Seattle Sounders become the first MLS side to win the Concacaf Champions League last month. Roldan has played inspired soccer this season, registering three goals and eight assists in 18 matches thus far, while Morris has contributed five goals and three assists in 16 games.