The U.S. men’s national team has Christian Pulisic back in the fold, with the forward on Mauricio Pochettino’s roster for September friendlies against South Korea and Japan.
Pochettino and U.S. Soccer announced a 22-player roster Tuesday, Aug. 26, with Pulisic being recalled. The AC Milan star had asked to take this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup off, citing the window as his last chance to rest before the 2026 World Cup. Pochettino granted the request, but chafed at an additional ask from Pulisic, who per the manager offered to play in two friendlies before the Gold Cup.
With new faces pushing their way into contention for a World Cup roster spot, the USMNT went to the final of the Gold Cup, falling 2-1 to Mexico. However, Pulisic’s request for time off set off numerous retired USMNT players-turned-pundits, who criticized the AC Milan star’s commitment to the program.
The ensuing war of words — eventually involving Pulisic’s father criticizing former U.S. great Landon Donovan and current USMNT winger Tim Weah calling the line of attack ‘evil’ — ended up being the biggest story of the summer.
Concerning the return of the team’s leading active scorer, Mauricio Pochettino said he ‘didn’t talk to Christian’ before formulating this roster.
‘I think it’s behind us, all that happened in the summer,’ Pochettino told reporters shortly after the roster was announced. ‘I think now, we need to look forward… The plan for Christian now is to see him in this camp, and of course hope that he arrives in a good condition.’
Pulisic is one of several high-profile returning players in the squad. Weah was obliged to play for his club side at the time, Juventus, during this summer’s Club World Cup, while starting defender Sergiño Dest has recently returned from a torn ACL suffered in April 2024. Weah has since moved to Olympique Marseille in the French top flight.
However, for some of the USMNT’s other established regulars, there were more surprises. Reiterating a longstanding theme in his tenure, Pochettino declared that ‘no one has a place for sure’ on his set-up, leaving out several big names who are seemingly healthy. Another Juventus player, Weston McKennie, is among them, as is midfielder Yunus Musah (who revealed on Tuesday that his request to skip the Gold Cup also came down to fatigue).
Midfielder Gio Reyna, defender Joe Scally, goalkeeper Matt Turner, and forward Haji Wright are other prominent absentees.
Pochettino has shown more of a preference for MLS players than some of his predecessors, with 10 of the 22 players named on Tuesday coming from the U.S. league.
‘I think it’s not necessary to move from MLS to Europe,’ explained the Argentina native. ‘Sometimes MLS, under my assessment, maybe is more competitive than some leagues in Europe.’
The USMNT is without at least five big names due to injury, including strikers Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi. One of its key players, Antonee Robinson, is also on that list, with the Fulham defender only just making his return from a knee issue in a 28-minute appearance Sunday against Manchester United. Playmaker Malik Tillman, who stood out at the Gold Cup, is also out with what Bayer Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag last week called a ‘minor strain.’
Per U.S. Soccer, the final squad for these matches will include 23 players, with one final selection to be named at a later date. The players will arrive in New Jersey on Sunday, Aug. 31 to begin training ahead of friendly games against two of Asia’s premier national teams.
Here’s what to know about the USMNT roster to face South Korea and Japan:
USMNT roster for Korea, Japan games: Pulisic returns
Here is the 22-player USMNT roster assembled by head coach Mauricio Pochettino for the team’s upcoming matches against South Korea and Japan:
(All players listed with their club team, number of caps, and number of goals)
Goalkeepers (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati, 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC, 7/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena, 0/0)
Defenders (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew, 10/1), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg, 0/0), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps, 0/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV, 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City, 7/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union, 1/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC, 74/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, 31/3)
Midfielders (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth, 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps, 6/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC, 31/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake, 12/3), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo, 11/2), Sean Zawadski (Columbus Crew, 1/0)
Forwards (5): Damion Downs (Southampton, 5/0), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, 78/32), Josh Sargent (Norwich City, 28/5), Tim Weah (Marseille, 44/7), Alex Zendejas (Club América, 11/1)
Per U.S. Soccer, one more player will be added to the group at a later date.
How to watch USMNT September friendlies vs. South Korea and Japan
The USMNT will play two games during the upcoming FIFA international break. First up, the U.S. will host South Korea in Harrison, N.J. on Saturday, September 6, followed by a match against Japan three days later in Columbus, Ohio.
USMNT vs. South Korea: Time, TV, streaming
Date: Saturday, Sept. 6
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Sports Illustrated Stadium (Harrison, N.J.)
TV channel: TNT (English), Telemundo, Universo (both Spanish)
Streaming: Max, Sling TV, Peacock
Watch USMNT vs. South Korea on Sling TV
USMNT vs. Japan: Time, TV, streaming
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 9
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio)
TV channel: TNT (English), Telemundo, Universo (both Spanish)
Streaming: Max, Sling TV, Peacock
Watch USMNT vs. Japan on Sling TV