USMNT Nations League roster: Gio Reyna headlines European-heavy squad

By Doug McIntyre
Published

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and yes, Gio Reyna headline the roster for the U.S. men's national team's first two competitive matches since the 2022 World Cup.  

Interim USMNT coach Anthony Hudson on Wednesday named a 24-man squad for CONCACAF Nations League games later this month at Grenada and against El Salvador. Thirteen players on the roster were also members of the U.S. team that reached the second round of last year's World Cup in Qatar.  

The inclusion of Reyna is noteworthy; it comes just two days after the findings of an independent investigation into World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter and Reyna's parents — former national teamers Claudio and Danielle Reyna — were made public. The report confirmed, among other things, that Berhalter nearly sent Gio Reyna home from the World Cup because of his poor attitude, and that his parents repeatedly complained to U.S. Soccer officials about his lack of playing time at the tournament.  

"The situation during the World Cup was handled as a group, there was a positive response from the player, and we all moved forward," Hudson said in a Q&A posted on the federation's website after Wednesday's announcement. "Clearly it became a bit more complex in the months since the World Cup, but as far as we're concerned Gio is a part of our program.  

"He's a good guy and a top talent and he is evaluated like any other player," Hudson added. "We made the roster decisions based on what gives the team the best opportunity to win these games, and we brought him in because we think he can help us do that." 

The U.S. takes on Grenada, which they beat 5-0 last summer in a Nations League contest in Texas, on March 24. The Americans return home to face El Salvador in Orlando three days later. The teams played to a rain-soaked 1-1 tie in San Salvador in their most recent meeting.  

The roster includes 20 players who represent European clubs, two from Mexico's Liga MX and one based in Brazil. The only MLS rep is central defender Miles Robinson, a starter during World Cup qualifying who missed the main event after rupturing his Achilles tendon last spring.

Daryl Dike, Ricardo Pepi and Zack Steffen all return after not making the World Cup squad. Just two invitees, center back Auston Trusty and winger Taylor Booth, are uncapped.   

Here's the full list: 

Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath, Luton Town (England); Zack Steffen, Middlesbrough (England); Matt Turner, Arsenal (England) 

Defenders: Sergiño Dest, AC Milan (Italy); Mark McKenzie, Genk (Belgium); Tim Ream; Fulham (England); Bryan Reynolds, Westerlo (Belgium); Antonee Robinson, Fulham; Miles Robinson, Atlanta United (MLS); Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany); Auston Trusty, Birmingham City (England)  

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Leeds (England); Johnny Cardoso, Internacional (Brazil); Luca de la Torre, Celta Vigo (Spain); Weston McKennie, Leeds; Yunus Musah, Valencia (Spain); Alan Soñora, Juárez (Mexico)

Forwards: Taylor Booth, Utrecht (Netherlands); Daryl Dike, West Brom (England), Ricardo Pepi, Groningen (Netherlands); Christian Pulisic, Chelsea (England); Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund (Germany); Tim Weah, Lille (France); Alex Zendejas, Club América (Mexico) 

World Cup captain Tyler Adams wasn't available; Adams' club, Premier League Leeds, said Wednesday that the defensive midfielder injured his hamstring in training earlier this week.  

Other Qatar alums like Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josh Sargent also missed out because of minor ailments. The seven MLS players who went to the World Cup also stayed with their clubs; MLS scheduled a full slate of games during the March international window.  

The MLS-based U.S. regulars, a group led by World Cup starter Walker Zimmerman, are expected to be made available for the so-called "Continental Clásico" against Mexico on April 19. The rivalry match in Phoenix doesn't fall on a date set aside by FIFA for national team games, meaning clubs don't have to release players. Few, if any, European-based Americans are expected to face El Tri next month.   

With the Nations League's final four (assuming the U.S. qualifies for it) set for early June and the CONCACAF Gold Cup kicking off later that month, Hudson or his replacement will likely have to use upwards of 50 players between now and summer's end. 

"That's a lot of matches," Hudson said. "Players based outside the United States will need to have a break at some point this summer, and the domestic-based players could wind up missing a number of league games if they played in all the competitions." 

Still, with seven World Cup starters — Pulisic, McKennie, Sergiño Dest, Yunus Musah, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and Matt Turner – plus Reyna and in-form strikers Dike and Pepi all summoned for the March games, this U.S. team has more than enough firepower to roll into the semis and set the tone for the rest of a cycle that will end with a World Cup on home soil in 2026.  

"We walked away from the [last] World Cup knowing that we are capable of more," Hudson said. "We're excited to continue to move this group forward."

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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