The United States Men’s National Soccer team have announced their squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022. The list of 26 players who will be flying to Qatar was announced by the team’s manager, Gregg Berhalter.
The USMNT could not qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but will play in the 2026 edition of the tournament since the United States will be hosting the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico. In 2010 and 2014, the USMNT got knocked out of the FIFA World Cup in the round of 16.
Also Read| Jacque Vaughn appointed new head coach by Brooklyn Nets
Check out the full squad right here:
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath, Shawn Johnson, Matt Turner;
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sergino Dest, Aaron Long, Shaq Moore, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, DeAndre Yedlin, Walker Zimmerman;
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Weston McKennie, Musah, Cristian Roldan;
Forwards: Jesus Ferreira, Jordan Morris, Christian Pulisic, Reyna, Josh Sargent, Timothy Weah, Haji Wright.
Two surprise omissions from the team were Middlesborough goalkeeper Zack Steffen and FC Groningen striker Ricardo Pepi.
While discussing the squad, Berhalter said that it was a “heartbreaking” decision for him to exclude Steffen, the goalie with whom he had earlier worked with in Columbus Crew.
The coach’s exact comment was, “Me and Zach go way back, and Zach’s been there for me a bunch of times,” further adding, “And to tell him he is not going to be part of the World Cup team was heartbreaking for me.”
When prodded about the reason behind Steffen’s exclusion, the 49-year-old said, “I think it’s more about who we do have, and the comfort level with the guys that are on the roster. We felt really comfortable with [Turner, Horvath and Johnson], and that’s the direction we decided to go.”
Pepi, despite being in solid form during the first round of the World Cup qualifiers, had to be sacrificed to make way for Ferreira and Sargent. Regarding Pepi’s exclusion, the coach said, “The Dutch League I think is a great league, but it doesn’t bring the same physicality that the Premier League brings and the Championship brings.” Pepi currently plays for FC Groningen in the Netherlands.
The USMNT are in Group B of the World Cup, and will begin their journey in the tournament against Wales on November 21. The other members of Group B include England and Iran.
