Gregg Berhalter names his first roster since returning to the USA job
Gio Reyna LEFT OUT of Gregg Berhalter’s USA squad while Inter Miami’s 18-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi gets his first call-up after shining alongside Lionel Messi
- Gio Reyna only recently returned to training with Dortmund after an injury
- Miami’s young star, Benjamin Cremaschi, has dual eligibility with Argentina
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The Second Berhalter Era is beginning in early September with a pair of friendlies played in the Midwest.
Today, the roster for those friendlies was released – featuring a mix of MLS faces, but with a number of returning members of the US’s ‘A’ Team.
With Europe playing Euro 2024 qualifiers, Africa playing AFCON qualifiers, and South America beginning the gauntlet that is World Cup qualification, the USA settled on games against Uzbekistan in St. Louis and Oman in Minneapolis.
The level of competition will significantly improve in the next international break – when the USA plays Germany in East Hartford, Connecticut before traveling to Nashville to take on Ghana.
But for now, Berhalter has named this roster in his return to the job he lost, then regained after the World Cup.
Gregg Berhalter’s first roster since re-gaining the United States job has been released
USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 32/0), Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 8/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Sergino Dest (PSV/NED; 26/2), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 11/0), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 0/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 51/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 10/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 25/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER; 6/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 7/0), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami; 0/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 16/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 44/11), Yunus Musah (Milan/ITA; 27/0), Malik Tillman (PSV/NED; 4/0)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 32/7), Folarin Balogun (Arsenal/ENG; 2/1) Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/1), Ricardo Pepi (PSV/NED; 16/7), Christian Pulisic (Milan/ITA; 60/25), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 31/4)
Among the most notable names missing from this roster are a pair of midfielders who have been dealing with injuries.
Tyler Adams – the captain of this team, who recently departed Leeds United for Bournemouth in the Premier League – has been dealing with hamstring issues and will not be available for these matches.
The hope is that he may be able to return to the roster for the October fixtures against Germany and Ghana, but that’s yet to be determined.
The other notable absence from this list is Gio Reyna, whose benching at the World Cup kicked off a debacle within US Soccer that saw Berhalter’s contract expire amidst an investigation.
Reyna, who plays his club football for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, has only just recently returned to training after an injury as well.
As discussed in an article with Vanity Fair, Berhalter says he has yet to reach out to Reyna since he was re-hired to the post of USMNT manager.
But Berhalter says that he hopes to meet with Reyna in person before he gets called up to the roster again.
As for who has been included in this roster, a number of players have seen returns after not playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
That was likely due to a congested club football season that was compacted by the World Cup in the fall.
Christian Pulisic returns to the lineup and is most likely to be named captain in Adams’ absence. Joining him in the forward ranks are Folarin Balogun of Arsenal and three players who recently made summer moves: Ricardo Pepi – now of PSV, Brenden Aaronson – who was loaned to Union Berlin, and Timothy Weah – who got a transfer to Juventus.
Cade Cowell, an MLS youngster who got plenty of playing time in the USA’s ill-fated Gold Cup title defense, has made a return to the roster.
None of the midfielders on this list played in the Gold Cup, but many of them featured in the CONCACAF Nations League title team.
Both captain Tyler Adams (L) and Gio Reyna (R) will miss this roster due to injury recovery
Christian Pulisic – the presumptive captain in Adams’ absence – has been lighting up Serie A
After picking up a red card vs. Mexico, Weston McKennie is now back in the lineup as well
Weston McKennie is back after an eventful end to his Nations League tournament – where he was given a bizarre red card in a disgraceful match against Mexico.
McKennie’s midfield partner and new Serie A rival Yunus Musah is also back within the team. Brazilian youngster Johnny Cardoso of Internacional, Luca de la Torre of Celta Vigo, and Malik Tillman – who Bayern Munich loaned out again, this time to PSV – all make returns as well.
In defense, Miles Robinson of Atlanta United – one of the few players to start in both the Nations League and the Gold Cup – remains in Berhalter’s good graces.
However, he’ll have competition at his position with Fulham captain Tim Ream. Ream’s fellow Cottager teammate Antonee ‘Jedi’ Robinson marks his return to the lineup, as does Joe Scally of Borussia Monchengladbach and Sergino Dest, now of PSV.
Mark McKenzie – who was snubbed from both the Nations League and Gold Cup rosters – makes his long-awaited return to the US squad, having not played since March.
In goal, Nottingham Forest keeper Matt Turner keeps his spot as the top shot stopper while his Forest understudy Ethan Horvath takes the place behind him.
Miles Robinson, one of the few players used in the Gold Cup and Nations League, stays in
Matt Turner, who recently moved from Arsenal to Nottingham Forest, also stays in the lineup
Finally, there are four players who could be making their debuts within the team.
First, center back Kristoffer Lund of Palermo is likely to make an appearance after filing with FIFA for a one-time switch to join the USA after previously representing Denmark at multiple youth levels.
Additionally, Kevin Paredes – who moved from DC United to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga in 2022 – could also get his first go for the Stars and Stripes.
Inter Miami keeper Drake Callender has been called up multiple times before, but has never made an appearance for the USA. Considering the form he’s been on for his club, that’s likely to change.
That leads to the final potential debutant – and the most intriguing selection on this list – Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi.
Since the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, no other young player on that squad has made an impact quite like Cremaschi has.
Drake Callender (1) is one of two Inter Miami players who could debut for the United States
The other is Benjamin Cremaschi – who has dual eligibility with the USA and with Argentina
In seven appearances in the Leagues Cup, he’s bagged a goal – a crucial one against FC Dallas in a match that went to penalties.
The 18-year-old Miami native previously appeared for the USMNT at the U-19 level, but his newest teammate may be able to twist him away from the Yanks.
Cremaschi is of Argentine descent. Now that he plays with Messi, it’s possible the Argentina captain could try and convince the youngster to move from the Red, White, and Blue to La Albiceleste.
Even with a call-up and an appearance now, Cremaschi could still play for Argentina given his age and the lack of importance in these matches. If the 18-year-old plays four matches – including friendlies – then he could possibly be locked in to the USA.
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