It's official: 13 players with World Cup experience make U.S. roster - BERITAJA

Mauricio Pochettino knows the joyousness of making a World Cup roster. But he besides knows the misery of being near disconnected one.

In the first case, you want to celebrate; successful the second, you want to beryllium near alone.

The U.S. coach said he kept some emotions successful mind erstwhile informing players they had — aliases had not — made the roster for adjacent month’s tournament, a roster that was formally announced Tuesday during a sun-splashed, made-for-TV rally successful the protector of the Brooklyn Bridge, about 13 miles from wherever July’s World Cup last will beryllium played.

“The about important arena is to beryllium successful immoderate azygous roster,” said Pochettino, who made Argentina’s squad for the 2002 World Cup aft being passed complete 4 years earlier.

So erstwhile Pochettino decided which 26 men would beryllium connected his squad this summer, each of them sewage a WhatsApp message, followed by a video, sent retired astatine 1 p.m. Eastern Time Friday. Defender Tim Ream said he received the connection arsenic he walked to his car aft training pinch his nine squad successful Charlotte, N.C.

“It made maine extremity successful my tracks and instantly telephone my woman to fto her know,” he said. “We some had been anxious and excited for the announcement.

“I’m not overly emotional, but it was decidedly a alleviation and location was a small spot of spot of quivering, for sure, pinch my family erstwhile I recovered out.”

Christian Pulisic was unsocial successful Milan, wherever he plays successful Italy’s Serie A, erstwhile his telephone lit up.

“I was conscionable relaxing. Then I saw the connection popular up and sewage excited,” he said.

The 29 players from the provisional roster who didn’t make the cut? They each sewage a elemental email. And nary explanation.

“I cognize it is truthful painful. It was truthful achy for me,” Pochettino said.

“When I didn’t make the roster, I didn’t want my coach to telephone me,” he added. “Because we attraction a lot, we don’t want to opportunity thing to confuse the player. A subordinate who didn’t make the roster, they don’t want to perceive maine say, ‘Oh [too bad].’”

Christian Pulisic holds up his U.S. jersey during a rally Tuesday successful New York.

(Adam Hunger / Getty Images)

Ream and Pulisic are 2 of 13 players who are returning to the World Cup aft making the squad successful Qatar 4 years ago, portion of a database that includes midfielders Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie and defenders Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson. They will beryllium joined by defenders Miles Robinson and Chris Richards, some of who missed the past World Cup because of injury, and guardant Ricardo Pepi, 1 of the last cuts successful 2022.

Richards was chosen contempt tearing 2 ligaments successful his near ankle playing for Crystal Palace earlier this month. Pochettino had nary caller accusation connected the wounded Tuesday but said the last World Cup roster doesn’t request to beryllium revenge pinch FIFA until Sunday; aft that, teams could switch players up to 24 hours earlier their opening lucifer successful the arena of wounded aliases illness.

Reyna’s inclusion was besides a insignificant astonishment since he has played conscionable 1 afloat 90-minute crippled for nine aliases state successful the past 4 years. In the past World Cup successful Qatar, he was about sent location for a perceived deficiency of effort successful training aft he learned he wouldn’t beryllium a starter successful the tournament.

But Pochettino said picking him was an easy decision.

“I really spot successful him,” Pochettino said. “He’s a different player. A different talent. The roster needs to person a subordinate for illustration him.”

There were besides notable omissions, among them midfielders Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann. Luna, who plays successful MLS for Real Salt Lake, has been a regular nether Pochettino, playing successful 17 of the U.S. team’s 18 games successful 2025. But he missed clip earlier this play pinch a knee wounded and sat retired of his nine team’s past 2 games pinch a musculus problem

Tessmann had been called into six training camps nether Pochettino and was seen arsenic a imaginable starter for the U.S. earlier being unopen down by his French club, Lyon, astatine the extremity of the season, leaving his fittingness for the World Cup successful question.

Pochettino declined to talk about either subordinate — aliases anyone other near disconnected the team.

“We are not going to talk about the players that are not connected the roster,” he said. “That’s disrespectful to the players who are connected the roster.”

Raising questions about who should person been included, the coach said, needfully leads to questions about who should person been near off.

“That was my determination to prime that 26,” he said

Pochettino said he didn’t settee connected a roster until the time earlier players sewage the WhatsApp videos — aliases the elemental email.

“We wanted the correct equilibrium pinch the correct players,” he said.

Among the first-time World Cup selections are midfielder Malik Tillman, the German-born relative of LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman; Mexican-born attacker Alejandro Zendejas, who plays for Club América successful the Liga MX; and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, boy of Gregg Berhalter, the U.S. coach successful the past World Cup.

Berhalter said he was successful Qatar 4 years ago, cheering connected his dad’s team. This year, his dada will beryllium cheering for him.

“If you judge successful your dream and put successful the work, you ne'er cognize what mightiness happen,” he said from the shape aft being introduced to the crowd astatine Tuesday’s rally.

The squad will unfastened training campy successful Atlanta connected Wednesday up of friendlies pinch Senegal successful Charlotte, N.C., connected Sunday and against Germany connected June 6 successful Chicago. The squad will past move to the Orange County Great Park successful Irvine for last preparations for its World Cup opener against Paraguay astatine SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood connected June 12.

U.S. World Cup roster

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse) Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United),Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)