Adams, Pulisic, McKennie Highlight USMNT Nations League Squad
U.S. Soccer released the squad that head coach Gregg Berhalter would use for the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League on Wednesday, and a familiar face returns to the fray as the U.S. prepares to battle Jamaica in the semifinals on March 21.
Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams, who has struggled with hamstring issues, will rejoin the U.S. squad for the first time since the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he captained the U.S. side that reached the Round of 16.
“This decision was basically the output of months of communication with his club, to track where he’s at, to see the levels that he’s performing at in training, the loads that he’s doing and training,” Berhalter said about Adams’ availability. “And then finally a conversation with his coach two days ago, and really hearing from the coach, where he thinks Tyler’s at, he couldn’t say enough good things about him. Certainly they think at the club that he has enough to play up to 45 minutes for us.
“So once we heard that, we jumped at that idea because he means so much to the team, both on and off the field. It’ll be nice to get him back. His last time with the national team was at the World Cup, so he’s been missed for a while and it’ll be nice to get him back into this group.”
Adams also made his first Premier League appearance for Bournemouth on Wednesday, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in the club’s 4-3 victory over Luton Town.
Adams is joined on the roster by the high-flying Christian Pulisic, who has 10 goals and six assists for AC Milan since making the move to the club from Chelsea this past summer, and Weston McKennie who has cemented himself as one of Juventus’s most important midfield options.
The U.S. will be aiming to win its third Nations League title beginning with the semifinal matchup against Jamaica in Arlington, Texas. The winner of that match will play the winner of the other semifinal between Mexico and Panama in the final on March 24 while the losers will meet in the third-place match.
“The objective ahead of us is clear. We want to compete for our third Nations League title and continue to challenge ourselves to succeed in knockout round matches,” Berhalter said. “This is a group of players with a lot of experience in these types of matches and we look forward to the opportunity.”
The U.S.’s full roster can be found below.
Roster (Club/Country; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), 18-Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 37/0)
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 32/2), 23-Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), 16-Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 55/1), 3-Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 14/1), 5-Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 39/4), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 28/3), 19-Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 8/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 4-Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 36/1), 15-Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 9/0), 14-Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 20/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 49/11), 6-Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 33/0), 7-Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 24/7)
FORWARDS (6): 20-Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 8/3), 17-Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 8/0), 9-Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 22/10), 10-Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 64/28), 11-Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 23/5), 21-Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 35/5)
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