The returns of Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams and Borussia Dortmund attacker Gio Reyna highlight Mauricio Pochettino's 23-player roster for the final stage of the Concacaf Nations League.
The United States squad, aiming for its fourth consecutive CNL title, is scheduled to face Panama in the semifinals March 20 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the winner advancing to the final three days later against either Canada or Mexico.
The U.S. will begin reporting to Los Angeles for training Sunday.
Given that the U.S. is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, the CNL marks a rare chance for the USMNT to play competitive matches.
This summer's Concacaf Gold Cup will be the last time that the U.S. gets to play in a tournament setting.
"This is a massive opportunity to win a trophy and that is our clear objective," Pochettino said. "We must continue to show our quality, our bravery and our commitment to each other. We have an important moment to represent our country and our supporters, and we are very excited for this opportunity."
Adams' return in particular will provide the U.S. with a boost. The U.S. World Cup captain has been battling a variety of injuries since playing in Qatar in 2022. He had back surgery last summer following the 2024 Copa América.
He has logged 1167 minutes in 18 appearances, 12 of them starts.
"He is a very good player, but of course he needs to prove that he's better than the others," Pochettino said during a media availability. "It is a good competition in the midfield.
"We are going to have [Tanner] Tessmann and Johnny Cardoso, [Yunus] Musah, Weston McKennie that can play in that position. We have very good competition and it is good opportunity for us to feel him, to see him and it is great to have him again."
Reyna has found it difficult to crack the Dortmund lineup this season. He has made 20 appearances in all competitions, but totaled just 540 minutes, scoring two goals. Still, the hope is that he can add a spark to the U.S. attack.
"I think when we decide to call players, [it] was a great opportunity to see him, to feel him," Pochettino added of Reyna. "It's true that maybe he's not playing too much, but I think for us he's a great player and we want to consider him.
"But the most important thing is that we need to feel and that is going to be the opportunity to have him 10 days, feeling and connecting and to creating a relationship that they can help him and can help us for the future."
Otherwise, the roster is full of familiar faces. Sixteen players have participated in at least one CNL finals tournament, with six players having taken part in all three previous editions: McKennie, Musah, Christian Pulisic, Reyna, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah.
The roster will have an average age of 26 years, 20 days as of the first day of training Monday, with an average of 28 caps and 14 in official competition.
Several players are either injured or have just returned, including the PSV Eindhoven trio of defender Sergiño Dest, midfielder Malik Tillman and forward Ricardo Pepi. Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson was left off the roster, with Pochettino saying there is a lot of competition for his position.
"We decide to bring another player in his place," the coach said. "I think we have player in that position like Gio Reyna for the first time And then Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Diego Luna, I think too many players for only one position.
"When you have the possibility [of] only 23 players to call in a competition, that is only two games in a very short space of time, I think we need a balance, a good balance."
Pepi's absence due to a knee injury has created an opening at forward for Norwich City striker Josh Sargent, who has been in electric form of late with eight goals in his last eight matches. A pair of inexperienced strikers in Charlotte FC's Patrick Agyemang and the Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White will provide depth at the central striker position.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 30/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 49/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 18/0), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege/BEL; 1/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 17/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 67/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 23/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 50/4), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 19/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 4/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 42/2), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 3/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 58/11), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 31/8), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 6/0)
FORWARDS (6): Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 2/2), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 45/1), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 76/32), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 27/5), Timothy Weah (Juventus/ITA; 42/7), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 3/1)