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USMNT roster for pre-World Cup friendlies: Pulisic, McKennie lead squad, Pepi surprise inclusion

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With one final chance for players to make an impression before November’s World Cup, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter had just a few surprises in his 26-man roster for friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia later this month. The roster is headlined by stars Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna and Yunus Musah.

The most notable inclusion in the squad is that of forward Ricardo Pepi, who has struggled for playing time and goals since moving from FC Dallas to Augsburg in the German Bundesliga last year. Pepi, who recently went on loan to Groningen in Holland, is back in the team and back in the picture to fight for a roster spot at a striker position that is suddenly flush with options.

Pepi, 19, will join FC Dallas forward Jesús Ferreira and Norwich City forward Josh Sargent on the depth chart at the No. 9 in this camp. Union Berlin’s Jordan Pefok (two goals, three assists in the 2022-23 German Bundesliga season), FC Cincinnati’s Brandon Vazquez (16 goals, five assists in the 2022 MLS season) and Antalyaspor’s Haji Wright (five goals in the 2022-23 Turkish Süper Lig season) were not included in the squad.

Pepi, who broke out last year by scoring three goals for the U.S. during qualifying, has not scored a goal for club or country since netting twice against Jamaica last October. He started a play that led to a goal in his first appearance for Groningen last weekend, but his form has been well short of scoring surges for the likes of Pefok and Vazquez.

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Sargent returns to the squad for the first time since September, when he appeared in all of the U.S’s first three qualifying matches, starting twice. Sargent fell out of favor as he struggled to make an impact as a winger for a Norwich team that was relegated from the Premier League last season. Sargent, though, has scored five goals in eight Championship appearances for Norwich to start this season.

There are three notable injury absences in the squad: left back Antonee Robinson (ankle), goalkeeper Zack Steffen (knee) and winger Tim Weah (foot). Midfielder Cristian Roldan, who has been a part of every U.S. roster since last summer’s Gold Cup, is also out due to an injury.

Robinson’s injury has opened the door for Berhalter to learn more about a potential backup for the Fulham fullback at the World Cup. Sam Vines, 23, has been playing consistently at Royal Antwerp in Belgium and is a true left-footed option. Joe Scally, 19, is a consistent starter at right back for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga and could provide some roster flexibility if he can show he’s a solid option to play on the left, where he has played for both Gladbach and the U.S. in the past.

Steffen’s absence is notable in that he is in a fight for his starting job while on loan at Middlesbrough. His injury and form have opened the door for other goalkeepers to make a claim for a roster spot, with Luton Town’s Ethan Horvath and NYCFC veteran Sean Johnson making the squad for the September friendlies and the Chicago Fire’s young star Gaga Slonina waiting in the wings. Matt Turner, who moved from the New England Revolution to the Premier League’s Arsenal this summer, now seems in prime position to start in Qatar.


(Photo: David Price / Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Berhalter opted not to bring extra players for this squad, sticking with the same number of players he will be allowed at the World Cup. That means some bubble players were left off this roster, most notably Rangers center back James Sands, Fulham center back Tim Ream and the aforementioned forwards, Pefok and Vazquez.

Berhalter brought just four center backs in this team: Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, New York Red Bulls’ Aaron Long, Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards and Nashville SC’s Walker Zimmerman. Reggie Cannon, Sergiño Dest and DeAndre Yedlin were named as right back options, while Scally and Vines will likely compete at left back.

With Weah out injured, Seattle’s Jordan Morris and FC Dallas’ Paul Arriola will look to secure their spot on the plane to Qatar. The winger depth chart, though, is headlined by some of the biggest stars on the roster: Chelsea’s Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund’s Reyna and Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson.

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The midfield group was as expected, with Leeds’ Adams, Juventus’ McKennie and Valencia’s Musah the expected starters in a group that also includes LAFC’s Kellyn Acosta, Celta Vigo’s Luca de la Torre and Rangers’ Malik Tillman.

The September squad continues to highlight the youth of this U.S. national team. Thirteen players are aged 23 or younger. Through 14 World Cup qualifiers, the U.S. starting 11 came in at an average age of 23.82, almost two years younger than the next closest team that qualified for the World Cup, Ghana at 25.67. Just one player in this team has World Cup experience: Yedlin.

The U.S. will convene in Cologne, Germany this weekend. They’ll train there before making a quick trip to Dusseldorf for the friendly against Japan on Sept. 23, then travel to Murcia, Spain for the friendly against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27. The matches will be the first opportunity for 21 players on the U.S. roster to play against an opponent from the Asian Football Confederation. The Americans will face another AFC opponent in Iran in their final group stage match at the World Cup in November.

Players will return to their clubs following camp. Berhalter may hold a camp in October for MLS players whose teams fail to qualify for the postseason, but the full U.S. roster won’t get back together until after the 26-man World Cup team is named on Nov. 9. The U.S. will open camp in Qatar on Nov. 14, then open Group B play against Wales on Nov. 21.

Detailed roster by position

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC), Tyler Adams (Leeds United), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Malik Tillman (Rangers)

FORWARDS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Norwich City)

(Photo of Ricardo Pepi: David Berding / Getty Images)



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Honduras vs. USMNT score, ratings: Ricardo Pepi rides to the rescue as USA come from behind to earn vital win

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The United States men’s national team got its first win of the World Cup qualifying cycle on Wednesday, coming from behind to beat Honduras 4-1 in San Pedro Sula. Staring a defeat in the face at half time, manager Gregg Berhalter was proactive this time around, making changes that ended up paying off. Substitute Antonee Robinson scored just minutes after coming on, fellow sub DeAndre Yedlin came off the bench and delivered a brilliant assist as Ricardo Pepi headed home the winner in the 75th minute in his world cup qualifying debut. The 18-year-old also recorded two assists. The USA would also get goals from Brenden Aaronson and Sebastian Lletget.

Here’s the winning goal:

The win moves the red, white and blue to five points after three games, putting them back into good standing as qualifying continues next month. Anything but a win in this one would have seen a mountain more of pressure on manager Gregg Berhalter, but now he has some breathing room, some film to work with and much-needed confidence entering October. 

While the U.S. ended up with the three golden points, the first half was all Honduras, despite only having a couple good looks on goal. DC United talent Andy Najar was the creative engine in the middle, at times making his markers look silly with his skill moves and turns. In front of a packed crowd in San Pedro Sula, it felt like the hosts were the most likely to get the opener, and that’s just what happened thanks to a header by Brayan Mora as the American defense was caught sleeping in the 27th minute. 

In the second half, Berhalter made numerous changes, and the team quickly responded through Robinson’s fine finish inside the box in the 48th minute. From that moment on, the team grew with confidence and looked like the most likely team to take all of the points. 

While the match was there for the taking, the U.S. looked improved and sharper with each minute. Even after star Christian Pulisic came off injured in the second half, the U.S. was on the front foot, came alive late and earned what may end up being a monumental victory.

USMNT ratings

(GK) Matt Turner

90 Made a couple really big saves to keep his team in it, including a glancing header just after the hour mark. As steady as they come.

7

(DEF) George Bello

45 Really energetic and positive early on but at times needed to react a bit better to passes that were diagonal and was badly caught out on the goal. Taken off at the break.

5

(DEF) Miles Robinson

90 Very good again when dealing with one-on-ones. Used his physical ability to shoulder Honduran attackers and gave this team a rock at the back that it needed.

7

(DEF) John Brooks

45 Sloppy and unfocused in his passing. Was also nowhere to be found on the goal due to pushing too high into midfield and was taken off at the break.

3

(DEF) Mark McKenzie

90 Kind of quiet in the sense that he didn’t make any big mistakes nor did he have to step up in big moments. He’ll take that, and so will the fans.

6

(DEF) Tyler Adams

90 Moved to right back for this game and was just completely out of his best position. Did OK, but it wasn’t his fault he was moved to where he shouldn’t be playing. Moved centrally later and helped change the game.

7.5

(MID) Kellyn Acosta

90 Never looked sharp on the ball, and was incredibly disconnect with James Sands in midfield, and it was like playing a man down in the first half. Was better in the second when the team shifted to a midfield three and also contributed defensively.

6

(MID) James Sands

73 Really bad in the first half but pretty solid in the second. Just doesn’t have the range to play without two midfield partners. Did well in the air and made some good challenges, though at this point he shouldn’t be starting.

5.5

(FWD) Christian Pulisic

62 Showed fight as always, but he got very little service. He had one good chance in front of goal that he skied all the way to Tegucigalpa. Had another late in the first half that was blocked, adding to his frustration. Helped set up the first goal but was taken off due to an injury.

4

(FWD) Ricardo Pepi

90 Just completely dominated off the ball by the bigger, stronger Hondurans in the first half. Then completely turned it around in the second half, with his holdup play helping create the equalizer before bagging the winner. A sensational second half.

8

(FWD) Josh Sargent

45 Passing was off, was never given a decent look at goal but did nearly set up Pulisic in the first half. Still, it wasn’t good enough and lasted just 45 minutes.

4

Brenden Aaronson

 Sargent

Came off the bench and got a goal, remaining the team’s top scorer in qualifying. Brought the quickness and creativity that was needed.

7

Antonee Robinson

 Bello

Came on and changed the game after three minutes with his equalizer and always looked dangerous. Composed display.                 

7

Sebastian Lletget

 Brooks

Brought much-needed experience and stability into the middle and was rewarded with a goal.

7
Cristian Roldan Pulisic Came on for 28 minutes and was a tad sloppy in his passing but it wasn’t costly. 5
DeAndre Yedlin Sands A key addition that assisted the winning goal just two minutes after coming on. The super sub. 7.5

Gregg Berhalter

5 The first half was absolutely awful, but the second half was the complete opposite. Deserves credit for getting his team to respond and picking up three huge points. He also actually made changes early with a halftime triple subsitution. But his work is just getting started. So many issues to fix ahead of next month.

7

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USMNT, Ricardo Pepi shine against Honduras in second half of World Cup qualifier

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The U.S. men’s national team has gotten its World Cup qualifying campaign back on the rails with a 4-1 win over Honduras on Wednesday night.

After entering halftime down 1-0, manager Gregg Berhalter made three substitutions to start the second half with aplomb. What ensued was a four-goal onslaught, as the USMNT climbed all the way to third in the Octagonal as the first international window comes to a close.

It was a classic “tale of two halves” type of match. After struggling in the 4-3-3, Berhalter lined his team up in a 3-4-3. What ensued was an even sloppier 45 minutes than any of the previous four intervals, with gaps galore in the midfield, between the back seven and the attack, and all over the defensive line.

After the tactical change and personnel swaps, the team looked far more capable of finding success. Fullbacks Antonee Robinson and DeAndre Yedlin came off the bench and directly influenced goals, Robinson scoring the equalizer and Yedlin assisting the match-winner. FC Dallas homegrown Ricardo Pepi made his case to be the United States’ new starting striker, as the 18-year-old Texan scored the winner and added two assists in his senior international debut.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however.

After losing Gio Reyna to injury, Zack Steffen to COVID-19 and Weston McKennie to a protocol breach, Christian Pulisic exited the game in the 62nd minute with an apparent lower-leg injury. It’ll be a situation to monitor for U.S. fans and the Chelsea faithful alike and could significantly impact the upcoming October window.

Still, a win in a traditionally difficult venue is a massive shot in the arm for Berhalter and his team as they look to right the wrongs of 2017.

(Photo: Orlando Sierra / AFP via Getty Images)



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