Christian Pulisic of Chelsea, Giovanni Reyna of Borussia Dortmund and Weston McKennie of Juventus top the list of 26 players for the United States for the first three rounds of qualifiers for the CONCACAF World Cup. in which also it emphasizes the call of Ricardo Pepi, that also has Mexican nationality.
Pulisic was doubtful to be called up after contracting COVID-19, but has recovered enough to be on the list to play in the World Cup qualifiers in El Salvador on September 2, at home against Canada in Nashville three days later, and against Honduras on 8 September.
While the game day lists remain at 23 players, the fact that the window contains three games will force American coach Gregg Berhalter to call in additional reinforcements. Players will begin performing at the camp in Nashville starting Sunday.
In terms of qualifying for the World Cup, the group has no experience, and only six of those called up have previously played in a standings. But the current harvest of players has been excellent at the club level.
Ten players belong to clubs classified for the group stage of the Champions League 2021-22: Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), John Brooks (Wolfsburg), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona), Weston McKennie (Juventus). ), Jordan Pefok (BSC Young Boys), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Tim Weah (Lilla).
A notable call is FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi. With dual nationality that can still represent Mexico, the emergence of Pepi this season, where he has scored nine goals for Dallas, gives the American team additional depth in a position that Berhalter has had difficulty covering. Pepi scored the winning penalty in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday.
There were few surprises, although injuries from players such as Columbus Crew striker Gyasi Zardes, Orlando City striker Daryl Dike and Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah limited Berhalter’s options to at some point. But the success of the United States team in winning the 2021 Gold Cup with a young and experienced lineup is already bearing fruit. E-four players on the list played in the Gold Cup or the CONCACAF League of Nations, which was also won by the United States.
Unlike previous cycles in which six teams competed in the final qualifying round, this time eight teams will participate. Teams will play an all-against-all format, at home and away, which includes 14 games each. Due to the global health pandemic, a process that normally takes place over the course of 18 months has been reduced to seven. In addition, the condensed calendar includes four “triple dates” consisting of three matches over a seven-day window. The other teams that reached the final round are Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama and Mexico.
Detailed list by position (club / country; matches / goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest / ING; 7/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City / ING; 23/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 7/0)
DEFENDERS (10): George Bello (Atlanta United; 3/0), John Brooks (Wolfsburg / ALE; 43/3), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona / ESP; 11/1), Mark McKenzie (Genk / BEL; 6/0), Tim Ream (Fulham / ING; 45/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham / ING; 12/0), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 9/3), James Sands (New York City FC; 6/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray / TUR; 64/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 17/2)
CENTRAL CAMPERS (5): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 37/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig / ALE; 14/1), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 29/7), Weston McKennie (Juventus / ITA; 24/7), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 25/0)
FRONT (8): Brenden Aaronson (RB Salzburg / AUT; 7/3), Konrad de la Fuente (Olympique Marseille / FRA; 1/0), Jordan Pefok (BSC Young Boys / SUI; 6/1), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas; 0 / 0), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea / ING; 38/16), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund / ALE; 8/4), Josh Sargent (Norwich City / ING; 16/5), Tim Weah (Lille / FRA; 13 / 1)