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Berhalter Selects 26-Player Roster to Represent the United States in 2024 Copa América

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Berhalter Selects 26-Player Roster to Represent the United States in 2024 Copa América

CHICAGO (June 14, 2024) – Coming off an exhilarating 1-1 draw against fifth-ranked Brazil, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter has selected the 26 players that will represent the USMNT at the 2024 Copa América being held June 20-July 14 in 14 venues across 13 cities in the United States.

The USMNT opens group play against Bolivia on Sunday, June 23 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, then faces Panama on Thursday, June 27 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and concludes on Monday, July 1 against Uruguay at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The tournament opens at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday, June 20, when defending World Cup and Copa América champion Argentina meets Canada.

Per tournament rules, rosters must include a minimum of 23 players with a maximum of 26 total. Teams are required to submit their final rosters no later than June 15.

All 26 players that were named to the Copa América squad were included on the June training camp roster for the Summer Showdown, presented by Marriott Bonvoy, between the USA and Colombia, and the 2024 Allstate Continental Clásico pitting the United States against five-time World Cup champion Brazil. LAFC midfielder Timmy Tillman was the 27th player on the roster and has returned to his club.

This will be the second-youngest squad the USA has sent to five editions of the Copa América, behind only the 2007 team. Eighteen of the 26 players were on the 2022 FIFA World Cup roster, with nine players age 23 and younger.

The oldest tournament in international soccer, Copa América will feature some of the world’s best teams and players. Concacaf and CONMEBOL have partnered to host the competition outside of South America for only the second time in tournament history, having previously held the hugely successful 2016 Copa América Centenario in the United States. The tournament will feature six teams from Concacaf and all 10 teams from CONMEBOL.

Group A: Argentina, Peru, Chile, Canada
Group B: Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, Jamaica
Group C: USA, Uruguay, Panama, Bolivia
Group D: Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Costa Rica

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 18-Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9), 25-Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 13), 1-Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 41)

DEFENDERS (9): 2-Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 17/0), 23-Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), 24-Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), 16-Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 19/1), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 58/1), 3-Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 18/1), 5-Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 43/4), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), 22-Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 11/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): 4-Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 39/2), 15-Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 13/0), 14-Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 21/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 53/11), 6-Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 37/0), 7-Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 28/8), 17-Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 11/0)

FORWARDS (7): 11-Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 41/8), 20-Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 12/3), 9-Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 25/10), 10-Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 68/29), 26-Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 23/5), 21-Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 39/6), 19-Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 10/4)

USA HISTORY IN COPA AMÉRICA

The U.S. has participated in Copa América four times since the tournament’s inception in 1916. After its inaugural appearance in 1993, the USA surprised the world with a 3-0 win against Argentina in the group stage in 1995 en route to a fourth-place finish, losing to Brazil in the semifinal. After not advancing from the group stage in 2007, the U.S. shone in the 2016 Copa América Centenario, again finishing fourth after falling to a No. 1-ranked Argentina team led by Lionel Messi in the semifinal.

The United States is one of six guest teams in the CONMEBOL confederation championship. No invitee from outside South America has ever won the tournament. Since 2011, only two of 12 have even reached the knockout rounds, with the USA and Mexico both advancing at the 2016 Copa America Centenario.

CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS

Many of the players are bringing the ‘Big Mo(mentum)” into camp following achievements at their clubs this season. Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic) and the duo of Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman (PSV) enter with league championship titles to their credit, while Weston McKennie and Tim Weah hoisted the Coppa Italia trophy with Juventus.

Meantime, a total of nine players are currently on clubs who will participate in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Weston McKennie and Tim Weah (Juventus), Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman (PSV), and Gio Reyna who is set to return to Borussia Dortmund after a half-season loan spell with Nottingham Forest.

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

The roster features five sets of club teammates, all of which come from European sides: AC Milan (Musah, Pulisic), Fulham (Ream, A. Robinson), Juventus (McKennie, Weah), Nottingham Forest (Reyna, Turner) and PSV Eindhoven (Pepi, Tillman).

The PSV duo joined former U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart in Eindhoven this summer, winning the Dutch Eredivisie title for the first time in six years and the 25th overall in team history.

Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic have helped lift Milan to second in the league table as well as the Round of 16 of the Europa League. In Serie A, they are neck and neck with Weston McKennie and Tim Weah as Juventus sit just one point behind them in the standings.

Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson completed their fourth season as teammates at Craven Cottage. Matt Turner moved from Arsenal to Nottingham Forest and was joined in January by Gio Reyna, who came on loan from Borussia Dortmund.

BACK IN THE MIX

Forward Josh Sargent is in the midst of his first camp appearance since the 2022 FIFA World Cup after injury forced him to withdraw from the Nations League Final camp in March. Sargent finished the season with 16 goals in 28 appearances for Norwich City.

Additionally, 2022 FIFA World Cup veterans Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luca de la Torre and Sean Johnson each made their first camp appearances of 2024 this month.

VENUE HOPPING

The USMNT is no stranger to AT&T Stadium, bringing an unblemished 5-0-0 record back to Arlington. The first three games took place during the knockout rounds of the Gold Cup – two semifinals (2013, 2017) and a quarterfinal (2021) – and each time the U.S. went on to win the tournament. The USMNT has already played two matches there this year, using extra time to defeat Jamaica 3-1 in the Concacaf Nations League Semifinal, before another 2-0 victory against Mexico to claim its third-straight CNL crown. Overall, the United States is 13-1-4 in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

Having been chosen as the future home of U.S Soccer’s National Training Center, Atlanta will host the USMNT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time. This is only the second visit for the U.S. to the Peach State since 1977, having fallen 2-1 to Jamaica on July 22, 2015, at the Georgia Dome in the semifinal of the Gold Cup.

This will be just the second visit for the USMNT to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The first was a big one, as the team faced Costa Rica in a final round World Cup Qualifier on April 25, 2001. A goal by two-time World Cup veteran and former USMNT assistant coach Josh Wolff led the U.S. to a 1-0 shutout in front of 37,319 fans. The only other appearance on the Missouri side of the city came in a World Cup qualifier in 1968, a 6-2 win against Bermuda at Municipal Stadium.

ROSTER NOTES

  • The roster will have an average age of 25 years, 230 days as of the team’s opening match against Bolivia on June 23. It is the second-youngest squad the USA has sent to five editions of the Copa América, behind only the 2007 roster (24 years, 280 days).
  • The squad has an average of 27 caps and 16 in official competition.
  • The 26 players represent clubs in 11 different countries: England (8), Italy (5), Netherlands (3), Germany (2), Spain (2), USA (2), Belgium (1), Canada (1), France (1), Scotland (1), Wales (1).
  • Forward Christian Pulisic and goalkeeper Ethan Horvath make their second Copa América rosters, with the duo having been part of the 2016 Copa América Centenario squad.
  • Pulisic, who has three Copa América appearances, is also the leading cap-winner on the roster (68), followed by Tim Ream (58), Weston McKennie (53), Antonee Robinson (43), Matt Turner (41), Tyler Adams (39), Tim Weah (39) and Yunus Musah (37).
  • Eighteen of the 26 players were on the 2022 FIFA World Cup roster.
  • Nine players are age 23 and younger: Brenden Aaronson (23); Folarin Balogun, Johnny Cardoso, Kristoffer Lund and Malik Tillman (22); Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally (21).
  • Set to be 36 years, 263 days as of the opening match against Bolivia, veteran defender Tim Ream is the oldest field player ever named to a USMNT Copa América roster, coming in ahead of Fernando Clavijo who was 36 years, 145 days at the start of the 1993 edition.
  • Goalkeeper Matt Turner made a career-high 11 saves in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Brazil, taking his career save total past the century mark to 107.
  • Four players have registered at least one international first against Bolivia. Christian Pulisic (17 years, 253 days) became the youngest player to score for the USMNT when he tallied in the USA’s 4-0 win against Bolivia on May 28, 2016, in Kansas City, Kan.
  • In a friendly played against Bolivia exactly two years later in Chester, Pa., 18-year-old Josh Sargent scored in his USMNT debut, and fellow 18-year-old Tim Weah also scored his first goal in his second cap, receiving the assist from another debutant, 20-year-old Antonee Robinson, to push the USA to a 3-0 win.
  • On the strength of his hat trick in the penultimate 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, Pulisic has four career goals against Panama, tying him for the most all-time among USMNT players against the Central American nation.
  • Gio Reyna scored his first international goal against Panama, coming off a direct free kick during his second USMNT appearance on Nov. 16, 2020, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
  • Center back Chris Richards debuted in the same friendly against Panama, coming on as a second-half substitute.
  • Sean Johnson leads the list of 11 players who appeared in the USA’s last match against Uruguay, the veteran goalkeeper making three saves to earn the shutout in the 0-0 draw on June 5, 2022, in Kansas City, Kan.
  • All 26 players have been part of at least one tournament roster for the USMNT (World Cup, Gold Cup, Copa América, CNL Finals): Sean Johnson (9); Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream (7); Weston McKennie and Matt Turner (6); Brenden Aaronson, Ethan Horvath, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson and Tim Weah (5); Tyler Adams and Joe Scally (4); Folarin Balogun, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Mark McKenzie, Shaq Moore, Ricardo Pepi, Chris Richards, and Haji Wright (3); Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kristoffer Lund and Malik Tillman (2).
  • Sixteen players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with 11 players coming from MLS Academies: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls), Luca de la Torre (San Diego Surf, Nomads SC), Ethan Horvath (Real Colorado), Weston McKennie (FC Dallas), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Shaq Moore (FC Dallas), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Gio Reyna (New York City FC), Chris Richards (FC Dallas, Texas SC Houston), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts), Josh Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Joe Scally (New York City FC), Tim Weah (New York Red Bulls, BW Gotteschee), and Haji Wright (LA Galaxy).
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