CHICAGO – Captain Tyler Adams was among 23 players picked Wednesday for the U.S. roster for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Jamaica next week after being limited to one match for club and country in the past year because of a hamstring injury.
Josh Sargent was selected at forward along with Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, while Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Pefok, Brandon Vázquez, Haji Wright and Alejandro Zendejas were omitted along with wingers Brenden Aaronson and Kevin Paredes.
Goalkeepers Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath and Drake Callender were picked by coach Gregg Berhalter, while Zack Steffen was left off.
A close-to-full-strength roster includes Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah.
Winger Gio Reyna was selected despite playing just 42 minutes over four matches since he went on loan to Nottingham Forest from Borussia Dortmund on Jan. 31 — including only one minute since Feb. 24. The 21-year-old hasn’t started a club match since Nov. 1.
The U.S. plays the Reggae Boyz on March 21 at Arlington, Texas, then faces Mexico or Panama three days later in either the championship or third-place match.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss the games because of a leg injury. Right back Sergiño Dest is suspended for the match against Jamaica after getting a red card for arguing with the referee during November’s match against Trinidad and Tobago. Dest is eligible to return for the final or third-place game.
Just two players were selected from Major League Soccer: Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson and Miami’s Callender. Berhalter used just two of 66 starting spots on MLS players in six games last fall with the full player pool, starting Robinson in exhibitions against Oman and Ghana.
Adams, a 25-year-old midfielder, has appeared in just one game since March 11, 2023, playing 21 minutes for Bournemouth against Stoke on Sept. 27 in the League Cup. He was on the bench for Saturday’s Premier League match against Sheffield United and again Wednesday night vs. Luton.
Sargent, 24, has 12 goals in 17 league games this season for second-tier Norwich. Pepi, 21, was left off the 2022 World Cup roster and has six goals in 20 league matches this season with PSV Eindhoven plus one in the Champions League and one in Champions League qualifying.
Turner, the U.S. starting goalkeeper in the 2022 World Cup, hasn’t played since Feb. 28 for Nottingham Forest. The 29-year-old lost his starting job in Premier Leagues matches after allowing soft goals against Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Horvath, 28, has played seven matches for second-tier Cardiff since he was acquired on Feb. 1 from Forest, where he had not appeared in a match this season.
Steffen joined Colorado in January after playing in just two Premier League matches over 4 1/2 seasons during his contract with Manchester City and started the first three games of the season for the Rapids. The 28-year-old last played for the U.S. in March 2022 and was controversially left off the World Cup roster.
Players will average 24 years, 310 days when training starts Monday.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Drake Callender (Miami), Ethan Horvath (Cardiff, England), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest, England)
Defenders: Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Kris Lund (Palermo, Italy), Mark McKenzie (Genk, Belgium), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, England), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, England), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth, England), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis, Spain), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo, Spain), Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy), Yunus Musah (AC Milan, Italy), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest, England)
Forwards: Folarin Balogun (Monaco, France), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, Italy), Josh Sargent (Norwich City, England), Tim Weah (Juventus, Italy).
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
