Christian Pulisic has decided to opt out of the US Men’s National Team roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June, as Captain America prioritizes the 2026 World Cup.
Why is Christian Pulisic Not Playing at CONCACAF Gold Cup?
The AC Milan star will not be competing in the USMNT’s run in this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, as the 26-year-old is looking for a period of rest after the 2024/25 campaign.
According to reports, the American superstar asked to be left out of the roster after playing around 120 matches across two seasons and will miss out on the last competitive matches before the 2026 World Cup.
Missing such a key player could prove costly for the United States after their recent run of form, as Mauricio Pochettino’s men were eliminated from the Copa America group stages and lost their last two fixtures in the CONCACAF Nations League.
The United States Men’s National Team Manager spoke about his teams recent struggles and revealed his team must up their intensity to show supporters how much it means.
Pochettino said: “I think our fans need to see our team fighting and playing and performing and playing well, yes, but fighting for the flag and being always in every single game, to match the aggression of the opponent.”
Pulisic’s absence from the roster has come at a poor time, as the American is coming off one of his best seasons to date after contributing to 29 goals in 49 appearances for AC Milan (17G + 12A).
There is no denying that the former Chelsea star is the poster boy of the USMNT, scoring 32 goals in 78 appearances for his country and Pochettino’s side is evidently weaker without him.
The AC Milan winger is not the only major absentee from the United States Men’s National Team roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, as a list of other star names are set to miss out.
Are Other USMNT Not Going To CONCACAF Gold Cup?
Pulisic’s absence from the squad is clearly a huge miss, however, the U.S. will also be unable to call upon the likes of Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Tim Weah.
Musah took a similar approach to Pulisic and decided to miss the tournament to rest-up, Robinson is currently dealing with an injury, while McKennie, Reyna and Weah will miss out due to the Club World Cup taking priority.
Mauricio Pochettino has also decided to leave Joe Scally, Tanner Tessman, Josh Sargent and Cameron Carter-Vickers out, as the Argentinian selected his more preferred options.
Who Will Be In USMNT Roster For CONCACAF Gold Cup?
Pochettino has now selected his roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and has decided to utilize 16 players from the MLS – which is the most since the 2023 Gold Cup.
Six of the Eastern Conference MLS sides are represented, while there is five from the Western Conference – however LA Galaxy have no representation as they are having one of their worst seasons in MLS history.
The USMNT CONCACAF Gold Cup roster is:
Goalkeepers: Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen, Matt Turner
Defenders: Max Arfsten, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, DeJuan Jones, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, Malik Tillman, Sean Zawadzki
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Damion Downs, Brian White, Haji Wright
