With the nightmare of the failed qualification to the 2018 World Cup officially put to bed, USMNT fans can look forward to the big dance once again. And now they know the 26 players who will take them there.
USA National Team manager Gregg Berhalter named his final roster on Wednesday, November 9, and there were a few surprises.
Veteran Fulham defender Tim Ream made his mark, as did Seattle Sounders duo Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris. Nashville right fielder Shaq Moore and teenager Joe Scally beat Reggie Cannon. And Haji Wright and Josh Sargent came in ahead of Union Berlin’s Jordan Pefok and Groningen’s Ricardo Pepi, with the latter just starting to turn the tables on loan in the Netherlands.
“It was a really difficult conversation that I had to have with him [Pepi],” Berhalter told ESPN during the unveiling. “He scored three goals in World Cup qualifying and he won’t be part of the programme. Josh [Sargent] is competing in the [England] Championship and played in the Premier League last year. We play Wales and England and both teams are stocked with players from those leagues.
“Haji Wright is in great form playing for his team in Turkey and Jesus Ferreira has been good for us and he understands the game plan and how to execute it,” continued Berhalter. “Haji Wright is in better shape than Jordan Pefok right now.
The exclusion of goaltender Zack Steffen, who was the No. 1 goaltender for the USMNT earlier in the cycle, was surprising.
“I think in some cases it’s more about what we have than what we don’t have,” Berhalter said of the goaltending situation, without specifically mentioning Steffen. “With three goalies on the roster, we feel great.”
USMNT World Cup roster for Qatar 2022
Here are all 26 players on Gregg Berhalter’s final list:
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ethan Horvath | Luton Town (ENG) | 27 | 8 | 0 |
| GK | Sean Johnson | NYCFC (USA) | 33 | 10 | 0 |
| GK | Matt Turner | Arsenal (ENG) | 28 | 18 | 7 |
| DEF | Tim Ream | Fulham (ENG) | 35 | 46 | 1 |
| DEF | Cameron Carter-Vickers | Celtic (SCO) | 24 | 10 | 0 |
| DEF | Sergino Dest | AC Milan (ITA) | 21 | 17 | 6 |
| DEF | Aaron Long | NY Red Bulls (USA) | 30 | 29 | 2 |
| DEF | Shaq Moore | Nashville SC (USA) | 26 | 15 | 4 |
| DEF | Antonee Robinson | Fulham (ENG) | 25 | 28 | 13 |
| DEF | Joe Scally | Gladbach (GER) | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| DEF | DeAndre Yedlin | Inter Miami (USA) | 29 | 74 | 9 |
| DEF | Walker Zimmerman | Nashville SC (USA) | 29 | 31 | 10 |
| MID | Kellyn Acosta | LAFC (USA) | 27 | 52 | 13 |
| MID | Tyler Adams | Leeds United (ENG) | 23 | 19 | 13 |
| MID | Weston McKennie | Juventus (ITA) | 24 | 34 | 7 |
| MID | Yunus Musah | Valencia (SPA) | 19 | 18 | 10 |
| MID | Cristian Roldan | Seattle Sonders (USA) | 27 | 32 | 5 |
| MID | Brenden Aaronson | Leeds United (ENG) | 21 | 21 | 11 |
| MID | Luca de la Torre | Celta Vigo (SPA) | 24 | 12 | 4 |
| FWD | Gio Reyna | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 19 | 11 | 3 |
| FWD | Jesus Ferreira | FC Dallas (USA) | 21 | 12 | 6 |
| FWD | Jordan Morris | Seattle Sounders (USA) | 27 | 47 | 6 |
| FWD | Haji Wright | Antalyaspor (TUR) | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| FWD | Christian Pulisic | Chelsea (ENG) | 24 | 50 | 10 |
| FWD | Josh Sargent | Norwich City (ENG) | 22 | 19 | 3 |
| FWD | Timothy Weah | LOSC Lille (FRA) | 22 | 24 | 9 |
Berhalter indicated that three players heading to Qatar with injuries are progressing well.
“Weston McKennie’s prognosis is that he’s going to come to the World Cup in a good way,” Berhalter said about the Juventus midfielder. “Luca de la Torre is recovering from his hamstring injury. And Matt Turner is OK and was on the bench for his cup game.”
Chris Richards and Miles Robinson were two players who missed the World Cup with long-term injuries. Here are the 26 players that did make it on the plane to Qatar.
- United States projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Turner (GK) — A. Robinson, Carter-Vickers, Zimmerman, Dest — Adams, McKennie, Musah — Pulisic, Ferreira, Aaronson.
USMNT World Cup roster cuts and omissions
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Josh Cohen | Maccabi Haifa (ISR) | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Stefan Frei | Seattle Sounders (USA) | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Brad Guzan** | Atlanta United (USA) | 38 | 64 | 0 |
| GK | Gabriel Slonina | Chicago Fire (USA)* | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Zack Steffen | Middlesbrough (ENG)* | 27 | 29 | 6 |
| DEF | George Bello | Arminia Bielefeld (BEL) | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| DEF | Mark McKenzie | KRC Genk (BEL) | 23 | 8 | 2 |
| DEF | Chris Richards** | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 22 | 6 | 5 |
| DEF | Miles Robinson** | Atlanta United (USA) | 25 | 21 | 11 |
| DEF | James Sands | Rangers (SCO) | 22 | 7 | 1 |
| DEF | Reggie Cannon | Boavista (POR) | |||
| DEF | Erik Palmer-Brown | Troyes (FRA) | |||
| DEF | Sam Vines** | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 23 | 9 | 0 |
| MID | Johnny Cardoso | Internacional (BRA) | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| MID | Sebastian Lletget | FC Dallas (USA) | 30 | 33 | 4 |
| MID | Djordje Mihailovic | CF Montreal (CAN) | 23 | 6 | 0 |
| MID | Malik Tillman | Rangers (SCO) | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| FWD | Konrad de la Fuente | Olympiakos (GRE)* | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| FWD | Matthew Hoppe | Middlesbrough (ENG) | 21 | 6 | 1 |
| FWD | Jordan Pefok | Union Berlin (GER) | 26 | 9 | 3 |
| FWD | Ricardo Pepi | Groningen (NED) | |||
| FWD | Brandon Vazquez | FC Cincinnati (USA) | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| FWD | Gyasi Zardes | Colorado Rapids (USA) | 31 | 68 | 5 |
