Berhalter excites fans with youthful, star-studded USMNT roster

On a day where the United States could use a positive distraction, one came in the form of one of the youngest, most talented, most exciting U.S. Men’s National Team rosters in recent memory.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter called in an entirely European-based roster, packed with big names, young players, and several new dual-nationals he’s hoping to attract. The team will play two friendlies during the November FIFA international window—one against Wales in Swansea on Nov. 12, and another against Concacaf rivals Panama at Stadion Wiener Neustadt in Wiener Neustadt, Austria on Nov. 16.

“I’m really looking forward to getting this group together,” Berhalter told reporters in a conference call today. “And as you saw from the roster, it is a young group. A young group with a tremendous amount of talent. When you think about the opportunity to be optimistic and to really be excited, I think this group gives you that.”

With Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna getting his first senior team call up, it could mark the first time we’ll see Reyna, Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKinnie playing together.

“When you look at the skillsets of all four of those players, they’re extremely different,” Berhalter said. “So, I think because of that, they fit extremely well together.”

Also making the cut were Barcelona’s Sergiño Dest and Konrad de la Fuente, Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards, and a big surprise: Valencia’s Yunus Musah, who has represented England at the youth level, accepted a call up.

Berhalter stressed that he chose not to call in any Major League Soccer players, because he didn’t want to disrupt their eligibility for the MLS playoffs.

Here’s a look at the entire group:

GOALKEEPERS (3) : Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 4/0), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 17/0)

DEFENDERS (7) : John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER; 38/3), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 10/0), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 3/0), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL; 18/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 40/1), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich/GER; 0/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 7/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 10/1), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 0/0), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 19/6), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 0/0), Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton/ENG; 0/0)

FORWARDS (8) : Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona/ESP; 0/0), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen/FRA; 0/0), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 34/14), Uly Llanez (Heerenveen/NED; 1/1), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 0/0), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 12/5), Sebastian Soto (Telstar/NED; 0/0), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 8/1)