Zack Steffen back in USA national team in Mauricio Pochettino’s first roster
Mauricio Pochettino has brought back goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who was dropped under Gregg Berhalter, in his first roster as manager of the new American national team.
Midfielder Gianluca Busio was the other notable addition to the 25-man squad announced on Wednesday for friendlies against Panama on October 12 in Austin, Texas and Mexico three days later in Guadalajara.
Defenders Antonee Robinson and Miles Robinson and midfielder Weston McKennie were added after being given the September matches off to remain with their clubs. Goalkeeper Diego Kochen and defender Caleb Wiley were dropped.
Injured players who will miss the matches include defenders Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards and Cameron Carter-Vickers, and midfielder Tyler Adams.
Pochettino was hired on September 10 and becomes the 10th US men’s coach in 14 years and the team’s first foreign-born manager since Jürgen Klinsmann, who was in charge from 2011 to 2016.
Steffen started six of the fourteen World Cup qualifiers, with Matt Turner in goal for the remaining eight. Steffen was surprisingly left out of the 2022 World Cup squad and has not played for the national team since the final qualifying matches in March 2022, although he was on the bench for the Concacaf Nations League matches in March 2023.
Steffen, 29, has made 29 international appearances and started all 31 Major League Soccer matches for Colorado this season, having played just two Premier League games in four and a half seasons during his contract with Manchester City. Turner lost his starting job at Nottingham Forest last season, was loaned out to Crystal Palace in August and has not played this season. Ethan Horvath, who is also on the roster, has not played for Cardiff since August 31.
Busio, 22, helped Venezia win promotion to Serie A this season and played for the US at the Paris Olympics. He played for the US in the 2021 and 2023 Concacaf Gold Cups, when a largely second-tier roster was used.
USMNT roster for Panama and Mexico
Goalkeepers Ethan Horvath (Cardiff), Patrick Schulte (Columbus), Zack Steffen (Colorado), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)
Defenders Marlon Fossey (Standard Liège), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus) Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)
Forward Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry)