The U.S. Men’s National Team announced their 23-man roster for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup on Thursday morning. These are the available Americans for Sunday’s match against Venezuela at Nippert Stadium.
The roster reveal arrived following a 1-0 loss to Jamaica in a friendly Wednesday night in Washington D.C.
These are the players representing the U.S. in a quest for a second-straight Gold Cup title.
Goalkeepers (3): 12-Sean Johnson (New York City FC), 22-Tyler Miller (LAFC), 1-Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC)
Defenders (8): 14-Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), 3-Omar Gonzalez (Toronto FC), 2-Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes), 23-Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), 16-Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), 19-Matt Miazga (Chelsea), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham), 5-Walker Zimmerman (LAFC)
Midfielders (6): 4-Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), 20-Duane Holmes (Derby County), 8-Weston McKennie (Schalke), 10-Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), 15-Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC), 6-Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Forwards (6): 17-Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), 7-Paul Arriola (D.C. United), 21-Tyler Boyd (Vitória Guimãres), 18-Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids), 11-Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), 9-Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC)
Coach Gregg Berhalter, who’s closing in on his first major international tournament with the team, was responsible for making cuts to the initial 40-man preliminary squad that was announced on May 20. Unlike previous Gold Cups, this group of players is the only one the USMNT and the competing countries can use during the tournament.
Surprises
- Josh Sargent is a 19-year-old forward who’s being hyped as the future American No. 9. That’s a lot of pressure for a teenager. But considering Sargent wasn’t on the U.S. Under-20 roster for the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, it was clear Berhalter saw Sargent as someone who can join the senior team for the Gold Cup. However, the teenager was cut from the squad. Of the decisions Berhalter made, the forward’s absence was the most notable.
- A subtler surprise is Tyler Adams being listed as a right back instead of a midfielder. Berhalter has used Adams as a fullback, but Adams plays as a center mid in the German Bundesliga.
“As always, there were some difficult decisions to be made for this roster, and I’m extremely pleased with how the players have shown so far this year overall,” Berhalter said in a press release. “We’ve had a chance to look at the player pool for the last six months and we feel great about the group that will take on the task of trying to win the Gold Cup. This is only the start of the journey.”
Other notes
- Sixteen of the 23 players on the USMNT Gold Cup squad play in MLS.
- Thirteen players have 10 caps or less.
- Twelve players have never played in a major international competition.
