CHICAGO (Oct. 2, 2019) – U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter has called 26 players to training camp in preparation for its inaugural matches in the Concacaf Nations League against Cuba and Canada. Players will begin reporting Oct. 6 to the Washington, D.C. area.

“This is competitive soccer. Anytime there is a trophy on the line is exciting, and in the inaugural Nations League we want to put ourselves in a position to win the tournament,” Berhalter said. “One thing that’s important is we continue to bring some of the younger guys along, integrate some new players into camp, but also have a familiar base. Most of the guys have been in camp before, understand how we want to play, and we think that continuity will help in our performance.”



The USA is joined by Canada and Cuba in Group A of the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League A. Only the winner of the group will advance to the knockout stage, and Canada opened play with consecutive victories against Cuba, winning 6-0 on Sept. 7 in Toronto and 1-0 on Sept. 10 in Georgetown, Cayman Islands.

The USMNT plays its inaugural match in the Nations League against Cuba on Oct. 11 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Kickoff in the nation’s capital is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on FS1 (coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. ET), UniMás and TUDN. [TICKETS]

Four days after the opener in D.C., the USA takes on Canada at BMO Field in Toronto (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, UniMás, TUDN). This will be their first meeting in official competition on Canadian soil since Nov. 9, 1997, when the USA’s 3-0 victory secured its place in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

With the participants for the final round of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be determined based on FIFA rankings at the conclusion of this tournament, Nations League’s matches have added significance due to their impact on the rankings. The United States is currently ranked No. 21 in the world and second among Concacaf teams. Cuba is 25th in the region and will likely face a long path to have a chance to qualify for the final round of World Cup qualifying, while the Canadians are just outside the final round qualifying cutoff in seventh. The final round of World Cup qualifying will pit the top six ranked Concacaf teams against one another in a continuation of “the Hex” [see “What’s at Stake” below for more details].

USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 61/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 8/0), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Düsseldorf/GER; 16/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 8/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 13/2), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 10/0), Matt Miazga (Reading/ENG; 17/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 36/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; 59/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 11/2)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 150/17), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 11/2), Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 15/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 32/13), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 16/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 20/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0)



FORWARDS (7): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 115/42), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 28/5), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas/TUR; 7/2), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 35/6), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 9/2), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 53/10)

BACK IN COMPETITION

A tournament means another opportunity to win a trophy, which is where the USMNT’s focus now lies. In addition, with a roster that has an average age of 25-years-old and half the players holding 15 caps or fewer, the Nations League presents a chance for a different kind of experience in official competition. Many will play in away environments and circumstances they have not been exposed to at the senior level, from a packed house in Toronto and a must-win game for the Canadians to the travel, conditions and facilities of the Caribbean in November.

DEFENSIVE DUO RETURNS …

The USMNT welcomes back a pair of defenders who were sidelined with injuries, beginning with 2014 FIFA World Cup veteran DeAndre Yedlin. Having last appeared for the National Team in March, the right back returns after recovering from a groin injury which required surgery in May. Reading center back Matt Miazga also returns after missing out on the September camp with a hamstring injury.

… WITH A FEW HOME-TOWN HEROES BACK IN THE MIX

For three players on the roster, the matches against Cuba and Canada present a special moment with a decidedly different flavor. D.C. United winger Paul Arriola gets a crack at playing in front of the Audi Field faithful in the home tilt against Cuba, while the Toronto FC duo of Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley will trade the red of Toronto FC for the red, white and blue of the United States for the match at BMO Field.





WHAT’S AT STAKE IN THE NATIONS LEAGUE?





In short, plenty. First, the competition represents the last competitive matches that Concacaf nations will play prior to the publishing of the June 2020 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings. This is important because this past July, Concacaf announced a new World Cup Qualifying format that will see the top six ranked nations in June’s FIFA Ranking go straight into the Final Round, also known as the Hex. With competitive matches weighted higher than friendlies, these games will prove crucial for some teams attempting to qualify for the Hex.

Teams not ranked inside the top six aren’t completely shutout of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but will instead have to go through a second, more rigorous playoff track involving 29 teams and between 14-16 additional qualifying matches for each, just for the opportunity to claim the final spot.

ROSTER NOTES