Gio Reyna set to join U.S. national team! Which MLS superstars will be next in line?
US coach Mauricio Pochettino says every place in his World Cup squad remains up for grabs as he prepares for friendlies against Belgium and Portugal (Jamie Sabau) Mauricio Pochettino included out-of-favor midfielder Giovanni Reyna alongside Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie in his squad for the United States' final pre-World Cup friendlies Tuesday, as he warned players that every place remains up for grabs in this summer's roster. Less than three months before the harsh spotlight of kicking off a World Cup as co-hosts descends, the US coach made 10 changes from the last international break, with Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest and Haji Wright among the notable injury absentees. Pochettino's 27-man squad for friendlies this month against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta featured nine Major League Soccer-based players, and the remainder from other European leagues including Germany's Bundesliga.
Among those was Reyna, the enigmatic playmaker who has 34 national caps but has only appeared twice this calendar year for his club Borussia Monchengladbach for a total of 26 minutes. Pochettino said the selection was reward for Reyna's "fantastic" form during the US team's international fixtures in November, when the 23-year-old star scored in a 2-1 win over Paraguay and provided an assist in a 5-1 victory against Uruguay. "Before the last decision, for the last roster for the World Cup, I think it's good to see players that maybe are not playing too much," said Pochettino.
US standout star Pulisic was also selected, despite the forward enduring an 11-game goal drought for AC Milan, who sit second in Italy's Serie A. "Christian is playing. Of course, he is not scoring.
But for me, it's not only to score goals. For me, I am happy with him in the way that he's performing, the way that he's committed with the team, and in the time that he's playing," said Pochettino. The coach also had high praise for Juventus midfielder McKennie, joking that the Serie A team is "is Weston McKennie plus 10 players now.
" "That means he is an important player for Juventus" who "can play in every single place," he said. The two US friendlies against top-tier European opposition will be the final gathering of Pochettino's men before the World Cup squad is named in May. His team kick off their finals campaign on day two of the tournament against Paraguay in Los Angeles on 12 June, which will be the first game played in the US.