U.S. Males’s Staff Inventory Watch: What’s Forward for Reyna, Pulisic, Sargent?

The biggest development for the U.S. men’s national team this past week came off the field.

On Saturday, Gio Reyna finally left German club Borussia Dortmund after six years and signed with rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was a desperately needed change in scenery for the former prodigy to have any hope of cracking USMNT’s 2026 FIFA World Cup roster next June.

Injuries and coaching decisions limited the 22-year-old Reyna to just 627 minutes logged across all competitions last season (and only 592 in 2023-24). He still needs to play, obviously, and it’s fair to wonder if he will with veterans Franck Honorat, Robin Hack and Kevin Stöger entrenched as starting attackers in ‘Gladbach manager Gerardo Seoane’s 4-2-3-1 formation. 

For now, though, Reyna has what he’s long needed most: a fresh start. And he’ll have his USMNT teammate and childhood friend Joe Scally at Gladbach as well. (More on Scally later.) 

But Reyna’s move surely comes too late for him to be considered for the USMNT’s upcoming September games. On Tuesday, manager Mauricio Pochettino will announce his first squad since an MLS-heavy USMNT lost the Concacaf Gold Cup final to rival Mexico back on July 6. 

The Americans will face South Korea and Japan in friendly games on Sept. 6 in New Jersey and three days later in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s a quick snapshot of the player pool ahead of the September roster drop. 

Forwards

Stock Up: Pulisic and Sargent back in the mix?

After a drama-filled summer, Christian Pulisic had a night to forget Saturday as seven-time European champs AC Milan lost its Serie A opener at home to newly promoted Cremonese. But Pulisic did score in last week’s Coppa Italia victory over Bari to star his club campaign on the right foot.

The last two weeks probably won’t come into Pochettino’s decision-making when it comes to including Pulisic for September. After the USMNT’s best player skipped the Gold Cup, then got into a public sparring match with his coach, the thought was that Pochettino might not bring his star man back right away. 

But while sources told me that Pulisic and Pochettino haven’t spoken since May, there’s also a sense that it’s time to move on. Just five two-match FIFA international windows remain before the World Cup kicks off on June 12 in Los Angeles. There’s no time to waste.

Meanwhile, though Josh Sargent famously wasn’t summoned for the Gold Cup — “it [was] a soccer choice and we wished to see different forwards,” Pochettino informed reporters on the time — the St. Louis-area product has achieved all the pieces doable to earn an invite, being named captain of Norwich Metropolis and scoring in every of the English Championship membership’s first 4 matches to open the brand new marketing campaign.

Sargent’s objective in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough on Saturday was a magnificence.

Inventory Up: Pivotal seasons in France for Weah, Balogun

Tim Weah had a quiet debut for brand spanking new membership Marseille, going the primary 63 minutes of a 5-1 win over promoted Paris FC. Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Folarin Balogun made his season debut for Monaco, beginning and going the space in a heartbreaking, last-gasp loss at Lille. Balogun, who missed most of final season following shoulder surgical procedure after which withdrew from the Gold Cup due to an ankle harm, appeared a little bit rusty. No less than he’s wholesome: Balogun hans’t been obtainable for the U.S. since Pochettino was employed final September, along with his final look coming within the 2024 Copa América.

Inventory Up: Pepi, Wright make promising returns from accidents

Ricardo Pepi additionally had surgical procedure final season, and the 22-year-old frontrunner’s knee has taken longer to heal than anticipated. However the rangy Texan was capable of make his first league look of 2025-26 for Dutch champs PSV Eindhoven, approaching for the ultimate 4 minutes of Saturday’s 4-2 win over Groningen. If Pepi isn’t included on Tuesday, Sargent’s probabilities most likely enhance.

Then once more, Haji Wright made the Gold Cup crew over Sargent, and scored off the bench within the hosts’ event opener earlier than leaving camp with an Achilles drawback. On Saturday, Wright scored two good targets in Coventry Metropolis’s 7-1 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers.

Inventory Down: Aaronson’s diminished function at Leeds?

Brenden Aaronson began 43 video games, largely as a central attacking midfielder, for Leeds United within the second-tier Championship final season. However he’s entered off the bench in every of Leeds’ first two video games again within the Premier League, each occasions for granted wing. Aaronson performed the ultimate 24 minutes of Sunday’s 5-0 loss away to Arsenal.

Inventory Down: Gold Cup stars nonetheless out with accidents

Malik Tillman was one of many largest winners on the Gold Cup. However the former PSV attacker missed Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga season-opening loss at house to Hoffenheim due to a lingering calf problem that price him a lot of the preseason. Leverkusen paid nearly $47 million to amass Tillman in July.

Patrick Agyemang, who has began 9 of the USMNT’s 12 video games this 12 months, stays sidelined for Championship aspect Derby County following a hernia restore. The Rams paid round $8 million to MLS aspect Charlotte FC to lure Agyemang to England final month.

Midfielders

Inventory Up: Adams, Cardoso with robust begins

Tyler Adams appears to be like again to his finest with Premier League Bournemouth. Adams, who was restricted to 31 out of a doable 76 Premier League video games for the Cherries the final two years, helped arrange his crew’s lone objective in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolves and performed all however two minutes of Bournemouth’s first two matches.

After arriving from Actual Betis this summer season for $35 million, Johnny Cardoso has began each La Liga matches this time period for Atletico Madrid’s , together with Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Elche. Cardoso was changed by World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann with round 20 minutes to go.

Aidan Morris was named Man of the Match for the second consecutive week following Middlesbrough’s 2-1 win over Sargent and Norwich. Morris started the play that led to ‘Boro’s eventual winner with a defensive intervention, then supplied the first help. Morris began Poch’s first two video games on the U.S. helm final October however hasn’t been known as again since.

And in France, Tanner Tessmann has gone 90 for Lyon in every of their first two Ligue 1 outings, each wins.

Inventory Down: New surroundings wanted for McKennie, Musah?

A daily starter in Turin since his arrival 5 years in the past, Weston McKennie was on supervisor Igor Tudor’s bench for Juventus’ season-opening 2-0 win over Parma. McKennie was inserted for the ultimate minute. (Whereas coaching on the sector afterward, McKennie was the goal of racial abuse from visiting followers.)

Yunus Musah didn’t play in any respect in AC Milan’s curtain-raiser. And he may need represented the Rossoneri for the ultimate time, with experiences in Italy suggesting a switch to Serie A rivals Atalanta is imminent.

Paxten Aaronson’s switch to the Colorado Rapids is curious, however not as a result of the standard of play within the Dutch Eredivisie (the place he spent the final two seasons on mortgage from Eintracht Frankfurt) is healthier than MLS. Except the Rapids made a deep playoff run in a stacked Western Convention, the 21-year-old’s season might be over after only a handful of video games.

Defenders

Inventory Up: Return of the Jedi; Dest dusts off rust

Summer time knee surgical procedure saved star left again Antonee “Jedi” Robinson out of the Gold Cup, Fulham’s complete preseason and the Cottagers Aug. 16 Prem opener versus Brighton. So seeing Jedi inserted for the ultimate 28 minutes of Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Saturday was a sight for sore eyes for USMNT supporters. In all probability Pochettino, too. Jedi had the hockey help on Fulham’s leveler. 

On the other aspect, Sergiño Dest continues to appear like his outdated self. Dest went 90 for the second week operating for PSV Eindhoven and picked up his second straight help, including to his spectacular season-opening objective towards Sparta Rotterdam on Aug. 9.

High U.S. heart again Chris Richards has been excellent for unbeaten Crystal Palace by means of two Premier League video games. His common USMNT companion, Tim Ream, has been significantly better for Charlotte since transferring again to his ordinary spot within the center versus the left. On Sunday, Ream helped The Crown preserve a clear sheet in a 1-0 win over the New York Pink Bulls.

Talking of shutouts, Mark McKenzie and second-place Toulouse haven’t conceded by means of two Ligue 1 video games to this point. McKenzie performed all of each contests as a right-sided heart again in supervisor Franck Haise’s 3-4-3 setup.

In MLS, Orlando Metropolis proper again Alex Freeman has stepped up his recreation because the Gold Cup, the place he began all six matches. Freeman and the Lions meet Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in Wednesday’s Leagues Cup semifinal. Lefty Max Arfsten has three targets in 10 video games for the Columbus Crew because the Gold Cup ended.

Lastly, in Scotland, Cameron Carter-Vickers stays Celtic’s heart-and-soul central defender; the 27-year-old World Cup vet performed each minute of their first three video games earlier than being rested forward of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League qualifier towards Kairat in Kazakhstan.

Inventory Down: Scally getting crowded out?

Freeman bought the nod over Scally for the Gold Cup; with Dest now again, there merely may not be room for Scally in September. 

Auston Trusty seems to have misplaced his job subsequent to Carter-Vickers with the Hoops; Trusty has began simply one in all 5 video games underneath Brenden Rogers because the new season started.

Will MLS defenders Miles Robinson and/or Walker Zimmermann survive the lower? Each have been on the Gold Cup however performed simply seven and 6 minutes, respectively. Teen Kevin Paredes stays out with a long-term foot harm. 

Goalkeepers

Inventory Up: Turner or Freese? Cannot go improper proper now.

Now that Matt Turner is (lastly) enjoying once more and enjoying nicely for outdated/new membership New England Revolution, there’s no motive to suppose the 2022 World Cup starter received’t finally win again his function because the Individuals’ No. 1 backstop.

Pochettino might nonetheless persist with Matt Freese within the internet subsequent month after the NYCFC keeper — who’d by no means been capped earlier than June — led the shorthanded Individuals to the Gold Cup last. Both method, the Harvard graduate is now no less than the backup, having leapfrogged Patrick Schulte and Zack Steffen, who have been each damage this summer season. Chris Brady served as third string on the Gold Cup.

Inventory Down: Horvath has little room for error

If Ethan Horvath has any benefit over the MLS-based contingent, it’s that he might be enjoying repeatedly in Europe when the home league goes darkish from early-December by means of late February. However the 30-year-old, who was loaned from Cardiff Metropolis to Sheffield Wednesday final week, had a tough debut in Saturday’s 2-2 stalemate at Wrexham, spilling a shot that led to a objective. Thankfully for Horvath, his aspect got here again to earn some extent. The Owls host Leeds on Tuesday in EFL Cup motion.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities who has lined United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Observe him @ByDougMcIntyre.

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