USMNT set for Colombia & Brazil in June

By Anonymous (not verified), May 20, 2024

BERHALTER SELECTS 27-PLAYER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER, PRESENTED BY MARRIOTT BONVOY, FOR JUNE PREPARATION MATCHES AGAINST COLOMBIA AND BRAZIL

USA to Face Colombia in Washington, D.C. on June 8 in the Summer Showdown, Presented by Marriott Bonvoy; Allstate Continental Clásico Between United States and Brazil Set for June 12 in Orlando

CHICAGO (May 20, 2024) – U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter has selected the 27 players for the USMNT June Training Camp Roster, presented by Marriott Bonvoy. The group will begin reporting May 28 to the Washington, D.C. area.

Ahead of the prestigious 2024 Copa America, the USMNT will face red-hot Colombia on June 8 in the Summer Showdown, presented by Marriott Bonvoy. Kickoff from Commanders Field in Landover, Md., is set for 5:37 p.m. ET. [TICKETS]

On June 12, the Allstate Continental Clásico pits the United States against five-time World Cup champion Brazil at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Action begins at 7:37 p.m. ET. [TICKETS]. The Allstate Continental Clásico is an annual event that features the USMNT hosting a top-tier opponent from North, Central or South America.

Both matches will be broadcast live on TNT, Telemundo, Universo, Max, and Peacock and on Fútbol de Primera radio. Fans can follow the USMNT on X (@USMNT), Instagram (@USMNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App.

Following the friendlies, Berhalter will select the final roster for Copa America. Per tournament rules, the roster must be a minimum of 23 players with a maximum of 26 total. Teams are required to submit their final list no later than June 15.

“This summer presents an opportunity for us to progress and grow as a team as we continue to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Berhalter said. “We have a talented group of players and are excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world.”

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 13/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 39/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 16/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 3/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 13/0), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 18/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 56/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 16/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 41/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 9/0)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 38/2), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 11/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 20/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 51/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan; ITA; 35/0), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 26/8), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 10/0), Timmy Tillman (LAFC; 1/0)

FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 40/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 10/3), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 23/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 66/28), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 23/5), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 37/5), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 9/4)

CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS

Many of the players are bringing the ‘Big Mo(mentum)” into camp following achievements at their clubs this season. Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic) and the duo of Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman (PSV) enter with league championship titles to their credit, while Weston McKennie and Tim Weah hoisted the Coppa Italia trophy with Juventus.

Meantime, a total of nine players are currently on clubs who will participate in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Weston McKennie and Tim Weah (Juventus), Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman (PSV), and Gio Reyna who will return to Borussia Dortmund after a half-season loan spell with Nottingham Forest.

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

The roster features five sets of club teammates, all of which come from European sides: AC Milan (Musah, Pulisic), Fulham (Ream, A. Robinson), Juventus (McKennie, Weah), Nottingham Forest (Reyna, Turner), and PSV Eindhoven (Pepi, Tillman).

The PSV duo joined former U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart in Eindhoven this summer, winning the Dutch Eredivisie title for the first time in six years and the 25th overall in team history.

Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic have helped lift Milan to second in the league table as well as the Round of 16 of the Europa League. In Serie A, they are neck and neck with Weston McKennie and Tim Weah as Juventus sit just one point behind them in the standings.

Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson completed their fourth season as teammates at Craven Cottage. Matt Turner moved from Arsenal to Nottingham Forest and was joined in January by Gio Reyna, who came on loan from Borussia Dortmund.

BACK IN THE MIX

Forward Josh Sargent is in line for his first camp appearance since the 2022 FIFA World Cup after injury forced him to withdraw from the Nations League Final camp in March. Sargent finished the season with 16 goals in 28 appearances for Norwich City.

Additionally, 2022 FIFA World Cup veterans Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luca de la Torre and Sean Johnson each make their first camp appearances of 2024.

AGAINST LOS CAFETEROS
The USA and Colombia’s 21st clash all-time will take place outside the nation’s capital. Los Cafeteros are currently red-hot, riding a 21-match unbeaten streak which includes a 1-0 win against No. 8-ranked Spain in the last March window.

Colombia currently sits in third place in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with an unblemished 3-0-3 record. This summer, Colombia will aim to build on a third-place finish at the last Copa América and secure its second title after topping the podium on home soil in 2001.

The U.S. is 3-13-5 all-time vs. Colombia as the nations will face off for the first time since January 2023, a 0-0 draw. Meeting at the conclusion of the USMNT’s annual January camp, the scoreless tie saw four players earn their first caps, including Vitesse forward Paxten Aaronson. The USA and Colombia faced off twice at the 2016 Copa América Centenario in the United States, with the U.S. falling 2-0 in the group stage in Santa Clara, Calif. and a narrow 1-0 defeat in the Third-Place Match in Glendale, Ariz.

The USMNT is looking to earn its first victory against Colombia since March 2005, a 3-0 win in Fullerton, Calif. One of the USMNT’s most memorable World Cup victories came against Colombia in Southern California during the 1994 World Cup, a 2-1 win at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena featuring a goal from former U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart.

BACK IN THE DMV
Commanders Field will host the USMNT for the first time since, 2012, a 4-1 defeat at the hands of five-time World Cup champion Brazil in front of 67,619 fans. The U.S. Women’s National Team won a quarterfinal match there en route to its historic 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship, a 3-2 triumph against Germany with President Bill Clinton in attendance.

The USMNT has played many important matches in the D.C. area, compiling a 16-5-6 record all-time. RFK Stadium was the USMNT’s most-frequent home venue, putting up a 15-3-6 record in 24 matches, including a 4-1-2 record in World Cup qualifying.

The USA last played in the DMV at Audi Field, the home of D.C. United, in October 2019, a 7-0 Concacaf Nations League victory against Cuba.

AGAINST THE SELEÇÃO
One of international soccer’s most successful teams, Brazil will provide a true test for the USA ahead of the 2024 Copa América. The USMNT is 1-18-0 against the Seleção all-time, the lone victory coming during the 1998 Concacaf Gold Cup, a 1-0 triumph as Brazil competed in the region’s continental championship as a guest nation. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller put in a legendary performance in Los Angeles, making 10 stops against Brazil’s vaunted attack while Preki netted the game-winning goal in the second half.

The nations last met in Sept. 2018, a 2-0 loss for the U.S. in East Rutherford, N.J., while the all-time series dates back to 1930. Brazil has won the Copa America nine times and was drawn into Group D alongside Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay.

THE CITY BEAUTIFUL
Orlando has served as a fortress for the USMNT in recent years, with the U.S. sporting a 7-2-0 record all-time in the city. The U.S. is a perfect 6-0-0 at Orlando City SC’s INTER&Co Stadium, with several of those victories coming in important official competitions. Most recently, the U.S. topped El Salvador 1-0 on March 27, 2023 to clinch its place in the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals, where it took home its second-straight title. The City Beautiful also played host for a key World Cup qualifying match against Panama on March 27, 2022, where a Christian Pulisic hat trick led the U.S. to a 5-1 win and the brink of clinching a berth to Qatar 2022.

ROSTER NOTES

The roster will have an average age of 25 years, 202 days as of the first day of training on May 29.
The squad has an average of 25 caps, and 15 in official competition.
The 27 players represent clubs in 10 different countries: England (8), Italy (5), USA (4), Netherlands (3), Germany (2), Spain (2), Belgium (1), France (1), Scotland (1), Wales (1).
Christian Pulisic (66) is the leading cap-winner, followed by Tim Ream (56), Weston McKennie (51), Antonee Robinson (41), Matt Turner (39), Tyler Adams (38), Tim Weah (37) and Yunus Musah (35).
The 27-player training camp roster is comprised of 18 players who were on the 2022 FIFA World Cup roster.
A total of 21 players have appeared on at least one of the three Concacaf Nations League-winning rosters since 2021. Seven players have won all three titles - Brenden Aaronson, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah – and an additional 11 have lifted the trophy twice.
Forward Josh Sargent is in line for his first camp appearance since the 2022 FIFA World Cup after injury forced him to withdraw from the Nations League Final camp in March. Sargent finished the season with 16 goals in 28 appearances for Norwich City.
Additionally, 2022 FIFA World Cup veterans Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luca de la Torre and Sean Johnson each make their first camp appearances of 2024.
Midfielder Weston McKennie registered the fastest hat trick in USMNT history during his last visit to the Washington, D.C. area, tallying three goals inside the first 13 minutes of a 7-0 win against Cuba on Oct. 11, 2019 at Audi Field. Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent also scored in that match.
In returning to Orlando for the June 12 match against Brazil, goalkeeper Matt Turner will play in the same city where he made his USMNT debut, saving a penalty kick in the 7-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago on Jan. 31, 2021.
Defender Miles Robinson also scored his first international goal in Orlando in the 2021 match against Trinidad and Tobago.
Five players on the roster have previous experience against Colombia: Christian Pulisic (2; June 2 and June 25, 2016); Josh Sargent, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah (Oct. 11, 2018), and Sean Johnson (Jan. 28, 2023).
Tim Weah registered his first career assist in the 2018 match against Colombia, playing provider on Bobby Wood’s 53rd minute goal.
Five players have also appeared against Brazil: Tim Ream (Sept. 8, 2015); Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah (Sept. 7, 2018).
Should they both appear in one of the June friendlies, Malik and Timmy Tillman would become the ninth set of brothers to play for the USMNT in the same match, and the first since Ken and Steve Snow against Costa Rica on June 14, 1988. The Tillman became the 10th set of brothers to appear for the USMNT upon Timmy’s debut this past January against Slovenia.
Sixteen players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with 11 players coming from MLS Academies: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls), Luca de la Torre (San Diego Surf, Nomads SC), Ethan Horvath (Real Colorado), Weston McKennie (FC Dallas), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Shaq Moore (FC Dallas), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Gio Reyna (New York City FC), Chris Richards (FC Dallas, Texas SC Houston), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts), Josh Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Joe Scally (New York City FC), Tim Weah (New York Red Bulls, BW Gotteschee), and Haji Wright (LA Galaxy)