USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino to Bring 23 Players for September Training Camp ahead of Matches against World Cup Qualified Nations Korea Republic and Japan

ATLANTA (Aug. 26, 2025) – U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino will bring 23players to the training camp for the upcoming September matches against World Cup-bound opponents Korea Republic and Japan. A total of 22 players have been rostered, with one addition to be confirmed. Players will begin reporting to New Jersey on Aug. 31.

The USA will first host Korea Republic, presented by Haleon, on Sept. 6 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Kickoff from the home of the New York Red Bulls is set for 5 p.m. ET, with the match broadcast live on TNT and Telemundo, and streamed on Max, Universo, and Peacock.

USA-Japan, presented by Allstate, comes nearly 25 years after the USMNT’s first visit to Columbus, Ohio and what has become a special place in U.S. Soccer history. Lower.com Field and the USMNT welcome the 15th-ranked Japanese side on Sept. 9, with the match kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET and available on TNT, Max, Universo, and Peacock.

Both matches will be carried live on radio as Westwood One Sports delivers English language commentary from on-site for the first time while longtime partner Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish language call.

Fans can follow the USMNT on X (@USMNT, Instagram (@USMNT, Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App.

“We continue to strengthen the squad and narrow in on the pool of players who can help us achieve our goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said Pochettino. “We have a number of players just returning from injuries or who have had very limited minutes in the last couple months, so they can take this moment to continue to build fitness and sharpness for the upcoming opportunities in the fall.”

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 7/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 10/1), Noahkai Banks(FC Augsburg/GER; 0/0), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 7/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 1/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 74/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 31/3)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 6/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 31/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 12/3), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 11/2), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)

FORWARDS (5): Damion Downs (Southampton/ENG; 5/0), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 78/32) Josh Sargent (Norwich/ENG; 28/5), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 44/7), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 11/1)

CARRYING THEIR GOLD CUP MO’

A total of 12 players on the roster return from the squad that earned a runner-up finish at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, including two players--defender Chris Richards and midfielder Diego Luna-- who were named to the tournament’s Best XI. Richards started all six matches and scored two goals. Luna tallied three goals and two assists and earned Man of the Match honors after scoring twice in the semifinal win against Guatemala.

CP THE CAPWINNER

Christian Pulisic leads all players on the roster with a total of 78 appearances. Tim Ream (74) and Tyler Adams (50) round out the 50 and over club with Tim Weah having 44 under his belt. Sergiño Dest will be looking to add to his 33-cap total – more below - while Luca de la Torre and Chris Richards each reached 31 caps during this summer’s second-place finish at the Gold Cup.

MOVING ON UP

After two years at Juventus in Italy’s Serie A, forward Tim Weah is back to France and Champions League football. The 25-year-old transferred to Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1, completing his tenure at Juventus with seven goals in 78 appearances. Marseille finished second in Ligue 1 last year behind Champions League winners PSG.

Weah follows in the footsteps of his father, George, who also played for Marseille during his career.

DOWNS AND UP

Damion Downs’ Southampton will be looking to make a quick return to the English Premier League after being relegated at the end of last season. For now, they will compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.

After contributing 15 goals + assists to lead the second-tier German side FC Kölnto a division title and promotion to the Bundesliga, Downs will look to do the same for Southampton. He was part of the Gold Cup roster for the United States and delivered the game-sealing penalty kick against Costa Rica in Minneapolis that sent the U.S. through to the semifinals.

SERG-ING

Sergiño Dest is poised to make his first appearances for the USMNT since helping the USA claim the Concacaf Nations League title in March 2024. After recovering from a ruptured ACL, Dest joined the camp this past summer, but the timing proved a bit too early for his return to game action during the Gold Cup. The PSV defender has started the Eredivisie campaign strongly, posting two goals and an assist in four matches including the game-winner in the Dutch Super Cup.

HOME BOYS

The stadiums in Harrison and Columbus will feel like home to a host of the U.S. players on this roster. Tim Ream was drafted 18th overall by the New York Red Bulls in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and was a finalist for Rookie of the Year that season. Tyler Adams had a well-documented rise through the Red Bull Academy all the way to the First Team.Tim Weah spent a year in the same academy before beginning his European adventure at PSG.

Meantime, Max Arfsten and Sean Zawadzki currently lace them up for the Columbus Crew. The pair were members of the 2023 MLS Cup winning side hosted at Lower.com Field, the site of the tilt on Sept. 9 against Japan. In addition to making his USMNT debut in 2025, Arfsten was selected to this year’s MLS All-Star Team.

FIRST TIME IN ‘25

Several players will join the USMNT fold for the first time in 2025. Alex Zendejas appeared in each of the first four matches during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure last fall. The 27-year-old had 12 goals in 48 matches across all competitions for Club América last season.

The MLS duo of Roman Celentano and Sean Zawadzki took part in the 2024 January Camp with Zawadzki earning his first appearance on Jan. 20 against Slovenia. Tristan Blackmon gets his first crack since January of 2021.

Meantime, goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann gets another look for the senior MNT for the first time since 2018. Now with Cesena in Serie B in Italy, he won the Golden Glove during the 2017 U-20 Concacaf Gold Cup winning run and appeared in all five matches in the FIFA U-20 World Cup that same year.

CARPE DIEM

Four players are looking to seize the opportunity to earn their first cap for the senior National Team. While Blackmon, Celentano and Klinsmannare getting a return gig, 18-year-old defender Noahkai Banks makes his debut in a USMNT camp. A dual national of the United States and Germany, the FC Augsburg defender has appeared at the Youth National Team level for the U-17, U-19 and U-20 Men’s National Teams.

ROSTER NOTES

Click here to read article