Gregg Berhalter names USMNT CONCACAF Nations League roster

This morning, United States Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter named his 26-man roster that will compete in CONCACAF Nations League matches this month against Cuba and Canada. With the rules of the inaugural competition calling for 23 players, Berhalter will have to narrow his roster down by next Wednesday. There is still a chance that some players will shift between the home match against Cuba, to take place October 11th in Washington, DC, and the away match to Canada in Toronto October 15th. Still, the USMNT want to get off on a good start in the Nations League, and Berhalter has called in the players he thinks will get the job done against Cuba and Canada.

The 26-man USMNT roster for their first-ever CONCACAF Nations League matches:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Düsseldorf)

DEFENDERS (8): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), Matt Miazga (Reading FC), Tim Ream (Fulham), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle), Walker Zimmerman (Los Angeles Football Club)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Schalke 04), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)

FORWARDS (7): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC)

One name that most fans wanted to see included on the roster was Sergiño Dest, who has become a starter for Ajax and made his USMNT debut last month against Mexico and Uruguay. However, as a dual national, him playing in the Nations League would cap-tie him to the United States (he is also eligible to play for the Netherlands). However, he was excluded from this roster for reasons unknown, leaving the USMNT fanbase to wait anxiously for another month to see if he will solidify his commitment to the USMNT.

Brenden Aaronson, the 18-year-old midfielder, does get the call up after a remarkable season for the Philadelphia Union. Christian Pulisic, who hasn’t played in 4 of Chelsea’s last 5 matches, also gets the nod, a welcome sight for American fans who want to see him playing at a high level on the national team. DeAndre Yedlin is also back on the roster after recently returning to club action from injury.

Hit the comments and discuss who is in and who is out of this roster.