Pulisic among USMNT stars missing Gold Cup this summer 3m44m

Christian Pulisic wasn't included in United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino's depleted squad for this summer's Gold Cup. 2w2j6f

Pulisic, the U.S. men's national team's marquee player and most talented forward, is "beaten up physically" after consecutive grueling seasons with AC Milan, sources told Doug McIntyre of FOX Sports. The 26-year-old will set a new career high for minutes played in a single campaign if he sures 49 minutes in Milan's season finale against Monza on Saturday.

"Christian and his team approached the federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break," U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said.

"After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs," Crocker added, noting the importance for Pulisic to "perform at the highest level next season" ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, and Tanner Tessmann were other notable names left off Pochettino's roster. Fellow absentees Weston McKennie, Jordan Morris, Gio Reyna, Cristian Roldan, and Tim Weah were already expected to miss the tournament.

Sergino Dest returned to the national team fold for the first time since March 2024 after recovering from a torn ACL and helping PSV Eindhoven win the Eredivisie title. Monaco striker Folarin Balogun is in the squad after battling shoulder issues during a four-goal Ligue 1 campaign.

The Vancouver Whitecaps' Sebastian Berhalter, Koln's Damion Downs, Orlando City's Alex Freeman, and the Philadelphia Union's Quinn Sullivan earned their first USMNT call-ups.

The Gold Cup begins June 14 and is hosted primarily in the United States. The U.S., a seven-time winner of the tournament, will meet old foe Trinidad and Tobago on June 15 before closing out group play against Haiti and guest nation Saudi Arabia.

The team will warm up for the Gold Cup with friendlies against Turkey (June 7) and Switzerland (June 10). The current 27-man roster needs to be trimmed to 26 players before the tournament kicks off.

USMNT squad 36395g

Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (New York City), Patrick Schulte (Columbus), Zack Steffen (Colorado), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)

Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Orlando), DeJuan Jones (San Jose), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (San Diego), Diego Luna (Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus)

Forwards: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte), Folarin Balogun (Monaco). Damion Downs (Cologne), Brian White (Vancouver), Haji Wright (Coventry)