ON WEDNESDAY, UNITED STATES national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino named a 25-player roster for November’s National League quarterfinal against Haiti with the first leg coming in Miami, on November 14 and the second leg coming in Cincinnati on November 14.

The roster contained several surprises along with the return of many of the usual faces.

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION

(Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Matt Freese (New York City FC; 20/0), Diego Kochen (Lyngby Boldklub/DEN; 2/0), Brian Schwake (Nashville SC; 2/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Reed Baker-Whiting (Nashville SC; 0/0), George Campbell (West Bromwich Albion FC/ENG; 3/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 46/3), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 26/3), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union; 3/0), Bryan Reynolds (Stade Rennais/FRA; 7/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 43/4), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 62/5), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 14/1)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth/ENG; 62/2), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 4/1), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough/ENG; 22/4), Santiago Castañeda (SC Paderborn/GER; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 71/12), Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York; 3/0), Gio Reyna (RC Strasbourg Alsace/FRA; 47/10), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 39/7)

FORWARDS (5): Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 31/12), Justin Ellis (Orlando City SC; 3/2), Julian Hall (Red Bull New York; 4/3), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 90/33), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 3/1)

USMNT core is present

Last window was all about many of the top young players in the U.S. program. Some of the World Cup players were there, but many key faces were also missing.

For this camp, the core that emerged for the World Cup has returned almost in its entirety. Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Antonee Robinson, Gio Reyna, Alex Freeman, Sebastian Berhalter, Auston Trusty, and Sergino Dest are back from the last camp. But in this camp, there is also Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Folarin Balogun.

These 12 players are the core of the team right now and the players that Pochettino believes he can build the team around. That could, of course, change as the cycle progresses. Some players won’t age well. The U-23 team will continue to push players into the player pool. There will be others who also continue to raise their games.

Pochettino has reduced the size of the core dramatically since he took charge over two years ago and the core will continue to change. After the roster was released, he said he and his staff were monitoring over 100 players. But there will also likely be consistency within the team and that starts with these 12 players.

Many USYNT players return

Last camp, Pochettino called-up 12 players who were also eligible for the U.S. U-23 team and U-20 teams. Each of those players were handed their debut. For this camp, seven of those 12 players returned which was a little surprising given that during the last camp Pochettino said that it might be the last time he sees them before they shift down to the Olympic team or the U-20 team ahead of its World Cup next year.

But in this camp, Diego Kochen, Neil Pierre, Mathis Albert, Adri Mehmeti, Julian Hall, Justin Ellis, and Cavan Sullivan have all returned. In addition, Reed Baker-Whiting earned his first U.S. national team call-up while also being eligible for the Olympic team.

There are several ways to look at this. First, is that Pochettino might have been very surprised in a positive way about how well the Olympic-eligible group performed in the four games last window. While these players earned rave reviews for the way they produced (scoring seven of the team’s 12 goals that window), Pochettino might be reworking his philosophy about which players are ready, which veteran players could be replaced, and which players go with the full national team as opposed to the Olympic team.

These senior team games are part of an official competition and Haiti is a tricky team that is coming off participating in the World Cup. That fact that Pochettino wants to keep most of these Olympic-eligible players is a strong sign that he likes them perhaps more than he believed he would.

Castaneda, Baker-Whiting, & Reynolds

Pochettino named three players to this roster who have never been into camp with him before. Reed Baker-Whiting from Nashville and Santiago Castaneda at Paderborn are both earning their first ever call-ups to the full national team. Meanwhile, Bryan Reynolds rejoins the team for the first time since 2023 when he was called up by Gregg Berhalter.

Castaneda, 22, makes a lot of sense. As a defensive midfielder, he helped Paderborn to promotion in the Bundesliga and has played well to start the season in Germany’s top tier. This area of the field is very competitive for the U.S. team and players with impressive resumes are not on this roster either due to injury (Johnny Cardoso), manager choice (Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio), or likely with the Olympic team (Brooklyn Raines, Matthew Corcoran). Castaneda might only have a limited window to impress Pochettino, but his chance is now.

Bryan Reynolds has also been earning minutes for a deep and solid Rennes team in France’s Ligue 1. This past summer he finally broke free from one of Belgium’s smallest top-flight clubs in Westerlo. His performances have been a little up and down, but his best games (particularly in the Europa League) have all been very good.

He is there to provide right back depth as well as potentially coverage on the wings. This is also a deep area of the field with Alex Freeman and Sergino Dest in this camp. Joe Scally and Tim Weah were both left off. Frankie Westfield is presumably with the Olympic team. Like Castaneda, Reynolds has an opportunity to impress at this camp but he will be under pressure to make the most of the opportunity because the depth options are so strong.

Reed Baker-Whiting is one of the most interesting players on this roster. He is right-footed and is more naturally a right back. But he has been playing on the left side for Supporters Shield-winning Nashville SC most of the season out of necessity. He has done very well for them but he is also Olympic-eligible and will bypass that team this window. He likely will backup Antonee Robinson but is instead getting the nod over more natural left backs.

The likely reason is that Pochettino and his staff likely spent time watching MLS teams in recent weeks and Baker-Whiting impressed.

Concerning for those left off

While this roster contains a mix of the core, Olympic players who impressed at the last camp, and a few newcomers, it comes at the expense of many established players who should likely feel under pressure to raise their level to compete for a spot on the team.

Pochettino addressed Ricardo Pepi’s omission after the roster was released and he said that with Pepi only now just returning from injury, he felt it was best for him to remain at PSV and train. Johnny Cardoso, meanwhile, is nearing a return to Atletico Madrid’s lineup but he has been hurt for several weeks.   

But there are several players who are not on this roster who are healthy and likely should be concerned.  

Aidan Morris: the Middlesbrough central midfielder is one of the best deeper-lying midfielders in the Championship and has been instrumental to his club’s rise to the top of the table. While he has had three call-ups under Pochettino and hasn’t managed to stick around, he has also never played as well as he is right now.

Tanner Tessmann: the Lyon midfielder was one of the most controversial cuts from the World Cup team this summer. His omission from the first two camps after that tournament paints a tough picture for him. But he is playing well right now for Lyon. 

Tim Weah: the Marseille captain has been a veteran of the U.S. national team for years but struggled in his call-ups earlier in the year and at the World Cup. It might take awhile for him to work his way back into the picture.

Joe Scally: The Borussia Monchengladbach right back has been one of the few bright spots for his club during a tough season. But for as frequently as he has been called up, he has not played much for Pochettino and this has opened the door for other fullbacks such as Reynolds or Baker-Whiting.

Matt Turner: despite being one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, he lost his starting job with the USMNT in 2025 and not appears to be out of the picture altogether.

Brenden Aaronson: Another player who Pochettino has never found much use despite playing in the Premier League. This only continues with the player pool expanding into the youth levels.

Mark McKenzie: the Toulouse central defender has also not made the most of his opportunities under Pochettino although he might sneak back into the mix if George Campbell’s injury prevents him from playing.

Yunus Musah: Perhaps the most puzzling player in the player pool. He plays for AC Milan but did not stand out last camp in his return to the team. He missed the World Cup team. His performances this season have been hot and cold. He needs to prove himself to be a consistently trustworthy player.

Jack McGlynn: the left-footed winger/midfielder has impressed mightily with Stoke City since joining the club this summer. He is a unique player in the national team pool but hasn’t been able to get back into the picture since his injury late in the 2025 season.

Max Arfsten: the Middlesbrough winger/left back was Antonee Robinson’s backup all through 2025 and into the World Cup. But he likely needs to earn a starting job at Middlesbrough first.

Gianluca Busio: The Venezia captain has been injured and only recently returned. If he can help lead Venezia out of the relegation zone, he might get back into the picture.

Several to be Cap-tied

The number of dual-nationals who could be cap-tied to the USMNT program if they appear in either of these two games against Haiti is significant.

Julian Hall has mentioned in the past that he has been undecided about whether to play for the USA or Poland (where his mother is from). Pochettino said on Wednesday that Hall has always been excited to play for the U.S. team. This would seal that.

Santiago Castaneda: the defensive midfielder from Tampa also holds a Colombian passport through each of his parents. He never had a significant role with U.S. youth teams but this would completely tie him. In 2025, he hinted in an ASN interview that the USA was his top choice.

Brian Schwake: the Nashville SC goalkeeper also holds a Luxembourg passport and that national team would surely loved to have welcomed Schwake into their program. That will not be possible if he plays in either of these games.

Adri Mehmeti: the Red Bull New York midfielder is one of the top young American players in MLS. He has indicated that he was open to playing for Albania, where his father is from, but this would put him into the U.S. corner.

Justin Ellis: While he is born and raised in Florida, Ellis also hold Uruguayan eligibility through his mother. This would end that.

Neil Pierre: the Philadelphia Union central defender could become cap-tied to the USMNT while playing against the other country he holds nationality. Pierre is eligible to play for Haiti and his brother, Nelson Pierre, played for Haiti at the 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championships. But the younger Pierre brother has never given any indication playing for Haiti is a goal of his.

Thoughts on Haiti

Haiti recently competed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and while the team lost all three of its games, it was a tough competitor against Scotland, Brazil, and Morocco. Their national team player pool has been expanded with the recruitment of several dual nationals who were born abroad to Haitian ancestry. French-born Sunderland forward Wilson Isidor was the most important piece.

The team is physical and plays very hard. Haiti has not been able to play a game in Haiti in six years due to instability within the country. Instead, Haiti will play its home game in Miami where it will be backed by a passionate crowd.

It will be interesting to see how Pochettino juggles his roster between the mix of experienced and youthful players. He might see a need for the veterans to handle the first leg in Miami. Then in front of a likely pro-U.S. crowd in Cincinnati, allow the young players a chance.