For the first time since 2019 it appears that the United States men’s national team will send a full strength squad to the Concacaf Gold Cup.
FOX Soccer’s Doug McIntyre spoke with Alexi Lalas and reported that this summer’s Gold Cup will see the best U.S. players competing.
USMNT Gold Cup roster expected to be full strength
()️ @ByDougMcIntyre to @SOTUWithAlexi:
"There were some reports out there that maybe the Gold Cup roster would be a mostly MLS based squad with European based stars, the Christian Pulisics, Tyler Adams of the world missing. That is not going to be the case from my… pic.twitter.com/tRQGKkppWP— USMNT Otaku (@USMNTOtaku) April 11, 2025
"There were some reports out there that maybe the Gold Cup roster would be a mostly MLS based squad with European based stars, the Christian Pulisics, Tyler Adams of the world missing. That is not going to be the case from my understanding, it’s going to be a full strength team,” McIntyre said.
In the 2021 and 2023 editions of the Gold Cup the USMNT sent squads composed of nearly all MLS players with one or two exceptions. Christian Pulisic, the team’s biggest star, has featured in a Gold Cup since the 2019 edition.
The Concacaf Nations League was played around the same time as the Gold Cup in past years resulting in the USA’s “A-team” competing in the Nations League and the domestic talent being used for the Gold Cup.
Some American stars will miss out due to the inaugural 32–team Club World Cup happening at the same time. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund both qualified for the event meaning that Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah and Gio Reyna will miss out on the Gold Cup.
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino needs to see a good result from the tournament after his team’s lackluster performances in the Nations League last month. Defeats to Panama and Canada have the morale around the national team at a low.
The Gold Cup will be the last chance for Pochettino to see the squad in competitive games before the 2026 World Cup. If we’re being realistic, the only option for the USMNT is to win the Gold Cup to get things back on track.
The U.S. were drawn in a group with Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and guest country Saudi Arabia.
The @GoldCup groups are set! pic.twitter.com/C7F3qLHeoo
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) April 11, 2025
With a full strength roster there shouldn’t be any excuses. Win the damn thing.
