Soccer's biggest stars are coming to Cincinnati this week.
U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter recently announced the expanded roster that will take on Mexico during the sold-out Nov. 12 World Cup qualifier in Cincinnati. The match is one of the most important on U.S. Soccer's fall slate.
Here's who Berhalter is calling to Cincinnati, a release from U.S. Soccer says:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 9/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 24/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 12/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 22/1), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 8/0), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim/GER; 4/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 17/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 14/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 0/0), Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp/BEL; 8/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR; 69/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 20/2)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; 42/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 20/1), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 7/0), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 33/8), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 27/7), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 9/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 29/0)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 13/5), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 41/8), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 2/2), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas; 4/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 40/16), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA; 16/1)
"When it comes to USA-Mexico, I’m excited for our players because it isn’t just a game — it’s an event. This is the best of World Cup Qualifying, and our group is ready for the challenge," Berhalter says.
Notably, full-back Sergiño Dest and attacking midfielder Giovanni Reyna are out with injuries.
Berhalter may be calling 25 players up, but the actual game-day roster can only include 23 players, the release says. The roster reported to training camp on Sunday.
As of last week, the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium is sold out. The qualifying match was announced at the end of July, when Carl Lindner III, the majority owner of FC Cincinnati, said the USA/Mexico match would be "one of the most significant soccer matches in the world."
In October, Cincinnati welcomed FIFA and U.S. Soccer as officials toured Paul Brown Stadium, soccer training facilities and Fan Fest locations. Cincinnati is one of 17 U.S. cities vying to host a 2026 World Cup match. Officials expect that 10-11 cities will be chosen in early 2022.
The match between the USMNT and Mexico will kick off at 9:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at TQL Stadium. USA currently is in second place in the standings.
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