Zack Steffen returns to US national team in Mauricio Pochettino’s first roster

AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Mauricio Pochettino’s first player move as U.S. coach was to bring back goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who started nearly half the 2022 World Cup qualifiers but was exiled by Gregg Berhalter.

“He deserved the opportunity to be with us,” Pochettino said Wednesday after announcing his roster for friendlies against Panama on Oct. 12 at Austin, Texas, and Mexico three days later at Guadalajara. “It’s a good opportunity to see him and analyze.”

The 29-year-old Steffen has 29 international appearances and has started all 31 Major League Soccer games for Colorado this season after playing in just two Premier League matches over 4 1/2 seasons during his contract with Manchester City. He was surprisingly omitted from the 2022 World Cup roster and hasn’t played for the national team since the final qualifiers that March, though he was on the bench for CONCACAF Nations League matches a year later.

Turner, who split September friendlies against New Zealand and Canada with Columbus’ Patrick Schulte, lost his starting job at Nottingham Forest last season, was loaned to Crystal Palace in August and has not played this season. Ethan Horvath has not been in a Cardiff match since Aug. 31.

Midfielder Gianluca Busio was the other notable addition to the 25-man group, which includes 19 players from this year’s Copa America and a dozen from the 2022 World Cup, including Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie. Busio, 22, helped Venezia gain promotion to Serie A this season and played for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.

“What we want to feel from them is the commitment, the personality, the character, the capacity to adapt to a new era, a new way to approach the games,” Pochettino said. “I think that is going to be the key, the capacity for them to think in the collective, to think and to give everything to try to be better.”

Hired on Sept. 10 to lead the Americans through the 2026 World Cup, Pochettino said he received a U.S. visa on Tuesday — “that was also a nightmare” — and will travel to Texas on Saturday to meet the team’s administrative staff of about 25 holdovers. Players will start reporting on Sunday.

“We need to to settle a few principles, a few concepts,” he said. “General way to behave and the way that we see football and the way that we want to compete.”

Pochettino held a Zoom news conference from London and said the only American player he had spoken with since his appointment was Antonee Robinson, whom he encountered in a London restaurant where the defender had joined Fulham teammates. Pochettino said he didn’t have time to call the entire player pool and didn’t want to call only a portion, preferring to address the group in Austin.

Pochettino said future rosters — the next is for Nations League quarterfinals in November — will have newcomers.

“We start to follow some very good players that I think have the potential and maybe are not now in the roster but for sure they’re going to be in the roster in the future,” he said.

Pochettino revealed he has started to read U.S. soccer media — “more than you believe” — and said he initially will use 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations.

“I think we have amazing players but the most important (thing), they need to believe,” he said.

Injured players who will miss the matches include defenders Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards and Cameron Carter-Vickers, and midfielders Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna.

Goalkeeper Diego Kochen, defender Caleb Wiley and winger Cade Cowell, who had been on the September roster, were dropped.

Player positions may evolve under Pochettino. Brenden Aaronson, who has played a variety of central and wide midfield and forward roles, was listed as a midfielder rather than up front.

“He’s playing in too many different positions and maybe now is time for him to find his best position,” Pochettino said.

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Cardiff), Patrick Schulte (Columbus), Zack Steffen (Colorado), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)

Defenders: Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus) Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)

Forwards: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry)

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