Pulisic and Balogun return as USA name 25-man squad for CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals

Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie have all been recalled to the United States national team as coach Mauricio Pochettino named a 25-man squad on Wednesday for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti. The two-legged tie, decided on aggregate goals, takes place on November 14 in Miami and November 17 in Cincinnati, with a place in the Nations League semifinals at stake.

Pulisic missed the team’s September and October friendlies while recovering from a microfracture of his right tibia and fibula, an injury sustained during the 4-1 World Cup round-of-16 defeat to Belgium. His return is a significant boost for Pochettino, who has retained 19 of the players used in those exhibitions and called up half of the 26-man squad he took to this year’s World Cup.

Balogun’s inclusion is also notable. The Monaco forward was left out of the September and October squads after failing to feature in his club’s opening four Ligue 1 matches following a proposed transfer to Everton that did not materialise. His red-card suspension from the World Cup had itself been controversially lifted after a phone call from US President Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Nashville defender Reed Baker-Whiting and Paderborn midfielder Santiago Castaneda could earn their first senior caps, while defender Bryan Reynolds returns for the first time since the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Teenager Cavan Sullivan, who debuted in September two days before his 17th birthday and became the youngest American goal scorer a week later against Mexico, is also included.

Several players were ruled out through injury, including defender Miles Robinson, midfielder Johnny Cardoso and forwards Haji Wright and Alejandro Zendejas. Striker Ricardo Pepi was omitted after a leg muscle injury that kept him sidelined from September 20 until last weekend. Goalkeeper Matt Turner, defenders Max Arfsten, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie and Joe Scally, and winger Tim Weah were all bypassed.

The winner of the Haiti tie will advance to the Nations League semifinals, scheduled for March 22-30 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The United States, ranked 16th in the world, face an 84th-ranked Haitian side across both legs. The squad will begin preparations at a training camp in Georgia.