Sergiño Dest Withdraws from the Gold Cup: More Absences for the United States
The PSV Eindhoven and US national team defender, Sergiño Dest, is the latest absence for the Concacaf Gold Cup. The news comes as US coach Mauricio Pochettino announces the 26-player roster for the tournament. Pochettino was already forced to do without several key players such as Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) and Antonee Robinson (Fulham) due to fatigue and injury, respectively. In addition, the Juventus duo, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, will not be available due to commitments with the Club World Cup. The absence of Dest represents a hard blow for Pochettino’s plans. The right-back missed a large part of the season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, although he returned at the end of the season, participating in seven matches with a total of 375 minutes played. John Tolkin, defender of Holstein Kiel, will take Dest’s place in the squad.“The coaching staff, medical personnel, and high-performance staff have conducted a series of evaluations this week on all players in the camp, and in Sergiño’s case, we determined that the best decision is for the player to have an individualized training program for the summer, so that he can focus on being fully recovered and ready to perform next season,” Pochettino stated.
Mauricio Pochettino
The call-up includes several veterans such as Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace), and Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), but only features four players who were starters in the last match of the 2022 World Cup.
“We are very excited to work with this group of players and compete for the championship,” Pochettino said. “Of course, our priority is to win the tournament and show the right mentality and focus, and we are confident that these players will seize the opportunity.”
Mauricio Pochettino
The list of those called up largely matches the one announced by Pochettino on May 22. In addition to Dest’s absence, injuries have further limited the options of the American coach. Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes), and Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco) were also forced to withdraw.
These absences have forced Pochettino to turn to less common players. Alex Freeman and Quinn Sullivan (defenders), Sebastian Berhalter (midfielder) and Damion Downs (forward) receive their first call-up to the US national team. Freeman is the son of former Green Bay Packers All-Pro wide receiver and Super Bowl champion, Antonio Freeman. Sebastian Berhalter has been key for the Vancouver Whitecaps, leading them to the Concacaf Champions Cup final. Downs, with dual German and American nationality, grew up playing soccer in Texas before moving to Germany.
The list also includes brothers Brenden and Paxten Aaronson, being the ninth of ten pairs of siblings to be called up by the United States. The natives of Medford, New Jersey, are the first to share a place in a Gold Cup call-up, and their joint participation would mark the second time in the history of the US national team that siblings play together in an official competition. The first time was with James and Russell Murphy, who played together in two World Cup qualifying matches against Canada in 1957.
The United States will play two friendly matches in preparation for the Gold Cup. They will face Turkey in East Hartford, Connecticut, on June 7, and then Switzerland in Nashville, Tennessee, three days later.
The United States’ debut in the Gold Cup will be on June 15, against Trinidad and Tobago at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. Four days later, they will face Saudi Arabia at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and conclude the group stage against Haiti at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
DETAILED UNITED STATES GOLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; games played/goals):
GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 51/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 19/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 68/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 24/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 32/3), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel/GER; 4/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 43/3)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 47/8); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 24/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 0/0); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0)
FORWARDS (5): Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; 1/0), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Damion Downs (FC Köln/GER; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 4/1), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 15/4)
