With the release this week of the USMNT's 60-man preliminary list, we have a general idea of what Mauricio Pochettino's Gold Cup squad will look like. As important, we know who won't be on it.
Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna's exclusions were no surprise. All three are bound for the Club World Cup, although that may change depending on Reyna's club future. Ricardo Pepi's exclusion was expected, as the PSV star continues to recover from the injury that knocked him out of action in the winter.
That leaves several positions up for grabs, particularly with starters McKennie and Weah absent.
For the first time since 2019, the USMNT looks set to bring a full-strength squad to the Gold Cup. That is by necessity. After a dreadful two-game CONCACAF Nations League set in March, and with a World Cup just more than a year away, Pochettino needs to fine-tune this team - and do it quickly.
All indications are that the U.S. will be taking this summer's tournament very seriously, which means the team's top players are expected to be involved. The stars need to be aligned, literally. Christian Pulisic has participated in this tournament just once, playing back in 2019, but he and other European-based stars look set to be in the squad.
In the modern-day Gold Cup, the U.S. are the second-most successful team, only trailing Mexico in terms of titles with seven to El Tri's nine. They have qualified for every edition of the competition since 1991, and won most recently in 2021.
Pochettino is expected to cut that 60-man list down this week, ahead of the Gold Cup, where he'll have to have a 26-player squad. There are two friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland to consider, too, ahead of the Gold Cup kickoff.
Who will be on that final squad? Which players are on the outside looking in? Which players can Pochettino count on and what tough decisions will the USMNT boss have to make?
GOAL projects the USMNT's 2025 Gold Cup roster.
