Welcome to redemption time for the USMNT. Mauricio Pochettino's side endured a miserable Nations League finals slate in march, leading to the inevitable widespread panic ahead of the Gold Cup. the Argentine manager this week released his preliminary 60 man squad for the tournament, which kicks off next month.
There are very few surprises here. Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Tyler Adams are all in the mix. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna are all absent due to Club World Cup duties. Ricardo Pepi still needs time to recover from a knee injury, and won't be risked.
Otherwise, it's a full strength side - at least, in the original pool. Pochettino is expected to name a 26-player squad this week ahead of pre-tournament friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland.
That said, there is room for debate. The preliminary list includes seven (!!) goalkeepers, way too many attacking midfielders, and a whole load of defenders that all will believe they have a shot to make the squad at a position of relative weakness.
Who will make it, who shouldn't, and what does this vast preliminary list tell us about the direction of the USMNT? GOAL US writers debate all that in the latest edition of... The Rondo.
