Los Angeles (AFP) – United States coach Gregg Berhalter has called up uncapped Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gio Reyna and England youth international Yunus Musah in a 24-man squad for this month’s friendlies with Wales and Panama.
Reyna and Musah are among 10 players included in the squad who will be looking to win their first international caps.
Reyna, the 17-year-old son of former US international Claudio Reyna, has impressed for Dortmund in the Bundesliga, where he has made 21 appearances this year.
The New York-born Musah, another 17-year-old, represented England at multiple age group levels between 2016 and 2019. The Valencia winger was eligible to play for four countries — the US, Ghana, Italy and England.
The squad also includes nine players attached to clubs playing in the UEFA Champions League, including Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Sergino Dest (Barcelona), Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Christian Pulisic (Chelsea).
Pulisic has been included despite a recent hamstring injury which ruled him out of Chelsea’s clash with Burnley last weekend.
Berhalter meanwhile is eager to cast an eye over his squad, which boasts an average age of 21.
“We are excited about getting this group back together,” said Berhalter.
“I’m proud of the way the players have handled the challenging times – they really stuck together.
“We have built a solid foundation, and now we get a chance to continue our work together ahead of what is going to be a critical 12 months for our team.”
The US faces Wales in Cardiff on November 12 before travelling to Austria for a friendly with Panama four days later.
The US team, which is building towards next year’s crucial 2022 World Cup qualifiers, has not played since a February victory over Costa Rica after multiple international windows were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
US squad:
Goalkeepers
Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL), Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG)
Defenders
John Brooks (Wolfsburg/GER), Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR), Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht/BEL), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG), Chris Richards (Bayern Munich/GER), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG)
Midfielders
Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP), Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton/ENG)
Forwards
Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona/ESP), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen/FRA), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG), Uly Llanez (Heerenveen/NED), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER), Sebastian Soto (Telstar/NED), Tim Weah (Lille/FRA)
