Mar 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; USA forward Christian Pulisic (10) is interviewed after the game against Canada during the Concacaf Nations League final at SoFi Stadium.

U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has named 22 players to his roster for September friendlies against South Korea and Japan.

Pochettino will add one additional player later to finalize his squad at 23 players.

The head coach has made some truly eye-opening calls on the roster, omitting some mainstays like Matt Turner, Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso and Yunus Musah while opting to hand several untested players a shot.

Perhaps the biggest name on the roster, however, is Christian Pulisic, who is back after his controversial decision to skip the Gold Cup this summer.

Some key players also missed out due to being injured or just returning from injury, including Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Antonee Robinson and Malik Tillman.

Let's look at four of the biggest talking points from the USMNT's September roster.

Return of Puli

Christian Pulisic has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past few months, but Pochettino has handed the AC Milan star his first chance to start changing the narrative on the field.

Despite being one of, if not the best player the USMNT has, Pulisic's inclusion on this roster wasn't a guarantee. There was a school of thought that Pochettino may try to send a message after a public squabble erupted between the pair this summer.

Pulisic claimed in an interview that he requested to play in pre-tournament friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland, only to be denied by Pochettino.

The Argentine didn't take kindly to the forward's claims, attempting to reassert control over his selection process by saying: "I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin."

But cooler heads have prevailed, which is probably for the best. After being without Pulisic all summer, Pochettino has precious little time to repair his relationship with the star on and off the field.

Goalkeepers shuffle again

If there was any doubt that Matt Freese is the incumbent starting goalkeeper, Pochettino emphatically answered that by omitting Matt Turner from this roster.

Turner's snub is especially noteworthy, given he's done exactly what Pochettino would have wanted by finding a starting role with the New England Revolution.

Even though Pochettino wouldn't want to deny Turner the start he'll undoubtedly receive on Saturday against Charlotte FC, the omission is nonetheless noteworthy.

So too are the absences of Zack Steffen and Patrick Schulte, the two keepers to be capped most recently who aren't named Matt. In their place are FC Cincinnati's Roman Celentano and Jonathan Klinsmann (yes, Jürgen's son), who has revitalized his career with Serie B side Cesena.

This is just the second call-up for Klinsmann, and the first since he was called in as an injury replacement in 2018.

Messages sent in midfield

Are Sean Zawadzki and Jack McGlynn more likely to make the World Cup roster than Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie and Johnny Cardoso? Probably not.

But Pochettino has nonetheless opted to send a message to three USMNT mainstays, dropping them from this squad despite seemingly being healthy.

Musah, like Pulisic, opted out of the Gold Cup this summer to rest. McKennie wasn't there due to Club World Cup duty with Juventus, but Pochettino may have been put off by something about the 26-year-old during their previous encounters.

Cardoso, despite taking his place as a starter under Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid, was also left out after a summer blighted by errors and injury.

Even if the trio returns next month, they'll be smarting over this month's omission.

Defense still in flux

The Gold Cup made it clear that Pochettino sees Tim Ream and Chris Richards as his preferred center back pairing. This roster doesn't change that perspective in any way — but the players behind that pair have been shuffled.

There is no room on this squad for the likes of Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Mark McKenzie, Cameron Carter-Vickers or Auston Trusty, among others.

Instead, two uncapped center backs will generate plenty of discussion.

On one end of the spectrum is 29-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon, whose only prior call-up was in January 2021. The discourse around Blackmon has already been pulsating after his teammate Thomas Müller leaked news of his call-up over the weekend.

At the other end is a player who seems much more likely to be on the World Cup squad, 18-year-old Augsburg center back Noahkai Banks. The teenager has all the tools to be a top-class defender. Now he'll get a shot to show that time can be sooner, rather than later.

USMNT September roster (club; caps/goals)

Goalkeepers (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 7/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena; 0/0)

Defenders (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 10/1), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg; 0/0), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps; 0/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 7/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 1/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 74/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 31/3)

Midfielders (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth; 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps; 6/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 31/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 12/3), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 11/2), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)

Forwards (5): Damion Downs (Southampton; 5/0), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; 78/32) Josh Sargent (Norwich; 28/5), Tim Weah (Marseille; 44/7), Alex Zendejas (Club América; 11/1)

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: Pulisic returns, McKennie snubbed and more thoughts on USMNT September roster

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

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