Dest latest USMNT absentee in Gold Cup roster

United States international and PSV Eindhoven defender Sergiño Dest is the latest USMNT player to pull out of the Concacaf Gold Cup.

The news comes as U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino named his 26-player roster for the upcoming tournament. Pochettino was already being forced to do without several mainstay players such as AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic (fatigue) and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson (knee surgery) while the Juventus duo of Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are unavailable because of commitments at the Club World Cup.

Dest's absence is another significant blow to Pochettino's preparations. The right back missed much of the season as he recovered from a torn ACL, though he did return late in the season and made seven appearances totaling 375 minutes. Holstein Kiel defender John Tolkin will take Dest's spot on the roster.

"The technical, medical and high performance staffs have done a series of evaluations this week on all the players in camp, and in the case of Sergiño we determined the best decision is for the player to have an individualized training program for the summer so he can focus on being fully recovered and ready to perform next season," Pochettino said.

The roster does contain some veterans, including Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Matt Turner and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, but features just four players who started in the team's final match of the 2022 World Cup.

"We are extremely 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 to show the right mentality and approach, and we are confident these players will take advantage of the opportunity."

The roster largely aligns with the training camp roster Pochettino announced back on May 22, though in addition to Dest's withdrawal, injuries have further limited the U.S. manager's options. Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen, Columbus midfielder Sean Zawadzki, San Jose Earthquakes defender DeJuan Jones and AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun were all forced to withdraw.

The absences have forced Pochettino to dig deep into his pool of players. Defenders Alex Freeman and Quinn Sullivan, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and forward Damion Downs, are all enjoying their first call-ups with the USMNT. Freeman is the son of former Green Packers All-Pro wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman. Sebastian Berhalter has been a key performer for the Vancouver Whitecaps in leading them to the Concacaf Champions Cup final. Downs, a dual national of Germany and the United States, grew up playing football in Texas before moving to Germany. 

The roster also features brothers Brenden and Paxten Aaronson. They are the ninth of 10 sets of brothers ever capped by the United States. The Medford, New Jersey, natives are the first to share a place on a Gold Cup roster, and a joint appearance would mark just the second time in USMNT history that brothers stepped on the field together in official competition. The first instance was James and Russell Murphy, who played together in two World Cup qualifiers against Canada in 1957.

The USMNT will play a pair of friendlies in preparation for the Gold Cup. The U.S faces Turkey in East Hartford, Connecticut, on June 7, and then faces Switzerland in Nashville, Tennessee, three days later.

The U.S. opens play in the Gold Cup on June 15 when it takes on Trinidad and Tobago at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. Four days later, the U.S. faces Saudi Arabia at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and concludes the group stage against Haiti at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

USMNT GOLD CUP DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/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)