USMNT roster: Why isn't Christian Pulisic on USA soccer squad for friendlies vs. Turkiye and Switzerland?

U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino left star Christian Pulisic off the roster for the group's June friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland, using the final friendlies before the Concacaf Gold Cup to explore the wider player pool.

Pochettino opted to leave off Pulisic so he can rest after a demanding season for AC Milan, but he is not the only mainstay who did not make the cut. Fulham's Antonee Robinson also was not named to the roster, while Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna, who will be tied up with club commitments at the newly expanded Club World Cup, which will run simultaneously to the Gold Cup in the U.S. this summer. Weah and McKennie play for Juventus, while Reyna is on the books at Borussia Dortmund.

"Christian and his team approached the federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break," U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement, per The Athletic. "After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season."

Pulisic has played in 49 matches just this season alone for Milan, logging 3,542 minutes. If he plays this weekend for Milan as expected, that would mark his 100th match for the team since the 2023-24 season began. He played in 12 games for the United States men's national team in 2024 and has two caps this calendar year.

As a result of him missing out, Pochettino will work with a batch of inexperienced players, with the current roster averaging 18 caps and 11 in official competition. The group includes four players who received first-time call-ups to the senior national team – Sebastian Berhalter, Damion Downs, Alex Freeman and Quinn Sullivan.

The USMNT will meet in Chicago on June 2 to begin their training camp before games against Turkiye on June 7 at Pratt and Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Conn. and Switzerland on June 10 at Geodis Park in Nashville.

Here's a look at the USMNT's roster in full.

USMNT Gold Cup roster

(Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (4): Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 30/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 51/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; 10/0), 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),

MIDFIELDERS (10): 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), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)

FORWARDS (5): Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 17/5); Damion Downs (FC Köln/GER; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 4/1), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 15/4)