The US Men’s National Team (USMNT) is dealing with a big challenge since important players like Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest aren’t on the Gold Cup roster. This choice which was made because of club commitments and players needing rest shows how club football is getting more control over international team picks.
- Christian Pulisic Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest aren’t in the USMNT Gold Cup squad
- Club commitments and player recovery is the main reasons they’re not included
- This shows how club football affects national team choices more and more
Key Players Missing from USMNT Gold Cup Roster
The USMNT’s latest roster for the Gold Cup has got people talking because lots of big players aren’t there. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest are some who won’t be playing. Tom Bogert tweeted that Dest isn’t playing so he can work on getting better and ready for next season.
USMNT roster for Gold Cup is out. Sergiño Dest is not part of it to focus on further rehab/prep for next season
Notable absences:
– Christian Pulisic
– Weston McKennie
– Tim Weah
– Gio Reyna
– Folarin Balogun
– Yunus Musah
– Ricardo Pepi
– Antonee Robinson
– Dest
– Josh Sargent https://t.co/O7236zCCqH— Tom Bogert (@tombogert)
June 05, 2025
Not having these players could really affect how the team plays. Christian Pulisic who’s now with AC Milan has been super important with how he makes chances and scores goals. Also players like Weston McKennie and Tim Weah who both play for Juventus bring lots of experience and skill that the team will really miss.
Club Commitments and Player Recovery
Leaving these players out seems to be done on purpose to keep players healthy and respect what clubs want. Like Folarin Balogun who’s been doing good at AS Monaco isn’t in the team probably to manage how much he plays and help him do better at his club. This is happening more where clubs are affecting who plays for national teams.
Sergino Dest who plays at PSV Eindhoven is another example, he just got back from hurting his ACL and is trying to get completely better. Him not being in the Gold Cup team shows they care more about players being healthy long-term than short tournaments.
The Influence of Club Football on International Selections
MLS and other international clubs are getting bigger and changing how national teams work. Like how Kevin De Bruyne might go to Chicago Fire which you can read about here shows how good players are coming to MLS making the league better and more important.
Also Atlanta United’s problems show how doing good or bad at your club can change if you get picked for the national team since players gotta balance playing for their club and country. You can see this in how the USMNT picked their team now thinking about what’s best for players and their long term plans.
