Pulisic, McKennie headline U.S. roster for October friendlies

• Jeff CarlisleOct 2, 2025, 10:30 AM ET

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  Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.

AC Milan attacker Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson highlight the 26-player roster named on Thursday by United States men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino for two friendlies in the October international window.

The U.S. will play Ecuador in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 10, followed by another match four days later against Australia in Commerce City, Colorado. All three countries have already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted next summer by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Players will begin reporting for training camp in Austin on Oct. 4.

Following a September window that featured some experimentation in terms of personnel, this roster is comprised mostly of players one would expect to feature for the full U.S. team. Robinson received his first call-up for 2025 after recovering from knee surgery last May, while McKennie returns for the first time since the Concacaf Nations League last March.

Other returnees include Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris, Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann and New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. St. Pauli midfielder James Sands earned his first call-up under Pochettino.

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Tessmann and Morris were both rewarded for outstanding starts to the club season, with Tessmann scoring twice in recent weeks for Lyon, while Morris has earned multiple Man of the Match awards with Middlesbrough. Club América midfielder Alejandro Zendejas has continued his fine form, scoring twice in a recent victory over Pumas UNAM in Liga MX. Coventry City forward Haji Wright leads the English Championship with seven goals.

Pulisic is the most in-form player of anyone on the U.S. roster. He has so far scored six goals and added two assists in all competitions this season for AC Milan. His four goals in league play top Serie A.

AFC Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams is the most noticeable absentee, with Pochettino expected to explain the player’s absence later on Thursday.

Injuries also resulted in several players not being named to the squad. This list includes the PSV Eindhoven duo of defender Sergiño Dest and forward Ricardo Pepi, as well as Atlético Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso and Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Giovanni Reyna.

Another somewhat surprising exclusion is Gladbach defender Joe Scally, who has turned in some impressive performances in recent weeks as a wingback, even as his side has struggled. His absence means Orlando City SC’s Alex Freeman is the only player who operates primarily as a right-sided defender or wingback for his club.

Christian Pulisic has scored six goals in all competitions this season for AC Milan. Photo by MATTEO BAZZI/EPA/Shutterstock

There was also no room for Norwich City forward Josh Sargent, who while getting off to an impressive start to the league season, has struggled mightily in a U.S. uniform, having not scored an international goal since 2019. Atalanta midfielder Yunus Musah was also left off the roster, despite contributing an assist in his club’s midweek win over Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.

Ecuador recently clinched its fifth World Cup appearance, having finished in second place in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying table behind Argentina.

Australia secured its spot by finishing second in its group during the third round of Asian Football Confederation qualifiers, marking the country’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.  

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 12/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 19/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 9/0), Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse/FRA; 22/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 77/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 33/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 35/3)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 53/9), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 14/3), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 60/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 9/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 39/0), James Sands (FC St. Pauli/GER; 11/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 8/0), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 25/3)

FORWARDS (6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 19/6), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 80/32), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 45/7), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 17/5), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 13/2)

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