The USMNT Gold Cup roster has a number of notable absentees with the tournament due to get underway on June 14.
Two stars who will definitely be missing are Juventus duo Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah. Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna has also been left out.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has overseen eight games since taking charge in 2024 and has tasted victory on five occasions. However, the Argentine lost back-to-back games at the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in March.
The semi-final defeat to Panama and third place play-off loss to Canada are still fresh in the memory and Pochettino will be eager to deliver some more favorable results next month.
Stars such as Milan’s Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah have received call-ups. So to has Antonee Robinson and Josh Sargent who both ply their trade in England.
Pochettino has also opted for a number of younger players. On Monday, the 60-player preliminary roster was released but that will have to be whittled down to 24 on June 4.
Therefore, the US head coach has a precarious summer ahead. Being three key players down is not ideal but the less experienced stars can really stake a claim to make the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster next year with some positive performances.
60-player preliminary #USMNT roster for this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. No Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie or Tim Weah, as expected. Sebastian Berhalter, Damion Downs, Richy Ledezma among the notable selections. pic.twitter.com/uox8hvQNfs
— Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) May 19, 2025
Why Weston McKennie And Timothy Weah Were Cut From The USMNT Gold Cup Roster
Although only a preliminary USMNT Gold Cup roster that has been announced, there is no way now that Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah can smuggle their way back into contention.
And the reason itself is very straight forward. Both players will be participating in the overlapping FIFA Club World Cup this summer. The competition gets underway on June 14. The exact same start date for the Gold Cup.
The Juventus Club World Cup fixtures sees the Old Lady take on Al Ain of the UAE, Wydad AC of Morocco and English Premier League side Manchester City.
McKennie and Weah are important first team players in Turin and the Bianconeri were not willing to release them. Now that the Club World Cup has been given a huge revamp and the financial rewards on offer, Juve will be doing all the can to win the tournament.
Even if Igor Tudor’s men don’t go all the way, they can still come up trumps in a monetary sense. Exactly $1billion will be shared amongst the 32 participants.
Those who go on to be crowned champions will receive a cool $125million. Something of which Juve will be eyeing with McKennie and Weah in their ranks.
Meanwhile, fans have reacted after Juventus officially unveiled their new home jersey for the 2025-26 campaign. The Serie A giants are set to showcase their strip at the Club World Cup.
