Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. men’s national team continue their preparations for the 2024 Copa America and 2026 FIFA World Cup with friendlies against Germany and Ghana this month.
First, the U.S. will take on Germany in Hartford, Connecticut on October 14. The 15th-ranked Germans are under new management, so the USMNT will serve as the debut match for new head coach Julian Nagelsmann, the 36-year-old who has been out of a job since departing Bayern Munich back in March.
Most European countries are busy with Euro 2024 qualifying, but the Germans are hosting the tournament and therefore qualify automatically, opening up their schedule for this friendly match.
Then, on October 17, the U.S. will travel to GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee for a friendly against Ghana. The two nations have a deep history of contentious matchups, including in three consecutive World Cup tournaments in 2006, 2010, and 2014.
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USA roster for October friendlies vs Germany, Ghana
The USMNT squad for the October friendlies was announced on Thursday, October 5. Gregg Berhalter has called in 23 players, which is one fewer than were brought in for the friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman last month.
Below is the official 23-man roster for the upcoming October friendlies against Germany and Ghana.
PSV midfielder Malik Tillman was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury, with Alex Zendejas of Club America named to the roster in his place.
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| Pos | Name | Club | Caps | Goals |
| GK | Ethan Horvath | Nott. Forest (ENG) | 9 | 0 |
| GK | Matt Turner | Nott. Forest (ENG) | 33 | 0 |
| DEF | Cameron Carter-Vickers | Celtic (SCO) | 12 | 0 |
| DEF | Sergino Dest | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 28 | 2 |
| DEF | DeJuan Jones | New England Revolution (USA) | 7 | 0 |
| DEF | Kristoffer Lund | Palermo (ITA) | 2 | 0 |
| DEF | Kevin Paredes | Wolfsburg (GER) | 1 | 0 |
| DEF | Tim Ream | Fulham (ENG) | 52 | 1 |
| DEF | Chris Richards | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 12 | 1 |
| DEF | Miles Robinson | Atlanta United (USA) | 27 | 3 |
| DEF | Joe Scally | Gladbach (GER) | 6 | 0 |
| MID | Johnny Cardoso | Internacional (BRA) | 7 | 0 |
| MID | Luca de la Torre | Celta Vigo (SPA) | 17 | 0 |
| MID | Lennard Maloney | Heidenheim (GER) | 0 | 0 |
| MID | Weston McKennie | Juventus (ITA) | 46 | 11 |
| MID | Yunus Musah | AC Milan (ITA) | 29 | 0 |
| MID | Gio Reyna | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 20 | 4 |
| FWD | Brenden Aaronson | Union Berlin (GER) | 34 | 8 |
| FWD | Folarin Balogun | Arsenal (ENG) | 4 | 2 |
| FWD | Ricardo Pepi | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 18 | 9 |
| FWD | Christian Pulisic | AC Milan (ITA) | 62 | 26 |
| FWD | Tim Weah | Juventus (ITA) | 33 | 5 |
| FWD | Alex Zendejas | Club America (MEX) | 7 | 1 |
Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson injured for October camp
Gregg Berhalter largely has the entire first-choice player pool available for selection, with only a few injuries to work around.
There is one notable absence, as captain Tyler Adams remains sidelined with a frustrating long-term hamstring injury. He was initially injured while playing for Leeds United back in March, and while he had finally recovered to make his Bournemouth debut in the EFL Cup in late September, he played just 20 minutes off the bench before suffering a setback, sidelined again for the foreseeable future.
Gio Reyna has returned from his leg fracture and is called in for the first time under Berhalter since their falling out at the 2022 World Cup. Also included is defender Cameron Carter-Vickers who only just made his debut for Celtic this season thanks to a hamstring injury. On the heels of that return just before the international break, he is called in.
Goalkeepers Zack Steffen and Sean Johnson remain out of action due to injuries. Additionally, Josh Sargent is sidelined with a long-term ankle injury, while Daryl Dike is also out after tearing his Achilles. Also missing is Antonee Robinson, who Gregg Berhalter said is dealing with a sports hernia, and while he played through it last camp and recently for his club, it’s affecting him and therefore rest is the best option here.
Johnny Cardoso had to pull out of the September camp due to an ankle injury, but he has returned to action with Brazilian club Internacional, indicating a return to fitness, and has been included on the squad.
With Adams injured, there has been some noise on social media calling for Heidenheim midfielder Lennard Maloney to be brought into the squad in October, and he was given the call-up here. The 23-year-old was born in Berlin to an American father, appearing for the U.S. at the U-20 level in the past and stating his desire to reach the USMNT senior squad.
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Gio Reyna to make USMNT return under Gregg Berhalter
The ability of Berhalter and Reyna to work together moving forward has been a major talking point since the fallout of their saga after the 2022 World Cup.
Reyna’s lack of playing time at the World Cup was exacerbated by the actions of his parents in the weeks that followed, which sparked a domestic violence investigation of Berhalter before his eventual re-hire as national team head coach.
Now, having recovered from a leg fracture suffered in summer Nations League duty under an interim USMNT head coach, the 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund playmaker returns to the international fold under Berhalter for the first time.
The USMNT head coach has been forthcoming about the situation, admitting upon his re-hire that the two have a “lot of work to do” but insisting time was needed to broach the situation. With Berhalter having since confirmed the two have broken the ice and talked over the phone, they will now look to move forward without any more personal conflict.
After the October roster release, Berhalter confirmed that the two spoke “weeks ago” on Zoom, with the U.S. head coach appreciative of Reyna’s willingness to move forward. He spoke that because Reyna has not yet played for his club this season, their goal will be to “get him minutes” so he can build his fitness and return to Dortmund in the best position possible to begin his club campaign.
Berhalter stated that they see Reyna being able to play three different positions: central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and winger, with further clarification being his skill-set fitting a “between the lines” style of wide play if he were deployed on the wing, as opposed to one glued to the touchline.
