WASHINGTON: After years of buildup and months of conjecture, the 26-man United States roster for this summer’s home World Cup was unveiled Tuesday on Fox at an event in New York. As expected, the roster put together by announced by manager Mauricio Pochettino is anchored by a number of longtime American standouts playing in Europe in AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic, Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie. There were plenty of uncertainties, though, about the roster heading into Tuesday’s announcement. Most notably, 23-year-old midfielder Gio Reyna has made the roster for his second World Cup despite not making a start for the USMNT since last December. That inclusion likely came over Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann, who was left off the roster even though he’s expected to recover from the muscle strain he’s been sidelined by before the World Cup begins next month. Another somewhat surprising roster addition was 28-year-old midfielder Alejandro Zendejas, who likely beat out Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna for the spot. The United States squad ranks 16th in the current FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking.
