MIAMI — Christian Pulisic is among 29 Europe-based players on the 40-man U.S. preliminary roster announced Monday for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Honduras on June 3 at Empower Field at Mile High.
Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest and Gio Reyna also are on what projects to be a full-strength roster for U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter for two matches in Denver. That includes a pair of Rapids in defender Sam Vines and midfielder Kellyn Acosta.
Pulisic, a 22-year-old forward from Hershey, Pennsylvania, figures to miss the Americans’ prep match against Switzerland at St. Gallen on May 30. He will be with Chelsea at the European Champions League final against Manchester City on May 29. That game currently is scheduled for Istanbul but may be moved to London or Portugal due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
Zack Steffen, the top American goalkeeper, also will miss the Switzerland friendly; he is Manchester City’s No. 2 goalkeeper.
Forward Daryl Dike would be unavailable for the Switzerland match if Barnsley beats Swansea on May 17 and 22 in the two-leg semifinal of the English playoff for promotion to the Premier League. The final, against Bournemouth or Brentford, is May 29.
Forward Josh Sargent would miss the Switzerland game if Werder Bremen drops into a playoff to stay in the Bundesliga. Werder Bremen is 15th in the 20-team league with two games left. The last two teams get relegated and the No. 17 team faces the third-place team from the second tier in a two-leg playoff May 26 and 29 for a spot in next season’s Bundesliga.
The U.S. match against Honduras on June 3 is the first game of a doubleheader that ends with Mexico-Costa Rica. The championship and third-place game are June 6 at Empower Field.
The preliminary roster announced by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football gives a look at the expanded American player pool ahead of qualifying. Final 23-man rosters are due May 25, though teams can make substitutions because of injuries until 24 hours before semifinal kickoff.
The Americans also have a June 9 exhibition against Costa Rica in Sandy, Utah, as they try to emulate the rigors of travel in the compacted World Cup qualifying schedule, which starts with matches Sept. 2, 5 and 8.
The preliminary roster
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge, Belgium), Sean Johnson (New York City), David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake), Zack Steffen (Manchester City), Matt Turner (New England), DeAndre Yedlin (Besitkas, Turkey)
Defenders: John Brooks (Wolfsburg, Germany), Reggie Cannon (Boavista, Portugal), Sergiño Dest (Barcelona, Spain), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Mark McKenzie (Genk, Belgium), Matt Miazga (Anderlecht, Belgium), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Bryan Reynolds (Roma, Italy), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim, Germany), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, England), Miles Robinson (Atlanta), Sam Vines (Colorado), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville)
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg, Austria), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig, Germany), Kellyn Acosta (Colorado), Luca de la Torre (Heracles Almelo, Netherlands), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy), Yunus Musah (Valencia, Spain), Owen Otasowie (Wolverhampton, England), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Jackson Yueill (San Jose)
Forwards: Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas, Turkey), Konrad de la Fuente (Barcelona, Spain), Daryl Dike (Barnsley, England), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen, France), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, England), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, Germany), Jordan Siebatcheu (Young Boys, Switzerand), Tim Weah (Lille, France), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus).
