Christian Pulisic will not play in USMNT friendly vs. Jamaica at Audi Field
The Hershey native is expected, however, to report to the U.S. squad before the Gold Cup, the biennial regional championship that begins June 15.
Christian Pulisic will not join the U.S. men's national soccer team in time for Wednesday's Gold Cup tuneup against Jamaica at Audi Field.
Pulisic, the Chelsea-bound attacker and the highest-profile player in the U.S. program, was not included Saturday on Coach Gregg Berhalter's 28-man roster for the friendly at D.C. United's year-old stadium. He is expected, however, to report to the U.S. squad before the Gold Cup, the biennial regional championship that begins June 15.
Another young, European-based player will also arrive later: RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams.
Either Pulisic or Adams will join the squad for the June 9 friendly against Venezuela in Cincinnati, while the other will meet the delegation in Minneapolis-St. Paul before the Gold Cup opener against Guyana on June 18.
The U.S. Soccer Federation declined to confirm whether the 20-year-olds would play in the Gold Cup, but barring any last-minute issues. both are in the plans, people close to the situation said.
Pulisic's late arrival is believed to be tied to his move to Chelsea from Germany's Borussia Dortmund, and the fact he will have little time off before reporting to Chelsea training camp in July. Adams has been steadily regaining fitness and form since missing time because of injury, and he required some downtime before taking on a vital U.S. role.
Berhalter will finalize the 23-man Gold Cup roster immediately following the Jamaica friendly. The list will be made public Thursday.
For the past week, Berhalter has been conducting training camp in Annapolis with a mix of senior players and under-23 prospects.
This weekend, all eight U-23 players and three senior players - defender Marlon Fossey and Andrew Gutman, and midfielder Emerson Hyndman - will depart camp.
The 19 arrivals, starting Sunday, include D.C. United attacker Paul Arriola; Manchester City-bound goalkeeper Zack Steffen; Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie; Toronto FC's Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore; and forward Tyler Boyd, who this spring made a one-time switch to the U.S. program after representing New Zealand.
Everyone in camp for the Jamaica friendly is eligible for Gold Cup selection, except San Jose midfielder Jackson Yueill, who was not included on the tournament's 40-man provisional roster. Yueill is in Washington anyway after playing for the Earthquakes against United on Saturday night.
Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath and defenders John Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin are not available because of injury.
As of Saturday morning, about 14,000 tickets had been sold or distributed for the Jamaica match. Coverage on Fox Sports 1 and UniMas will begin at 7 p.m.
Goalkeepers: Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Tyler Miller (Los Angeles FC), Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew).
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur), Omar Gonzalez (Atlas), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), Matt Miazga (Chelsea), Tim Ream (Fulham), Antonee Robinson (Everton), Walker Zimmerman (Los Angeles FC).
Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Duane Holmes (Derby County), Sebastian Lletget (L.A. Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Schalke), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes).
Forwards: Jonathan Amon (Nordsjaelland), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Tyler Boyd (Vitoria Guimares), Joe Gyau (Duisburg), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew).