Star forward Folarin Balogun departs USMNT training camp with ankle injury

The current National Team Camp of the United States will be the longest time that Mauricio Pochettino will have the team together since taking over in September 2024, but he will be without more first team players with Folarin Balogun, Dejuan Jones and Sean Zawadzki who all leave USMNT camp with injuries. Waker Zimmerman, Nathan Harriel and Paxten Aaronson have replaced them in the Roster for friendly competitions with which Türkiye and Switzerland are confronted for the Gold Cup.

Monaco -Man Balogun has collected an ankle injury, so that he will prevent his first performance under Pochettino during his term of office. Balogun was out with a shoulder injury when the Argentinian was appointed and will now start another camp without the top striker in the selection. Balogun will not be the only star that is missing when Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna are also absent.

With the club World Cup that takes place this summer, some players have club obligations that prevent them from participating in international service, while Pulisic was not mentioned so that he can get a rest in the summer. If this was a standard golden cup, the absence of stars would not lift many eyebrows because it is a tournament that the house talent benefits, but with the World Cup men next summer, this is the last competitive tournament that will have the USMNT in advance because they do not have to participate in the qualification of the World Cup.

Add that that it is most time that Pochettino spent with the first team and it could be a great chance to go beyond Concacaf Nations League, where the USMNT Mexico not only saw the trophy lifting, but also fell in the third place Game to Canada. There must be an improvement under Pochettino, it will be harder to come by if he cannot get the USMNT core at speed with his style.

Balogun’s absence offers great opportunities for Patrick Agyemang and Brian White, but if the attackers in the camp cannot find their scoring touch, the malaise of the team will continue.

Usmnt selection

Goalkeepers (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 30/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/Eng; 51/0)

Defenders (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/Ned; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Mark Mckenzie (Toulouse/Fra; 19/0), Charlotte;, Charlotte), Charlotte; 68/1). Palace/Eng; 24/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 32/3), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 43/3)

Midfielders (9): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/Eng; 47/8); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/Eng; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/Can; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/Esp; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego Fc; 24/1), Jack Salto (Houst Saltt; 4/1), Jack McGlyn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1). (Philadelphia Union; 0/0); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/Ned; 17/0)

Forwards (5): Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/Ned; 1/0), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Damion Downs (FC Köln/Ger; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver WhiteCaps/4/1), Haji Wright (Coventry/Eng; 15/4)