Preview: USMNT Hosts Oman in St. Paul as Road to 2026 Continues

CHICAGO (Sept. 12, 2023) — Coming off a 3-0 win against Uzbekistan on Saturday in St. Louis, the U.S. Men’s National Team closes out the September window when it hosts Oman in the first international match between the nations on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Allianz Field. Pre-game coverage of USA-Oman begins at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, Universo, Peacock and Futbol de Primera radio, with kickoff to follow at 8:37 p.m. ET.

Fans will also be able to follow the match via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer App.

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (2): Drake Callender (Inter Miami; 0/0), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 8/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 27/2), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 6/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 1/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 12/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 52/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 11/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 37/2), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 25/3)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami; 0/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 17/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 45/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 28/0), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia/ITA; 2/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 5/0)

FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 33/7), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 3/1), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/1), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 0/0), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/8), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 61/26), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 32/5)

USMNT OPENS SECOND BERHALTER ERA WITH 3-0 WIN VS. UZBEKISTAN

The U.S. Men’s National Team kicked off the September international window with a 3-0 shutout victory against Uzbekistan in front of 15,569 at CITYPark as head coach Gregg Berhalter returned to lead the USA for the first time since he was re-hired this June. Forward Tim Weah got the USA on the board early, while forward Ricardo Pepi scored a second-half stoppage time insurance goal and forward Christian Pulisic added a penalty at the death to boost the USA to victory, its third against Asian competition under Berhalter. Goalkeeper Matt Turner made three crucial saves throughout the contest to earn Bud Light Man of the Match honors.

Weah’s fourth-minute goal came after a nice bit of skill from Juventus teammate Weston McKennie and was his first for the National Team since scoring the opener against Wales at last year’s FIFA World Cup. Pepi linked up with fellow substitute Brenden Aaronson for his fifth goal in as many matches for the USA in 2023, placing him in second on the team in scoring this year behind Jesús Ferreira (8 goals). Fellow substitute Malik Tillman drew the late penalty which Pulisic blasted into the upper left corner for his 26^th international goal and sixth from the spot. Pulisic now sits just four goals behind Brian McBride for fifth on the USMNT’s all-time scoring chart.

ROSTER UPDATES

Matt Turner kept his 21^st shutout in just his 33^rd match for the USMNT against Uzbekistan, moving him past Brad Guzan (20 shutouts) into sole possession of fifth on team’s all-time shutout list. Turner departed camp following the match in order to return to England in preparation for the birth of he and his wife Ashley’s second child. Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender joined the USMNT in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday after helping Inter Miami to a 3-2 win against Sporting Kanas City on Saturday night.

Additionally, New England Revolution defender DeJuan Jones was added to the roster after Joe Scally departed camp for family reasons.

LUND THE LATEST TO DEBUT FOR THE USMNT

Days after having his one-time change of association request approved by FIFA, Danish-American left back Kristoffer Lund made his international debut for the USMNT on Saturday when he replaced Antonee Robinson in the 81^st minute. Born in Denmark to an American mother and Danish father, Lund represented the country’s youth sides from U-17 to U-21 level and elected to play for the United States in his senior national team career. Lund became the 57^th player to debut under USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter – the third most debuts under a USMNT head coach -- and the 857^th different individual to earn a cap for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

With uncapped players Drake Callender, Ben Cremaschi and Kevin Paredes on the roster, Tuesday’s match against Oman could see the number of debuts under Berhalter climb further.

Most Debuts by USMNT Head Coaches
Head Coach	Debuts / Games	Years
Bruce Arena	89 / 148	1998-2006; 2017
Bob Bradley	60 / 80	2007-2011
Gregg Berhalter	57 / 61	2019-2022; 2023-present
Bora Milutinovic	51 / 96	1991-1995
Lothar Osiander	51 / 18	1986-1988
Jurgen Klinsmann	50 / 98	2011-2016

AGAINST ASIA WITH AN EYE TOWARDS 2026

With the crowded schedule of competitions during the next three years in Asia, this likely represents the USMNT’s only opportunity to face opponents from the Asian Football Confederation prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The September matches are the USA’s first against Uzbekistan and Oman, marking the 101^st and 102^nd opponents in USMNT history.

“We are very intentional and committed to presenting different challenges to our team during the next three years as we continue to develop the program,” USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Uzbekistan and Oman are first-time opponents for us and both are preparing for the AFC Asian Cup, so we expect them to be good tests. We look forward to visiting two excellent soccer facilities and performing in front of the fantastic supporters in St. Louis and the Twin Cities.”

The USA takes on Oman at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. at 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Universo and Peacock, Futbol de Primera Radio)

BERHALTER BACK

Gregg Berhalter resumes the role of head coach after being re-hired on June 16 of this year. The first USMNT head coach to have played for the USA at a FIFA World Cup, Berhalter returns to the position after amassing an impressive record of 37-11-12 in 60 matches during four years as head coach. After becoming the second-fastest manager in team history to achieve double-digit victories (17 games), he led the team to back-to-back confederation championships in 2021, defeating Mexico in both the inaugural Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup finals, utilizing almost two completely different rosters in the process.

Deploying the youngest roster in the world during World Cup Qualifying, the USMNT qualified for Qatar 2022 and advanced to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup with the second youngest team at the tournament while recording multiple shutouts on the world stage for the first time since 1930.

WELCOME BACK TO ST. PAUL

Tuesday’s match marks the USMNT’s third visit to Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. The home of Minnesota United FC has been a welcome venue for the team in the past, first using a brace from Tyler Boyd and goals from Paul Arriola and Gyasi Zardes in defeating Guyana 4-0 to open the Concacaf Gold Cup on June 18, 2019.

Three years later, the USA used the venue for some serious home-field advantage when the team hosted Honduras on Feb. 2, 2022 in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier. The team utilized set-piece goals from Weston McKennie, Walker Zimmerman and Christian Pulisic to earn a dominant 3-0 win, a victory which kept the team on the path to qualify for Qatar 2022.

U.S. POWER SOCCER TEAM TO BE RECOGNIZED PRIOR TO KICKOFF TUESDAY

Fresh off being named to the USA roster for the 2023 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup, members of the U.S. Power Soccer National Team will be part of events around the USMNT’s visit to St. Paul this week, as U.S. Soccer continues to celebrate the game in all of its forms.

Power Soccer National Team members Zach Dickey (Pendleton, Ind.), Alexis Heer (Fishers, Ind.), Riley Johnson (St. Cloud, Minn.), Nathan Mayer (Monticello, Minn.) and Pete Winslow (Woodbury, Minn.) will meet with the U.S. Men’s National Team on Monday morning, prior to the team’s training session at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. U.S. Soccer will also recognize the five World Cup squad members prior to kickoff of the USMNT’s friendly against Oman on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Allianz Field (Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, Universo, Peacock and Futbol de Primera Radio)

On Monday, Power Soccer National Team head coach Tracey Mayer named his eight-player squad that will head to Sydney as the USA looks to claim its third Powerchair Football World Cup in the fourth edition of the competition. The USA was victorious in the 2007 and 2011 editions, before falling to France in the final of the 2017 World Cup held in Kissimee, Fla.  

Power Soccer National Team members Zach Dickey, Alexis Heer, Riley Johnson, Nathan Mayer and Pete Winslow will meet with the U.S. Men’s National Team on Monday morning, prior to the team’s training session at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. As the Federation continues to celebrate soccer in all of its forms, U.S. Soccer will also recognize the five World Cup squad members prior to kickoff of the USMNT’s friendly against Oman on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Allianz Field.

CHANGE OF SCENERY

It’s been a busy summer for USMNT players moving to different clubs, joining legendary teams at the top of their respective leagues or getting set to compete in the UEFA Champions League.

• READ MORE: USMNT Transfer Tracker

On the September roster, nine players have joined new clubs over the summer: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest) and Tim Weah (Juventus).

ROSTER NOTES

• The roster will hold an average age of 23 years, 312 days on Sept. 12.  

• The squad averages 19 caps overall and 12 in official competition.

• The roster is made up of 10 players that were part of the USMNT at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

• Fourteen players were part of the squad that claimed the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League crown this summer.

• Thirteen players are age 23 and younger: Chris Richards and Tim Weah (23); Brenden Aaronson, Folarin Balogun, and Sergiño Dest (22); Kristoffer Lund, Tanner Tessmann  and Malik Tillman (21); Yunus Musah, Kevin Paredes and Ricardo Pepi (20); Cade Cowell (19); Ben Cremaschi (18).

• Cade Cowell, Ben Cremaschi, Kristoffer Lund, Yunus Musah, Kevin Paredes, Ricardo Pepi, Tanner Tessmann and Malik Tillman are all age-eligible for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, an Under-23 competition.

• Christian Pulisic is the leading cap-winner on the roster with 61 appearances, followed by Tim Ream (52), Weston McKennie (45), Antonee Robinson (37), Brenden Aaronson (33) and Tim Weah (32).

• Players represent clubs in eight different countries: England (6), Italy (6), USA (5), Netherlands (3), Germany (2), Belgium and Spain (1 each).

• Two players earned their first USMNT call-ups: midfielder Ben Cremaschi of Inter Miami and defender Kristoffer Lund of Italian Serie B side Palermo.

• After receiving the approval of his one-time “change of association” request, Lund earned his USMNT debut in Saturday’s match when he replaced Antonee Robinson in the 81^st minute.

• Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender and Wolfsburg defender Kevin Paredes join Cremaschi as the three uncapped players heading into Tuesday’s match. Callender was part of the April camp ahead of the Allstate Continental Clásico against Mexico and was also on the CNL roster in June. Paredes last came to USMNT camp in December 2021 ahead of the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Christian Pulisic has gotten off to a hot start for AC Milan, tallying a goal in each of the Rossoneri’s first two matches of the Serie A season – a 2-0 win at Bologna on Aug. 21 and 4-1 win against Torino on Aug. 26.

• A starter in all four games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, veteran defender Tim Ream has recovered from the broken arm suffered in the final game of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign and will have the chance to play in front of his hometown crowd in St. Louis against Uzbekistan on Sept. 9.

• One of three players hailing from PSV Eindhoven, midfielder Malik Tillman’s substitute appearance in Tuesday’s win against Uzbekistan was his first cap since last September’s friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

• A replacement for the injured Johnny Cardoso, midfielder Tanner Tessmann earned his second career cap on Saturday and first since coming on as a substitute in the 7-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago on Jan. 31, 2021.

• Twelve players are products of Major League Soccer academies: Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Chris Richards and Tanner Tessmann (FC Dallas); Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union); Drake Callender and Cade Cowell  (San Jose Earthquakes); Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami); Kevin Paredes (D.C. United); Joe Scally (New York City FC); Tim Weah (New York Red Bulls).

• In addition to the 11 above, four more players played in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy: Luca de la Torre (San Diego Surf), Ethan Horvath (Real Colorado), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts).

USA-OMAN NOTES

• Tuesday’s match marks the first meeting between the USA and Oman Men’s National Teams. Al-Ahmar (The Reds) will be the USMNT’s 102nd all-time international opponent.

• Seventeen players on the U.S. roster have previous caps against opponents from the Asian Football Confederation: Brenden Aaronson, Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie (4 each); Mark McKenzie, Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman (3 each); Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah (2 each; Folarin Balogun, Kristoffer Lund, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Tanner Tessmann (1 each)

• The remaining six players are seeking their first caps against AFC opponents.

• USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter has registered a 3-1-1 record against AFC opponents:

USMNT Matches vs. AFC Opponents Under Gregg Berhalter
Date	Result	Venue	Competition
July 29, 2021	1-0 W vs. Qatar	Austin, Texas	Gold Cup
Sept. 23, 2022	0-2 L vs. Japan	Düsseldorf, Germany	Friendly
Sept. 27, 2022	0-0 D vs. Saudia Arabia	Murcia, Spain	Friendly
Nov. 29, 2022	1-0 W vs. IR Iran	Doha, Qatar	2022 FIFA World Cup
Sept. 9, 2023	3-0 W vs. Uzbekistan	St. Louis, Mo.	Friendly

IN FOCUS: OMAN

EYES ON 2026

Though they’ve never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, Oman made came close to navigating the arduous qualification process out of the Asian Football Confederation for Qatar 2022. Advancing to one of two final round groups in the AFC, Oman finished fourth in their group, just one point behind third-place Australia who advanced to the AFC’s qualifying playoff.

Now with 48 teams set to take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and the AFC granted eight direct spots in the field, this cycle presents a big opportunity for teams like Oman and Saturday’s opponent Uzbekistan to book their first ticket to the World Cup. The side is using the next two FIFA windows to prepare for the start of their 2026 qualifying journey which begins in November with matches against either Chinese Taipei or Timor Leste (Nov. 16) and Kyrgyzstan (Nov. 21)

OMAN OF LATE

Though they didn’t qualify for Qatar, the Reds have had a strong run of form since the beginning of 2022, going 12-5-5 in 20 matches. They come into Tuesday’s match on the back of three consecutive victories: 2-0 win vs. Turkmenistan (June 17), 1-0 win vs. Kyrgyzstan (June 20) and 2-1 win vs. Palestine (Sept. 6).  

Oman Results Since 2022
Date	Opponents/Results	Location	Competition
Jan. 27, 2022	0-1 L at Saudi Arabia	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	2022 WCQ
Feb. 1, 2022	2-2 D vs. Australia	Muscat, Oman	2022 WCQ
March 24, 2022	1-0 W at Vietnam	Hanoi, Vietnam	2022 WCQ
March 29, 2022	2-0 W vs. China PR	Muscat, Oman	2022 WCQ
June 3, 2022	2-0 W vs. Nepal	Doha, Qatar	Friendly
June 9, 2022	0-0 D vs. New Zealand	Al Rayyan, Qatar	Friendly
Sept. 23, 2022	1-1 D vs. Iraq	Amman, Jordan	Friendly
Sept. 26, 2022	0-1 L at Jordan	Amman, Jordan	Friendly
Nov. 16, 2022	0-1 L vs. Germany	Muscat, Oman	Friendly
Nov. 20, 2022	2-0 W vs. Belarus	Al Ain, UAE	Friendly
Dec. 23, 2022	2-1 W vs. Syria	Dubai, UAE	Friendly
Dec. 30, 2022	1-0 W vs. Syria	Dubai, UAE	Friendly
Jan. 6, 2023	0-0 D at Iraq	Basra, Iraq	2023 Gulf Cup
Jan. 9, 2023	3-2 W vs. Yemen	Basra, Iraq	2023 Gulf Cup
Jan. 12, 2023	2-1 W vs. Saudi Arabia	Basra, Iraq	2023 Gulf Cup
Jan. 16, 2023	1-0 W vs. Bahrain	Basra, Iraq	2023 Gulf Cup
Jan. 19, 2023	2-3 L (aet) vs. Iraq	Basra Iraq	2023 Gulf Cup
March 27, 2023	2-0 W vs. Lebanon	Muscat, Oman	Friendly
June 11, 2023	0-3 L at Uzbeksitan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	2023 CAFA
June 14, 2023	1-1 D vs. Tajikistan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	2023 CAFA
June 17, 2023	2-0 W vs. Turkmenistan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	2023 CAFA
June 20, 2023	1-0 W vs. Kyrgyzstan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	2023 CAFA
Sept. 6, 2023	2-1 W vs. Palestine	Muscat, Oman	Friendly

OMAN ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini (Al Nahda; 20/0), Ahmed Al-Rawahi (Al-Seeb; 5/0), Faiz Al-Rushaidi (Al-Suwaik; 35/0)

DEFENDERS (7): Khalid Al-Braiki (Al-Suwaiq; 27/0), Juma Al-Habsi (Ibri; 27/0), Ahmed Al-Kaabi (Al-Nahda; 26/0), Ahmed Al-Khamisi (Al-Seeb; 27/0), Ahmed Al-Matrooshi (Al-Nahda; 2/0), Mahmood Al-Mushaifri (Al-Suwaiq; 25/0), Fahmi Durbin (Al-Nasr; 23/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Tamim Al-Balushi (Al-Seeb; 0/0), Ali Al-Hinai (Al-Nahda; 0/0), Omar Al-Malki (Al-Nahda; 7/2), Musah Al-Mamari (Al-Nasr; 10/0), Harib Al-Saadi (Al-Nahda; 56/1), Abdulla Fawaz (Al-Nahda; 24/5), Mataz Saleh (Dhofar; 15/1)

FORWARDS (7): Ahmed Al-Adawi (Al-Rustaq; 0/0), Zahir Al-Aghbari (Al-Seeb; 28/0), Muhsen Al-Ghassani (Al-Seeb; 41/8), Abdulrahman Al Mushaifri (Al-Seeb; 0/0), Issam Al-Sabhi (Al-Suwaiq; 27/8), Jameel Al-Yahmadi (Unattached; 40/2), Salaah Al-Yahyaei (Al-Seeb; 37/6)

ROSTER NOTES:

• Twenty-three of the 24 players are currently with clubs in Oman, with forward Jameel Al-Yahmadi current unattached.

• The team is primarily stocked with 19 players from three Omani league teams – defending champion Al-Seeb and second-place Al-Nahda, with seven players apiece, and ninth-place Al-Suwaig with five.

• Captain and midfielder Harib Al-Saadi, who performs for Al-Nahda, is one of the most experienced field players on the squad with 56 caps. Goalkeeper Faiz Al-Rushaidi, the oldest player at 35, leads the way with 62 international appearances.

• Forwards Issam Al-Sabhi (Al-Suwaiq) and Muhsen Al-Ghassani (Al-Seeb) are the leading scorers with eight goals each.

• Four players are seeking their first caps - midfielders Tamim Al-Balushi (Al-Seeb) and Ali Al-Hinai (Al-Nahda) and forwards Ahmed Al-Adawi (Al-Rustaq) and Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri (Al-Seeb).

• Oman is led by Serbian manager Branko Ivankovic, who most famously led IR Iran at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.