Preview: USMNT Kicks Off Autumn Slate of Matches by Facing Uzbekistan in St. Louis

CHICAGO (Sept. 7, 2023) — The U.S. Men’s National Team kicks off its Autumn slate of matches when it meets Asian Football Confederation side Uzbekistan for the first time on Saturday, Sept. 9 at CITYPARK in St. Louis. Kickoff of USA-Uzbekistan is set for 5:30 p.m. ET on TNT, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock, with the match also available via Futbol de Primera Radio.

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

USMNT Detailed Roster by Position (Club/Country; Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Drake Callender* (Inter Miami; 0/0), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 8/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 32/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 26/2), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 0/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 11/0), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 0/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 51/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 10/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 3462), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 25/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 6/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami; 0/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 16/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 44/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 27/0), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia/ITA; 1/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 4/0)

FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 32/7), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 2/1), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/1), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 16/7), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 60/25), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 31/4)

*Drake Callender will join camp Sept. 10

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. These are the USA’s first matches 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). Live Spanish-language audio for both matches will be available on Fútbol de Primera radio platforms.

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

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 HOME TO ST. LOUIS

Saturday’s match marks the USMNT’s return to one of the country’s historic soccer hot beds in St. Louis. The Gateway City has served as a great host to the national team through the years, with the USMNT tallying a 7-1-3 record through 11 previous matches, the only loss came in that first contest, a 3-2 defeat to Canada in World Cup Qualifying on July 6, 1957.

St. Louis was also the main home venue for the USMNT’s successful qualification run for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, hosting three of the team’s five matches (all wins) at St. Louis Soccer Park. More recently, the USA kicked off the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-1 win against St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Nov. 13, 2015 and played No. 5-ranked Uruguay to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 10, 2019 at Busch Stadium.

This summer, the USMNT played its first match at CITY PARK, taking a 6-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis in the Gold Cup group stage on June 28.

ST. LOUIS-BASED USMNT ALUMS TO BE HONORED PRE-GAME SATURDAY

St. Louis hasn’t just been a great home venue for the USMNT over the years, it’s also been a proving ground in sending talent to the National Team. Dating back to 1916, 76 players from the St. Louis area have made at least one USMNT appearance, which counts as the third most in local representation to the National Team after Southern California and the New York/New Jersey metro areas. Fourteen players from the St. Louis area have also made final USMNT World Cup squads, with the city represented on seven of the 11 squads the USA has sent to the tournament all-time, most recently by Tim Ream and Josh Sargent at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In recognition of their contributions to the National Team, U.S. Soccer will honor 24 St. Louis-based USMNT alums prior to kickoff of USA-Uzbekistan on Saturday. Among the group being recognized are World Cup players Steve Trittschuh (1990), Mike Sorber (1994) and Brad Davis (2014). Joining them are Steve Pecher, who captained the USMNT through 1982 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, and James Murphy, who appeared in two matches for the USA in 1958 World Cup qualifying and served as Sheriff of St. Louis from 1989-2016. At 87 years, Murphy is the fifth-oldest known living USMNT alum.

The full list of honorees (Caps; USMNT Years): David Brcic (4; 1979-1985), Brad Davis (17; 2005-2014), Don Droege (8; 1977-1979), Steve Fuchs (1; 1988), Tom Galati (1; 1975), Gene Geimer (6; 1972-1973), Carl Gentile (6; 1968), Ted Hantak (3; 1987), Larry Hulcer (8; 1979-1980, Ty Keough (8; 1979-1980), Bob Matteson (2; 1974), Pat McBride (5; 1969-1975), Matt McKeon (2; 1999), James Murphy (2; 1957), Steve Pecher (17; 1976-1980), Gary Rensing (4; 1972), Mark Santel (8; 1988-1997), Frank Simek (5; 2007), Mike Sorber (67; 1992-1997), Jamie Swanner (1; 1984), Steve Trittschuh (37; 1987-1995), Perry Van Der Beck (23; 1979-1985), Denny Vaninger (3; 1974-1975), Greg Villa (18; 1977-1980).  

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. 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).

• READ MORE: USMNT Transfer Tracker

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

The roster also features six sets of club teammates, five of which come from European sides:

PSV Eindhoven (Dest, Pepi, Tillman), AC Milan (Musah, Pulisic), Fulham (Ream, A. Robinson), Inter Miami (Callender, Cremaschi), Juventus (McKennie, Weah) and Nottingham Forest (Horvath, Turner).

The PSV trio all joined former U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart in Eindhoven this summer. Christian Pulisic – who has scored in the first two matches of the Serie A season in Italy – was followed by Yunus Musah to Milan, while Weah linked up with McKennie in Turin. Matt Turner moved from Arsenal to Nottingham Forest, meeting up with Evan Horvath, who returned from a successful promotion campaign with Luton Town in the English Championship.

ROSTER NOTES

• The roster will average 23 years, 306 days as of the first day of game day on Sept. 9.
• The squad averages 19 caps overall and 12 in official competition.
• The roster is made up of 12 players that were part of the USMNT at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
• Sixteen players were part of the squad that claimed the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League crown this summer.
• Fourteen 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, Ricardo Pepi and Joe Scally (20); Cade Cowell (19); Ben Cremaschi (18).
• Cade Cowell, Ben Cremaschi, Kristoffer Lund, Yunus Musah, Kevin Paredes, Ricardo Pepi, Joe Scally, 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 60 appearances, followed by Tim Ream (51), Weston McKennie (44), Antonee Robinson (36), Brenden Aaronson and Matt Turner (32 each) and Tim Weah (31).
• Players represent clubs in eight different countries: England (6), Italy (6), USA (4), Germany and Netherlands (3 each), Belgium and Spain (1 each).
• Two players earn their first USMNT call-ups: midfielder Ben Cremaschi of Inter Miami and defender Kristoffer Lund of Italian Serie B side Palermo.
• Lund, who is Danish-American and previously represented Denmark in official competition at the youth international level, has applied to FIFA for a one-time change of association in order to be eligible to play for the United States.
• Nine players have joined new clubs during the summer: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), 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).
• Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender and Wolfsburg defender Kevin Paredes join Cremaschi and Lund as the four uncapped players on the roster. 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.
• Goalkeeper Matt Turner has started 13 of the team’s last 14 matches during FIFA international windows, a streak that dates back to the friendly against Japan on Sept. 23, 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Turner has sat out only the 6-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis during the Gold Cup group stage this summer and has collected a 6-2-6 record along with seven clean sheets.
• One of three players hailing from PSV Eindhoven, midfielder Malik Tillman makes his first USMNT camp appearance since last September’s friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
• A replacement for the injured Johnny Cardoso, midfielder Tanner Tessmann returns to USMNT camp for the first time since making his international debut, 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-UZBEKISTAN NOTES

• Saturday’s match marks the first meeting between the USA and Uzbekistan Men’s National Teams. The White Wolves will be the USMNT’s 101^st all-time international opponent.
• The two countries have previously met during the group stage at the 2011 FIFA
  U-17 World Cup, a 2-1 U.S. defeat in Torreon, Mexico.
• Fifteen players on the U.S. roster have previous caps against opponents from the Asian Football Confederation: Matt Turner (4); Brenden Aaronson, Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie (3 each); Mark McKenzie, Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman (2 each); Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson and Joe Scally,
• The remaining eight players are seeking their first caps against AFC opponents.
• USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter has registered a 2-1-1 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

IN FOCUS: UZBEKISTAN

EYES ON 2026

Though they’ve never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, Uzbekistan has come close to navigating the arduous qualification process out of the Asian Football Confederation. In 2018, they missed out on advancing to the AFC qualification playoff via goal differential. Before that, the White Wolves have twice before made the AFC qualifying playoff, falling on penalties to Jordan in the 2014 qualifying process and losing out on away goals to Bahrain in the 2006 competition.

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 Uzbekistan to book their first ticket to the World Cup. The side will use the next two FIFA windows to prepare for the start of their 2026 qualifying journey which begins in November. Following Saturday’s match against the USA, they will face Mexico in Atlanta on Tuesday, Sept. 12, before taking on Vietnam (Oct. 13) and China PR (Oct. 16). The White Wolves begin AFC qualifying with a visit to Turkmenistan (Nov. 16), before hosting IR Iran on Nov. 21 in Tashkent.

UZBEKISTAN OF LATE

Though they didn’t qualify for Qatar, the White Wolves have had a strong run of form since the beginning of 2022, going 12-2-2 in 15 matches. Their only defeats in that time were a 2-1 friendly loss to Costa Rica in a World Cup warmup last September and a 1-0 defeat to IR Iran in the final of the 2023 Central Asian Football Confederation Championship.

Uzbekistan Results Since 2022
Date	Opponents/Results	Location	Competition
Jan. 27, 2022	3-0 W vs. South Sudan	Dubai, UAE	Friendly
March 25, 2022	3-1 W vs. Kyrgyzstan	Namangan, Uzbekistan	Friendly
March 29, 2022	4-2 W vs. Uganda	Namangan, Uzbekistan	Friendly
June 8, 2022	3-0 W vs. Sri Lanka	Namangan, Uzbekistan	Asian Cup Qual.
June 11, 2022	4-0 W vs. Maldives	Namangan, Uzbekistan	Asian Cup Qual.
June 14, 2022	2-0 W vs. Thailand	Namangan, Uzbekistan	Asian Cup Qual.
Sept. 23, 2022	2-0 W vs. Cameroon	Goyang, South Korea	Friendly
Sept. 27, 2022	1-2 L vs Costa Rica	Suwon, South Korea	Friendly
Nov. 16, 2022	2-0 W vs. Kazakhstan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Friendly
Nov. 20, 2022	0-0 D vs. Russia	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Friendly
March 24, 2023	1-0 W vs. Bolivia	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	Friendly
March 28, 2023	1-1 D vs. Venezuela	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	Friendly
June 11, 2023	3-0 W vs. Oman	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	CAFA Nations Cup
June 14, 2023	2-0 W vs. Turkmenistan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	CAFA Nations Cup
June 17, 2023	5-1 W vs. Tajikistan	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	CAFA Nations Cup
June 20, 2023	0-1 L vs. IR Iran	Tashkent, Uzbekistan	CAFA Nations Cup

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

GOALKEEPERS (3): Botirali Ergashev (AGMK; 2/0), Umidjon Ergashev (Nasaf; 0/0), Utkir Yusupov (Navbahor Namangan; 15/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Abdulla Abdullaev (AGMK; 12/0), Khojiakbar Alijonov (Pakhtakor Tashkent; 27/1), Husniddin Aliqulov (Çaykur Rizespor/TUR; 12/0), Rustam Ashurmatov (Rubin Kazan/RUS; 23/0), Shahzad Azmiddinov (Pakhtakor Tashkent; 0/0), Umar Eshmurodov (Nasaf; 16/0), Sherzod Nasrullaev (Nasaf; 12/0), Farrukh Sayfiev (Pakhtakor Tashkent; 42/1), Dilshod Saitov (Pakhtakor Tashkent; 7/0)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Azizjon Ganiev (Shabab Al-Ahli/UAE; 11/0), Odijon Hamrobekov (Pakhtakor Tashkent; 39/0), Jamshid Iskanderov (Navbahor Namangan; 28/3), Abror Ismoilov (Navbahor Namangan; 7/0), Jaloliddin Masharipov (Al-Nasr/KSA; 49/10), Otabek Shukurov (Fatih Karagümrük/TUR; 55/3), Azizbek Turgunboev (Pakhtakor Tashkent; 20/1), Oson Urunov (Navbahor Namangan; 15/3)

FORWARDS (2): Bobur Abdikholikov (Ordabasy/KAZ; 7/0), Eldor Shomurodov (Cagliari/ITA; 66/37)

ROSTER NOTES:

• Sixteen of the 23 players ply their trade in the Uzbekistan Super League.
• The seven other players feature in Turkey (2), Italy (1), Kazakhstan (1), Russia (1), Saudi Arabia (1) and United Arab Emirates (1).
• With 37 goals in 66 caps, striker Eldor Shomurodov is Uzbekistan’s all-time leading goal scorer. He’s currently on loan from Roma to Cagliari, where he will likely face U.S. internationals Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) and Weston McKennie and Tim Weah (Juventus) this season.
• Following Uzbekistan’s unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Srečko Katanec took over as head coach in September 2021.
• A former center back/defensive midfielder who played with both Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart and Serie A club Sampdoria, Katanek is a former Slovenia and Yugoslavia international and guided Slovenia to its first appearance at the European Championships in 2000 as well as its first World Cup berth in 2002.
• Katanek has also managed Olympiacos (2002-03), United Arab Emirates (2009-2011), returned to Slovenia (2013-2017) and led Iraq (2018-2021).