The key facts

  • Pulisic and Balogun called up for the first time since their World Cup injuries
  • The matches against Haiti will be played on November 14 in Miami and November 17 in Cincinnati
  • 21-year-old Santiago Castañeda of Paderborn received his first national team call-up

Leaders return from injury

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino announced his squad on Wednesday for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal matches against Haiti, bringing Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun back into the team, AFP reports. Neither player has featured for the national team since the summer World Cup, where they picked up injuries, and both missed the start of the club seasons at Milan and Monaco respectively.

Circumstances of the return

Pulisic broke his leg in the World Cup round of 16 match, which the United States lost to Belgium. Balogun found himself in the spotlight over the summer not only because of a knee injury and a tangled transfer dispute, but also because of the scandal surrounding his suspension for a red card at the World Cup, which was suspended after intervention by President Donald Trump. Pochettino stressed that the call-up should help the forward regain his confidence after a difficult summer: “Happy to see Balo again, because after the World Cup we have the chance to see him in action, and it is a great opportunity for him to keep growing in confidence.”

Young additions

The experienced players are joined by a group of young footballers, including 19-year-old Justin Ellis and 18-year-old Julian Hall, who made their debuts and scored in the September–October matches, in which the revamped US squad won all four games — against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. The squad also includes 17-year-olds Cavan Sullivan and Mathis Albert, while 21-year-old Paderborn midfielder Santiago Castañeda received his first call-up to the national team. “The combination of Balogun, Ellis and Hall, I think, is perfect,” Pochettino noted.

Schedule and context

The first, nominally “away” match of the quarterfinal will take place on November 14 in Miami, with the return leg on November 17 in Cincinnati. The United States won the first three editions of the CONCACAF Nations League (2021–2024), but stumbled last season, losing to Panama in the semifinal.