#ca 2024

The 2024 Copa América will provide the U.S. men’s national team with a huge opportunity to show it can compete with the world’s best ahead of a home World Cup in 2026.

It will also be the last chance the USMNT has to face strong opposition in meaningful competition ahead of the next World Cup, which will put plenty of pressure on Gregg Berhalter and his team.

The USMNT has been handed an ideal draw in Group C, with winnable games versus Bolivia and Panama alongside a true test against Uruguay, which should serve the team well ahead of any potential knockout round matches.

Berhalter will have plenty to think about before his side kicks off the tournament on June 23, not least of which will be the 23 players he’ll name to the roster.

Here are our picks for the players Berhalter will name to his roster for the 2024 Copa América.

Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Drake Callender, Gabriel Slonina Despite an up-and-down debut season with Nottingham Forest, it’s hard to imagine anybody other than Turner in goal when the Copa América kicks off.

Part of that is down to Turner’s performances with the USMNT and part is simply because no viable alternative has emerged recently.

Two of those possible alternatives, Zack Steffen and Ethan Horvath, haven’t played at all in months. Steffen has secured a move to the Colorado Rapids, while Horvath needs to leave Nottingham Forest, where he’s currently third string.

With Steffen needing to re-prove himself in MLS and Horvath’s future uncertain, we’re giving Callender and Slonina the nod here. The USMNT goalkeeper situation behind Turner, though, is highly fluid and subject to change.

Defenders: Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Miles Robinson, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Kristoffer Lund Robinson is an absolute lock to start at left back and Dest’s comeback season at PSV means he’s close to a lock at right back, despite his complete meltdown in the USMNT’s last match.

Center back is a real trouble spot for this team. Ream has impressed over the past two years but time could be catching up with him. Robinson had a down year in 2023 and is staying in MLS instead of testing himself abroad. Carter-Vickers has been a standout with Celtic but could use to test himself at a higher level. Richards can’t get minutes at defense with Crystal Palace but has been converted to an every-game starter in midfield of late.

And those are the players on the roster.

World Cup starter Walker Zimmerman has recently been a healthy scratch from national team rosters. Auston Trusty could be next in line for a call-up, as he’s getting valuable Premier League minutes on an admittedly limited Sheffield United squad. Mark McKenzie is in the mix as well.

Scally is a solid bet to make the squad as a utility fullback, and can even play center back in a pinch. The backup left back position is up for grabs, as it has been for a while. Dest may be the actual backup, but Lund gets the nod for now to boost the team’s depth.

Midfielders: Johnny Cardoso, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman The health of Adams is the biggest question mark in the USMNT midfield at this point. If he returns in February or March as Bournemouth’s owner expects him to, then the USMNT captain will have plenty of time to recapture his starting spot ahead of the Copa América.

That could see the MMA midfield reconstituted, with Musah and (especially) McKennie enjoying strong campaigns in Serie A.

We could also see Reyna continue to start at the No. 10 in a more attacking setup. The 21-year-old continues to struggle for minutes at Dortmund, but he’s a lock to play a prominent role at the Copa América if healthy.

Tillman is almost redundant with Reyna on the squad as well, but the PSV midfielder is starting to put it all together and is simply too talented to keep off this roster — though he’s yet to make a real impact with the USMNT.

Cardoso’s spot as a backup No. 6 looks secure regardless of Adams’ health, but the new Real Betis signing would obviously have a much bigger role in the event of another setback. So too would fellow La Liga midfielder De la Torre, whose ball progression and ability in possession make him too valuable to leave off this squad.

Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi, Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright Pulisic and Weah are locks to start at the two wide forward positions, while the No. 9 role is becoming an intriguing competition between Pepi and Balogun.

Balogun looks to be the favorite but is in the midst of a scoring slump at Monaco, while Pepi has done nothing but score for PSV and the USMNT over the past year — but almost always as a substitute. He clearly deserves more minutes, but he’s proving rather valuable off the bench as well.

The final spot is a difficult choice, but Wright just gets the nod over Brenden Aaronson. At some point, Aaronson’s collapse in club form is going to cost him on the national team level, and there are no shortage of alternatives who could take his spot this summer.

Wright is the choice for now. The Coventry City attacker is having a strong campaign and has recently been at his most effective while playing as a winger. That ability to play wide or as a No. 9 gives him the edge.

That only leaves one backup winger in this forward group, but Reyna and Tillman have played the position for the USMNT in the recent past. Though both are more comfortable inside, that ability could allow Berhalter to only take five players in the forward group. Dest could also move up to play a more defensive winger role if needed.

Aside from Aaronson, there are a whole host of talented players who could miss out, including Josh Sargent. The Norwich striker could make himself impossible to leave out, however, with a strong run of scoring form — which could also be said for Daryl Dike or Brandon Vazquez.

Kevin Paredes is young and super talented but still doesn’t quite seem ready for extended minutes for club or country. He looks like a strong candidate for the 2026 World Cup squad, though, if he continues his upward trajectory.

Projected 2024 USMNT Copa America roster Goalkeepers (3): Matt Turner, Drake Callender, Gabriel Slonina

Defenders (8): Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, Miles Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Kristoffer Lund

Midfielders (7): Johnny Cardoso, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman