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Pulisic, McKennie top U.S. roster for Oct. games

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Pulisic, McKennie top U.S. roster for Oct. games


AC Milan attacker Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson highlight the 26-player roster named on Thursday by United States men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino for two friendlies in the October international window.

The U.S. will play Ecuador in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 10, followed by another match four days later against Australia in Commerce City, Colorado. All three countries have already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted next summer by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Players will begin reporting for training camp in Austin on Oct. 4.

Following a September window that featured some experimentation in terms of personnel, this roster is comprised mostly of players one would expect to feature for the full U.S. team. Robinson received his first call-up for 2025 after recovering from knee surgery last May, while McKennie returns for the first time since the Concacaf Nations League last March.

Other returnees include Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris, Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann and New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. St. Pauli midfielder James Sands earned his first call-up under Pochettino.

Tessmann and Morris were both rewarded for outstanding starts to the club season, with Tessmann scoring twice in recent weeks for Lyon, while Morris has earned multiple Man of the Match awards with Middlesbrough. Club América midfielder Alejandro Zendejas has continued his fine form, scoring twice in a recent victory over Pumas UNAM in Liga MX. Coventry City forward Haji Wright leads the English Championship with seven goals.

Pulisic is the most in-form player of anyone on the U.S. roster. He has so far scored six goals and added two assists in all competitions this season for AC Milan. His four goals in league play top Serie A.

AFC Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams is the most noticeable absentee, with Pochettino expected to explain the player’s absence later on Thursday.

Injuries also resulted in several players not being named to the squad. This list includes the PSV Eindhoven duo of defender Sergiño Dest and forward Ricardo Pepi, as well as Atlético Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso and Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Giovanni Reyna.

Another somewhat surprising exclusion is Gladbach defender Joe Scally, who has turned in some impressive performances in recent weeks as a wingback, even as his side has struggled. His absence means Orlando City SC Alex Freeman is the only player who operates primarily as a right-sided defender or wingback for his club.

There was also no room for Norwich City forward Josh Sargent, who while getting off to an impressive start to the league season, has struggled mightily in a U.S. uniform, having not scored an international goal since 2019. Atalanta midfielder Yunus Musah was also left off the roster, despite contributing an assist in his club’s midweek win over Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.

Ecuador recently clinched its fifth World Cup appearance, having finished in second place in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying table behind Argentina.

Australia secured its spot by finishing second in its group during the third round of Asian Football Confederation qualifiers, marking the country’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.  

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

GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 12/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 19/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 9/0), Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse/FRA; 22/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 77/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 33/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 35/3)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 53/9), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 14/3), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 60/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 9/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 39/0), James Sands (FC St. Pauli/GER; 11/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 8/0), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 25/3)

FORWARDS (6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 19/6), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 80/32), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 45/7), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 17/5), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 13/2)



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Adidas salutes USMNT’s 1994 World Cup run with denim jersey

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Adidas salutes USMNT’s 1994 World Cup run with denim jersey


Adidas announced the release of the “U.S. denim jersey” on Monday, a throwback-inspired shirt that’s reminiscent of the classic away tops worn by the United States men’s national team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Featuring the iconic washed-denim look adorned with quintessentially ’90s stars, the jersey arrives just ahead of the U.S. hosting the World Cup for a second time this summer, alongside Mexico and Canada as co-hosts.

“With the U.S. Denim jersey, we set out to capture the side of American soccer that has always been distinctive and original,” said Inigo Turner, design director at Adidas football. “This design leans into that spirit with bold graphics, fearless color and a belief that the game here should look and feel like it belongs to the people.”

The full U.S. denim collection by Adidas also includes denim shorts with a star motif, a denim track top with paneling, and a denim cap with star details.

Calling back to the legends who donned the memorable 1994 tops, promotional photos include former USMNT standouts such as Cobi Jones and Alexi Lalas. The collection will be available for purchase from Adidas on March 10.

Speaking of inspiration from the 1994 World Cup, and in contrast to the denim away jersey, the red-and-white striped home kit from that tournament may be what Nike designers looked to for the upcoming home jerseys for this year’s World Cup.

Although no kits for the USMNT have yet to be unveiled, a post on social media went viral over the weekend after a local grocer displayed a red-and-white striped kit for the U.S.





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Cowboys agree to trade with Packers for Pro Bowl defensive lineman: reports

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Cowboys agree to trade with Packers for Pro Bowl defensive lineman: reports


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The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly set to bolster their defensive line with an intriguing trade involving the Green Bay Packers on Monday.

The Cowboys agreed to acquire Pro Bowl defensive tackle Rashan Gary for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick, according to multiple reports. The deal comes as the team lost out on trying to acquire Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders. He was dealt to the Baltimore Ravens last week.

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Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary (52) during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Jeff Hanisch/Imagn Images)

The Packers selected Gary with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2019 draft out of Michigan. He improved dramatically over the course of seven seasons as he started out as a defensive end, moved to linebacker and then back to the defensive line.

Gary was a Pro Bowl selection in 2024 when he had 7.5 sacks, 47 tackles and a fumble recovery in 17 games. In 2025, Gary played in 16 games. He had 7.5 sacks, 45 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Rashan Gary celebrates off the field

Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary (52) celebrates after the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Nov. 17, 2024. (Daniel Bartel/Imagn Images)

He signed a four-year contract extension with the Packers during the 2023 season. He will be owed $18 million in 2026 and $21 million in 2027.

Dallas was 7-9-1 in the first season with Brian Schottenheimer as the head coach. The team’s defense was shaken up before the season began when the team traded Micah Parsons to the Packers.

Brian Schottenheimer looks on

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Oct. 26, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)

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The Cowboys were 32nd in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed during the 2025 season.

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Laporta stopped Messi Barca return to avoid power struggle: Xavi

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Laporta stopped Messi Barca return to avoid power struggle: Xavi


Argentina’s Lionel Messi addresses a press conference in this undated picture. — Reuters/File

Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said the club’s president Joan Laporta scuppered the return of all-time great Lionel Messi in 2023 to avoid a power struggle.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and then two years later moved to MLS side Inter Miami.

“Leo was signed, in January 2023 after winning the World Cup, we got in touch and he told me he wanted to come back,” Xavi told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia late on Sunday.

“We had the green light from La Liga (financially), but it was the president who threw it away…

“Laporta told me, word for word, that if Leo came back he was going to wage war against him and that he couldn’t allow that. And then suddenly Leo stopped answering my calls because he’d been told that it couldn’t be done.”

Xavi said everything was ready for Messi’s return, there was “no doubt” in a football sense and “we were going to do a last dance, like (former NBA star Michael) Jordan’s”.

Laporta, who resigned as president a few weeks ago to run for re-election this week, suggested Monday former coach Xavi was bitter and said Messi’s father and agent Jorge had told him the superstar had decided not to come back.

“With Xavi I saw we were going to lose and with (current coach Hansi) Flick that we will win,” Laporta said at a presidential debate Monday.

“I understand that (Xavi) is hurt — with the same players Flick wins.”

Laporta said he sent a contract to Jorge Messi who later came to his house and told him that “here there would be too much pressure” if the forward returned.

Messi is Barcelona’s all-time top scorer with 672 goals and won a club-record 34 trophies at Camp Nou.

Laporta also claimed Barca rejected a 250 million euro ($288 million) offer from PSG for teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, reported to have been made in the summer of 2024.





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