Laken Litman
College Football & Soccer Analyst
The United States men’s national team announced three changes to its Concacaf Nations League Finals roster on Tuesday. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson, Real Bettis midfielder Johnny Cardoso and Celtic center back Auston Trusty have all withdrawn from competition due to injuries, and will be replaced by the MLS trio of Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Brian Gutierrez (Chicago Fire) and Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo).
The USMNT faces Panama in the first Nations League semifinal at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday, with Canada and Mexico battling in the second match. The third-place game and final will take place on Sunday.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino did not disclose what the specific injuries to the players were during a press conference on Tuesday, only saying they will miss the Nations League matches due to “medical reasons.”
“It’s difficult to explain because I am not a doctor,” Pochettino said. “I am not the right guy to explain what happened with these guys. But for different reasons, they have medical problems and cannot be here.”
Robinson, who played the full 90 minutes for Fulham in a win over Tottenham on Sunday, will be a challenge to replace at left back where he has starred for both club and country. It will force Pochettino to re-evaluate his back line with potentially Arfsten, Tim Ream or Joe Scally filling in.
Arfsten, Gutierrez and McGlynn were all part of the USMNT’s January camp. Arfsten and Gutierrez each earned their first two caps in wins against Venezuela and Costa Rica, and McGlynn scored the opening goal in the 3-1 win over Venezuela.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.
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