USMNT names roster for Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal vs. Haiti, with Pulisic, McKennie and Balogun returning alongside MLS youth

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The U.S. men’s national team will return to competitive action this month after the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the first matches of its Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series against Haiti, following the roster announcement made by head coach Mauricio Pochettino on Wednesday morning. The team’s quarterfinal tie is described as two-legged, and the call-up list is framed by the coach as a deliberate mix of experienced players and emerging talent.

Pochettino’s roster includes familiar names who had missed out on the program’s September/October camp for various reasons, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun. Their presence comes as part of what the coach said would be a continuing emphasis on identifying and developing younger players, rather than a shift away from that process.

According to Pochettino’s remarks to reporters at a subsequent media availability, eight players from the last camp’s unusual 13 newcomer group have been called back for this quarterfinal series. The update includes multiple MLS-linked young players characterized in the source as prominent “starlets,” and it sets up a matchup against Haiti intended to test on-field chemistry between younger prospects and established contributors.

Among the call-ups highlighted in the announcement are Red Bull New York homegrown duo Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti, Philadelphia Union players Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre, and Orlando City attacker Justin Ellis. The roster also features Borussia Dortmund winger Mathis Albert, identified in the source as a former LA Galaxy prospect, as well as goalkeeper Brian Schwake of Nashville SC and Reed Baker-Whiting of the Seattle Sounders.

The source indicates Schwake returns after making his international debut against Chile on Sept. 29. It also places Baker-Whiting, who is described as a 21-year-old Seattle homegrown product, alongside Schwake as part of a new-looking group within the goalkeeper and defensive options for the quarterfinals.

Pochettino described the purpose of assembling this particular group as both competitive and developmental. “We need to add players to the roster to try to provide a good balance to the team, and then to be sure that we are going to compete at our best and try to win games,” he said in the quoted media availability. He also emphasized that the roster would create opportunities to “develop, and to try to help and to grow all these young players,” adding that the coaching staff wanted to mix younger players with experienced ones from the previous camp.

The announcement further places an emphasis on player eligibility and potential cap-tie outcomes. The source notes that several of the younger standouts are eligible to play for multiple nations through family heritage, and it states that players who appear in the match versus Haiti could become cap-tied to the U.S. men’s national team.

Pochettino addressed specific heritage-related eligibility cases mentioned in the source. He was quoted when asked about Hall, who can play for both the U.S. and Poland through his mother’s heritage, and similar multi-national eligibility links were described for Mehmeti (Albania), Ellis (Uruguay), Pierre (Haiti), and Albert (France and Germany). In each case, the coach’s comments as provided focus on performance and commitment rather than selecting based solely on nationality background.

Alongside the roster makeup, the source also described internal selection considerations tied to club availability. It says Hall and Ellis received the nod ahead of FC Dallas alumnus Ricardo Pepi due to Pepi’s recent injury issues at PSV Eindhoven. It also states that Hall and Ellis could be positioned to earn minutes ahead of Balogun at striker, citing limited playing time at club level with AS Monaco during the period following a transfer situation that included an Everton move falling through in the final hours of the summer window.

The roster message, as characterized in the source, is that established players must continue to earn their place while the coaching staff uses official Nations League matches to evaluate alternatives. Pochettino was quoted telling reporters that the program is “really important to test them playing in official games,” and he said the national team is structured to provide chances for players the source describes as having not previously gotten those opportunities.

The developments also tie directly to MLS’s broader talent pipeline, per the source’s account. The coach referenced the development environment at MLS clubs while speaking about Orlando product Alex Freeman, described as an all-action fullback with Spanish side Villarreal. Pochettino’s remarks linked the progress of American players in multiple top leagues—via his comments about viewing “all the leagues” and seeing American goal scorers—to a view that the quality and organization inside MLS and within the federation structure should continue to be valued and supported.

With the U.S. now set for its quarterfinal series against Haiti, the immediate consequence of Wednesday’s roster announcement is a return to official competition after the post-World Cup break, with a lineup built around veterans Pulisic and McKennie alongside a youth-heavy group that includes Hall, Mehmeti, Sullivan, Pierre and Ellis. The source indicates that the Nations League matches will also carry eligibility implications for multi-national players, potentially shaping future selection decisions depending on who takes the field.

Vancouver Television Sports Desk will continue to track official match details for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series, including confirmed dates, lineups and match outcomes, as they are released by the relevant governing bodies and team officials.