The United States Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter named New York City FC goalkeeper and captain Sean Johnson to the USMNT roster for the September camp.
This is the last call-up before the final rosters for the 2022 FIFA World Cup are submitted on November 13. The World Cup will begin one week later on November 20.
Which is why these call-ups are considered to be something like a final audition before the tournament. Earlier this year, Johnson was on the cusp of making the squad, but his performances for the USMNT and NYCFC evidently moved him up in the pecking order. Likewise, Zack Steffen has fallen out of favor as the once-formidable goalkeeper made costly errors while in the net for Manchester City, then was loaned to EFL Championship side Middlesborough where is sidelined with an injury.
It’s unclear who will be Berhalter’s number-one choice, but the smart money is on Turner. The goalkeeper hasn’t played in any Premier League matches, but he started in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over FC Zurich in the Europa League. Turner played well, making two saves and failed to stop a 44th-minute penalty.
Johnson and Horvath are both starting regularly for their respective teams. Horvath has been in the net for all nine games played by struggling Lutton Town, and allowed 10 goals. Lutton Town now still in 18th place out of 24 teams, just three spots above the relegation zone.
Johnson starts almost all the games that NYCFC play, and while the team are suffering a poor run of form his performances are mostly solid. Will he start? Hard to say, but there might be an x-factor behind Johnson’s selection to the camp: The 33-year-old Johnson is also the oldest and most experienced player in the camp, and his leadership qualities make him something like the elder statesmen of the squad.
NYCFC Homegrown James Sands, currently on loan to Rangers FC in Scotland, was also considered to be on the cusp of making the squad but he wasn’t called up. Former NYCFC Homegrown Joe Scally, who currently plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, did make the team.
The USMNT will play two friendlies next week against World Cup-bound teams.
• USMNT vs Japan, Friday, September 23, at 8:25 am ET, Merkur Spielarena in Düsseldorf, Germany (ESPN2, ESPN+, Unimás, TUDN)
• USMNT vs Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, September 27 at 2 pm ET, Estadio de La Condomina in Murcia, Spain (FS1, Unimás, TUDN)
Here is the complete current USMNT roster:
USMNT, September Camp
Goalkeepers
Ethan Horvath, Luton Town)
Sean Johnson, New York City FC
Matt Turner, ArsenalDefenders
Reggie Cannon, Boavista
Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic
Sergiño Dest, AC Milan
Aaron Long, New York Red Bulls
Chris Richards, Crystal Palace
Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Sam Vines, Royal Antwerp
DeAndre Yedlin, Inter Miami
Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SCMidfielders
Kellyn Acosta, LAFC
Tyler Adams, Leeds United
Luca de la Torre, Celta Vigo
Weston McKennie, Juventus
Yunus Musah, Valencia
Malik Tillman, RangersForwards
Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United
Paul Arriola, FC Dallas
Jesús Ferreira, FC Dallas
Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders
Ricardo Pepi, Groningen
Christian Pulisic, Chelsea
Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund
Josh Sargent, Norwich City
