Christian Pulisic, USMNT Superstars Absent From Mauricio Pochettino's January Squad | OneFootball

The USMNT will be missing several integral players, including Christian Pulisic, when it takes on Venezuela and Costa Rica later this month.

The U.S. men's national team is gearing up for its first training camp of the new year under Mauricio Pochettino. The Stars and Stripes are set to report to Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 7 ahead of their two international friendlies coming in two weeks.

The USMNT first faces Venezuela at Chase Stadium on Jan. 18 and then takes on Costa Rica on Jan. 22 at Inter&Co Stadium. The matches kick off a busy year for the USMNT that features the Concacaf Nations League Finals and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Pochettino will be without his best players, though, when the Stars and Stripes clash with Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Christian Pulisic, USMNT Superstars Absent From Mauricio Pochettino's January Squad

Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie are all missing from the USMNT's January squad. The three players will be busy competing in Europe's top leagues in January and therefore are unavailable to make the camp.

Other noteworthy absentees include Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna and Matt Turner. Like Pulisic and co., the players must focus on their domestic duties in January until the first official international break occurs in March.

Pochettino must instead rely on a 24-man squad including 23 Major League Soccer players. Since the 2025 MLS season does not begin until late February, the best American players throughout the league are available to represent the Stars and Stripes against Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Check out Pochettino's full squad below.

USMNT Squad For January Friendlies vs. Venezuela and Costa Rica

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS AND MORE