Altidore, Guzan on early US roster for CONCACAF Gold Cup

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Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan gestures from the goal during the second half of an MLS soccer match against the Seattle Sounders, Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

MIAMI – Forward Jozy Altidore and goalkeeper Brad Guzan are on a preliminary 59-man United States roster for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Defender Reggie Cannon, and midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Sebastian Lletget and Jackson Yueill are the only holdovers from the 23-man roster for the Nations League final four. Acosta was the only starter in the 3-2 win over Mexico on June 6.

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The roster was announced Friday and it lacks some of the best players in the U.S. It doesn't include Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Sergiño Dest, John Brooks, Zack Steffen and Josh Sargent. They are being given time off ahead of preseasons with their European clubs and the start of World Cup qualifying on Sept. 2.

Guzan, 36, has 64 international appearances. He was Tim Howard’s backup at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and started at the 2016 Copa America. He has not played for the U.S. since a September 2019 exhibition against Uruguay.

Altidore, 31, has 42 goals in 115 international appearances and also was at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He last played for the U.S. in the 1-0 loss to Mexico in the 2019 Gold Cup final.

Also on the preliminary roster and hoping to play their way back into first-choice player pool are midfielders Julian Green and Cristian Roldan, and forwards Paul Arriola and Gyasi Zardes.

Young players include forwards Daryl Dike and Matthew Hoppe.

Moses Nyeman, a 17-year-old D.C. United midfielder, was included even though he is not yet eligible. Nyeman was born in Liberia and is in the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Teams must submit their 23-man rosters by June 30. A team may replace an injured player up until a day before its first game.

The U.S. is based in Kansas City, Kansas, for the first round and opens Group B on July 11 against Haiti, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guatemala or Guyana. The Americans play Martinique on July 15 and Canada on July 18.

Mexico, Curaçao, El Salvador and a qualifier are in Group A; Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname and a qualifier in Group C; and Grenada, Honduras, Panama and invited guest Qatar in Group D.

The top two nations in each group advance. The final is Aug. 1 in Las Vegas.

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Atlanta), Bill Hamid (D.C.), Sean Johnson (New York City), Tim Melia (Kansas City), Matt Turner (New England)

Defenders: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), George Bello (Atlanta), Reggie Cannon (Boavista, Portugal), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham, England), Justin Che (Dallas), Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls), Chase Gasper (Minnesota), Jonathan Gomez (Louisville), Aaron Herrera (Salt Lake), Henry Kessler (New England), Shaq Moore (Tenerife, Spain), Erik Palmer-Brown (Manchester City, England), Kevin Paredes (D.C.), Donovan Pines (D.C.), Miles Robinson (Atlanta), James Sands (New York City), Auston Trusty (Colorado), Sam Vines (Colorado), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville)

Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (Colorado), Cole Bassett (Colorado), Gianluca Busio (Kansas City), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional, Brazil), Caden Clark (New York Red Bulls), Hassani Dotson (Dallas), Leon Flach (Philadelphia), Julian Green (Greuther Fürth, Germany), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Djordje Mihailovic (Montreal), Moses Nyeman (D.C.), Andrés Perea (Orlando), Paxton Pomykal (Dallas), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Tanner Tessman (Dallas), Eryk Williamson (Portland), Jackson Yueill (San Jose)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto), Frankie Amaya (New York Red Bulls), Paul Arriola (DC), Corey Baird (Los Angeles), Cade Cowell (San Jose), Daryl Dike (Orlando), Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland), Jesus Ferreira (Dallas), Nicholas Gioacchini (Caen, France), Matthew Hoppe (Schalke, Germany), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado), Rubio Rubin (Salt Lake), Chris Mueller (Orlando), Ricardo Pepi (Dallas), Robbie Robinson (Miami), Memo Rodríguez (Houston), Mason Toye (Montreal), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus)

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