Which MLS club has most players on the USMNT 2022 World Cup roster?

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter announced his 26-man roster for the 2022 World Cup on Thursday, with the omission of goalkeeper Zack Steffen and the inclusion of striker Haji Wright over Ricardo Pepi the main talking points.

Berhalter claimed to be “comfortable” in the goalkeeping area with Matt Turner, Sean Johnson and Ethan Horvath, leading to his decision to leave Steffen at home.

The former Colombus Crew boss also explained his reasoning for selecting Wright rather than the more experienced Pepi, who had featured in eight of the World Cup qualification games. “This is a different World Cup, you don’t have a month to get ready. We thought Haji Wright was in the best form right now.”

17 European-based players on USMNT’s 2022 World Cup roster

Wright has certainly thrived since making the move to Turkey having scored nine goals in 12 league outings for his club this season. The striker is one of 17 European-based players to have clinched a place on the roster, with Premier League duo Leeds United (Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams) and Fulham (Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson) contributing two players each, the joint-most of any club.

Nashville SC and Seattle Sounders sending two players each to 2022 World Cup with USMNT

There are also two MLS sides who can boast sending two of their players to the World Cup. Nashville SC defensive pair Walker Zimmerman and Shaq Moore were both selected by Berhalt, with Zimmerman almost certain to start in central defence. Moore will likely have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes, with Sergiño Dest expected to start at right-back.

Seattle Sounders didn’t enjoy a vintage MLS season in 2022 but have nevertheless seen two of their stars called up for the world’s biggest sporting event. Midfielder Cristian Roldán and striker Jordan Morris have already won 32 and 49 caps respectively, although neither is likely to be in the starting line-up for the opening game against Wales.

Five other MLS clubs are represented on the roster: New York City FC (Sean Johnson), New York Red Bulls (Aaron Long), Inter Miami (DeAndre Yedlin), FC Dallas (Jesús Ferreira).

Full USMNT 2022 World Cup roster

Goalkeepers

Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

Defenders

Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Sergiño Dest (AC Milan, on loan from Barcelona), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Tim Ream (Fulham), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC),

Midfielders

Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Kellyn Acosta (New York City FC), Tyler Adams (Leeds United), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

Forwards

Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Lille), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor)

USMNT World Cup Group B schedule

Monday, 21 November: USMNT v Wales, Al Rayyan

Friday, 25 November: USMNT v England, Al Khor

Tuesday, 29 November: USMNT v Iran, Doha