Gregg Berhalter assistant Mikey Varas will coach USMNT in two exhibitions

Assistant Mikey Varas will be interim U.S. coach for exhibitions against Canada and New Zealand, while a deal hasn’t been announced for Mauricio Pochettino to succeed Gregg Berhalter.

Varas picked a 24-man roster that includes Barcelona youth system goalkeeper Diego Kochen and Standard Liege defender Marlon Fossey, who both have not played for the national team, on Sunday.

Injured players who will miss the matches include right back Sergiño Dest, midfielder Tyler Adams and winger Tim Weah. Defenders Antonee Robinson and Cameron Carter-Vickers and midfielder Weston McKennie were bypassed to remain with their clubs.

The U.S. plays Canada on Saturday at Kansas City, Kansas, then faces New Zealand three days later at Cincinnati.

Berhalter was fired on July 10, a week after the Americans were eliminated in the first round of the Copa América. The U.S. Soccer Federation began negotiations more than two weeks ago with former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Pochettino.

Varas is a former Dallas assistant and was coach of the U.S. under-20 team from November 2021 until August 2023, when he became one of Berhalter’s assistants. The 41-year-old led the U.S. to the 2022 CONCACAF title, earning the Americans’ first men’s Olympic berth since 2008, and to the quarterfinals of the 2023 Under-20 World Cup, where they lost to Uruguay, 2-0.

The USSF said its plan had been for Varas to run the team in the September games. Two previous Berhalter assistants became interim coaches last year: Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan.

Six players on the roster were not with the U.S. at the Copa América: Kochen, Fossey, goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, defenders Auston Trusty and Caleb Wiley, and midfielder Aidan Morris.

Eight players were dropped: goalkeeper Sean Johnson, defenders Miles Robinson and Shaq Moore along with Carter-Vickers, Antonee Robinson, Adams, McKennie and Weah.

Goalkeeper Matt Turner was included after going on loan on Friday from Nottingham Forest to Crystal Palace. Turner, the U.S. starter the past two years, lost his starting job at Forest in February following a series of weak goals and didn’t dress for the first two Premier League games this season.

Ethan Horvath, another goalkeeper on the roster, made a blunder that led to the first goal in a 5-0 defeat at Burnley on Aug. 17. Horvath kicked at and missed a back pass, allowing the ball to bounce into the goal.

In selecting Schulte and Kochen, Varas bypassed Colorado‘s Zack Steffen, who hasn’t played for the Americans since their final World Cup qualifier in March 2022. Schulte and Tim Ream, who transferred to Charlotte from Fulham, are the only players from Major League Soccer.

Adams has been sidelined since the Copa América because of back surgery, Dest is out until next year because of a torn ACL and Weah hurt a hamstring in Juventus‘ Serie A opener on Aug. 19.

McKennie was left with Juventus after getting a late start to preseason, Carter-Vickers remains with Celtic to allow a toe injury to heal and Robinson is being given a break following a pair of offseason surgeries.

Gianluca Busio is also hurt and Tanner Tessmann just transferred to Lyon following a shortened preseason with Venezia.

Nico Estévez will be an assistant coach following his firing as Dallas’ head coach in June and USSF head of goalkeeping Jack Robinson will be the goalkeeper coach.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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