SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Soccer fans, the wait is over. The official World Cup roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team is out.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “FOX SPORTS”)
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: And today, we meet the 26 players that will represent the United States this summer.
DETROW: The roster was announced in a live TV broadcast on Fox Sports this afternoon.
SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
The list of 26 athletes includes big names like team captain, Christian Pulisic, as well as Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.
DETROW: Gio Reyna also made the cut. You may have remember him from the last men’s World Cup in 2022, when he was almost sent home after a dispute over playing time. There was also an ugly feud between his parents and the head coach at the time, but that is all in the past now as Reyna gets ready to play in his second World Cup.
PFEIFFER: And then there’s the oldest player on the team, who was given a warm welcome at today’s announcement.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “FOX SPORTS”)
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: No. 13 – you know him. You love him. From St. Louis, Missouri, it’s Tim Ream.
PFEIFFER: Thirty-eight-year-old defender Tim Ream spoke to us last week about the pressure this American squad is facing this year as the U.S. cohosts the tournament.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
TIM REAM: We call it noise, and there is noise, but it’s also because people care. People want to see the team do well. People want the team to be successful, and we have to look at it in that aspect.
DETROW: The World Cup kicks off in just over two weeks. The first U.S. game will be in Los Angeles on June 12 against Paraguay.
(SOUNDBITE OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST SONG, “CAN I KICK IT?”) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
