Christian Pulisic Headlines USMNT's Roster for January, February World Cup Qualifiers

The United States men's national soccer team on Friday unveiled its roster for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras in a critical set that will help determine its fate for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The roster is headlined by Chelsea's Christian Pulisic, Juventus' Weston McKennie, RB Leipzig's Tyler Adams and Augsburg's Ricardo Pepi. 

Pulisic is making his return to the roster after missing out in November while recovering from an ankle injury and COVID-19. With Pulisic, McKennie, Adams and Pepi at full strength, the Americans are almost fully healthy and should be a threat in their upcoming matches. 

In addition to players from international clubs, the 13 MLS players named to the squad are the most for a World Cup qualification roster since Gregg Berhalter took over in 2018. 

As for omissions, Borussia Dortmund's Gio Reyna was left off the roster while recovering from a muscular injury. In addition, Fulham's Tim Ream and Wolfsburg's John Brooks were left off the roster. 

The U.S. is currently second in the CONCACAF qualification table, just one point behind Canada for first place. Mexico and Panama are making a significant push in the standings, too, sitting with 14 points each.

The top three teams in CONCACAF automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth-place team has to compete in an intercontinental playoff. The 2022 World Cup, which is being held in Qatar, will kick off in November. 

The World Cup is typically held over the summer but was pushed to November because of the heat in Qatar.