USMNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Ellis Snatches Pepi’s Place in November Roster

The U.S. men’s national team will regroup in the coming days for the November international window, eager to capitalize on the thrills of last month when the team ran away with four straight victories to ignite the post-World Cup era with perfection.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino called up 25 men to continue the charge, staring down a two-leg series with Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals that has a berth in the 2027 Gold Cup firmly on the table.

Wednesday’s roster selection spoke volumes to Pochettino’s ambitions for the team. While he returned to many seasoned veterans, the Argentine boss still included his fair share of young, budding talents. No matter how much success his former crop of players found, he knows the future of the team is infinitely brighter.

Pochettino has entrusted certain youngsters over others, while leaving several USMNT stalwarts at home on the couch. It’s the dawn of a new era, and Pochettino hasn’t been afraid to make the tough decisions.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s weekly stock up, stock down analysis for USMNT players.

USMNT Stock Up

Mathis Albert

albert face — Mathis Albert could earn big minutes this month. | Julius Frick/picture alliance/Getty Images

Mathis Albert will be feeling grateful for Pochettino’s open mind.

Similar to the strong confidence that the Argentine has in fellow USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna, Pochettino sees something uniquely special in Albert, even if the 17-year-old is playing hardly any minutes at the domestic level.

Pochettino named Reyna to his 2026 World Cup even after the 23-year-old spent much of the 2025–26 season riding Borussia Mönchengladbach’s bench, starting just four matches in the Bundesliga. It didn’t matter to Pochettino because Reyna simply possessed this indiscernible gift, even if no one else could understand it at the time. Pochettino hailed him as “a very special talent,” and Reyna rewarded him with a highlight-reel worthy trivela goal in the World Cup opener and is now enjoying the most successful stint of his career playing for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. He’s a regular starter for the USMNT now, too.

Likewise, Albert has featured in just two matches for club side Borussia Dortmund over the past three months of the new European season. He actually racked up more minutes playing in his debut camp for the USMNT last month (111 total) than he has across all 12 of the competitive Dortmund fixtures he’s been available for (110).

That reality hasn’t deterred Pochettino, who is adamant to continue feeding Albert minutes and called the teenager up to a second-consecutive senior camp. “He’s a player with a quality that isn’t easy to find,” Pochettino gushed after his roster announcement. “He’s one of the U.S.’s most talented players, and even if he isn’t playing too much at Dortmund, if he’s fully fit, he’s capable of bringing something different to the national team.

“We are convinced that giving him the opportunity to be with us will help him recover his confidence and have the possibility to play more in the future. He’s young, and he’s going to be one of the important players for our future, and it’s the moment to trust and believe in him.”

All eyes will be on Albert to see if he can match the high expectations Pochettino has set for him in the same way Reyna has.

Justin Ellis

ellis face — Justin Ellis will return to the USMNT next week. | Grant Halverson/MLS/Getty Images

A look of relief, rather than excitement, took over Justin Ellis’s face when he scored in the 29th minute against Canada last month.

It was in that moment the 19-year-old knew he may have secured himself another USMNT call-up. The goal was pivotal. Not only was it the game-winner in the finale of the September-October international window, sealing the Stars and Stripes’ perfect camp, but it encapsulated everything that Pochettino had been begging for.

Less than 10 minutes prior, the young striker had fallen to the turf, clutching his leg and no doubt in agonizing pain. He had suffered an ankle injury as a result of a swift kick to the leg from Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustaquio.

After medical assistance, Ellis was able to stand up by himself and move, but not without an intense limp. Nevertheless, he refused to leave the pitch. He was on a mission to find the back of the net, no matter how much it hurt.

“I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know if I can continue. This is crazy,’” Ellis tells Sports Illustrated. “Then I can hear Pochettino screaming my name like 10 times ... You know what he’s going to ask you: ‘Are you good?’ I do not want to look at him and answer that question.

“I was just thinking about the camp that I’d had. While that’s all going on, I’m thinking, ‘I started the camp well, but ever since that first game, I haven’t really proved enough.’ ... I’m thinking, ‘I can’t end the camp on this note. I need to do something before the half ends.’”

So when an opportunity arose just seven minutes later, he wasn’t going to waste it. He sprinted (or rather, hobbled) into Canada’s penalty box to redirect a cross into the back of the net.

That act epitomized the type of passion and grit Pochettino has been trying to foster as the very identity of the USMNT and of which there were glimpses at last summer’s World Cup. It was likely that very play that helped Ellis beat out World Cup striker and PSV Eindhoven star Ricardo Pepi for a place on Pochettino’s November roster.

USMNT Stock Down

Ricardo Pepi

pepi running — Ricardo Pepi misses out on a second consecutive international camp. | ANP/Getty Images

Ellis’s success has come at the expense of Pepi.

The 23-year-old PSV striker got injured just one day before the September-October international window, having to sit out of the camp at the last minute and paving the way for so much playing time for debutant Ellis.

Now despite being back to heath and scoring domestic goals, Pepi will miss out on a second consecutive international camp, one of the biggest snubs of the November roster.

Pochettino opted for Ellis, Julian Hall and Folarin Balogun as his three options at the No. 9 position. “It’s a great opportunity to keep helping Balo[gun] evolve after a tough summer,” Pochettino said on Wednesday. “Justin [Ellis] and Julian [Hall] are fit, so that’s why I didn’t call up Ricardo Pepi, even though he played a few minutes last week. We decided it was much better for him to keep training and establish himself and be more fit and confident.”

Ellis and Hall combined for five goals last month, making Pepi, who hasn’t scored on the international stage since 2024, a sincere afterthought.

Yunus Musah

musah face — Yunus Musah was snubbed. | Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Just when Yunus Musah thought he was getting his international career back on track, he was likewise snubbed from the November roster.

The 23-year-old was called up last month, returning to the Stars and Stripes for the first time in over a year. The 2022 World Cup star had finally gotten his domestic career in order—returning to a regular starting role for club side AC Milan—and was rewarded by Pochettino with a central responsibility in the USMNT’s midfield in three of the four friendlies.

Although Musah failed to inspire in his return in red, white and blue, he has continually come up big for the Rossoneri, proving himself an integral cog in the European powerhouse’s midfield machine.

In fact, Musah had been confident about receiving a November call up, understanding that he is currently playing at the top of his game. “[Concacaf Nations League] is another trophy that we want,” Musah told Sports Illustrated before the roster announcement. “We didn’t win the last one, so we want to win it again now. So I hope I’m part of [the roster], and I’ve love to win another one.”

The USMNT last won the Concacaf Nations League in 2024, defeating Mexico 2–0 in the final, a match in which Musah played and had major contributions.

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