Weston McKennie returns from injury for US Soccer World Cup training camp

There’s a familiar face and an intriguing new one on the roster for the U.S. men’s second-to-last training camp before the World Cup.

Weston McKennie was among the 27 players called in Friday for the training camp that begins next week in Cincinnati. The midfielder, who has established himself as the USMNT’s most valuable player over the last year, missed the last round of World Cup qualifying and the end of Juventus’ season in Serie A after breaking his foot Feb. 22.

McKennie has resumed full training with Juventus, but coach Gregg Berhalter said they will be cautious with his minutes initially.

“I wouldn’t be expecting him to play major minutes in the first couple of games,” Berhalter said. “Hopefully he can get to a point where he can start one of the Nations League games, but that’s not guaranteed.”

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The USMNT has friendlies against Morocco on June 1 in Cincinnati and against Uruguay on June 5 in Kansas City before beginning Nations League play. The Americans host Grenada in Austin, Texas, on June 10 before traveling to El Salvador on June 14.

The other name on the roster sure to raise eyebrows is that of Malik Tillman, a dual U.S.-German citizen who can help bolster the USMNT's attack.

Tillman played with the United States’ Under-15 team, but then switched to the German youth team and played for Germany as recently as March. Berhalter said they kept an eye on the 19-year-old, who plays for Bayern Munich, and began recruiting him last year.

“It was about painting the vision of our program and where see him potentially fitting in,” Berhalter said. “Also, where the program is heading.”

The USMNT has had considerable success recently in wooing talented dual nationals. Yunus Musah, Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah, among others, all chose to represent the United States over other, often more prominent national teams.

On Friday, they locked in one more when Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina, the Chicago Fire’s phenom goalkeeper, announced he would play for the United States over Poland. Slonina, who turned 18 earlier this week, is the youngest keeper to ever start an MLS game and Poland was very persistent – and public – in its pursuit of him, even sending national team manager Czeslaw Michniewicz to Chicago.

But Slonina said in an announcement on Twitter that “my heart is American.”

“This country has given me and my family all the opportunities I could ask for,” he wrote. “America is home and that’s who I’m going to represent.”

While Berhalter called Slonina’s decision “great news,” he didn’t include the teenager on the roster for next month’s games. Slonina isn’t in good enough form yet to displace Zack Steffen, Matt Turner or Ethan Horvath, but Berhalter said he’s confident the goalkeeper is motivated to get there.

Other notable players left off were Dest and Gio Reyna, who are recovering from injury. Berhalter also again passed over John Brooks, but insisted that no one has played themselves out of the World Cup.

The USMNT will have another training camp in September, in Europe, and Berhalter said evaluations will continue until he has to name his World Cup roster.

The USMNT’s first World Cup game is Nov. 21 against the winner of a European playoff. They then play England on Nov. 25, and wrap up group play Nov. 29 against Iran.

“Things do change quickly in soccer,” Berhalter said. “There is a core group building and developing, and we’ve done a good job of that. But around the edges, there is room. … There could be cases where some positions it goes down to the very end.”