Julian Hall and young prospects set for USMNT call-ups

Red Bull New York's Julian Hall will be named to the U.S. men's national team squad for their first friendlies following the World Cup, according to CBS Sports sources, making him one of several newcomers to enter the fold as the player pool undergoes a generational shift.

The 18-year-old Hall, who is a product of the club's academy, has 12 goals and three assists in 27 games across all competitions this season with RBNY. He has represented the U.S. at the U-15 and U-17 levels but this would mark his first inclusion with the senior national team. Hall is also eligible to represent Poland through his mother, which will remain the case even if he earns his first caps this fall; under FIFA rules, players are not cap-tied until they have played in official competition.

CBS Sports can also confirm that Hall will be joined by club teammate Adri Mehmeti, which Fox Sports previously reported, while sources also indicate that the Philadelphia Union's Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre will also be on the roster. ESPN previously reported Sullivan's call-up, while Yahoo Sports was first to the news of Pierre's selection.

Pochettino previously said that he would call up 26 players for the fall friendlies, including four goalkeepers. The roster is expected to skew incredibly young – other players reportedly on the list include goalkeeper Diego Kochen, defenders Peyton Miller and Frankie Westfield, midfielders Matias Albert and Brooklyn Raines and forwards Zavier Gozo and Justin Ellis. Each of those players are 21 and under, while 25-year-old goalkeeper Brian Schwake would also be in the running for his first cap.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese, the USMNT's starter at this summer's World Cup, and midfielder Yunus Musah, a starter in 2022, are also expected to be named to the roster when Pochettino names it on Thursday.

Star Christian Pulisic is unlikely to make the roster as he returns to full fitness following an injury-plagued World Cup, which ended when he sustained a microfracture in his leg. Pulisic has made two appearances off the bench for AC Milan to start the season, the first coming on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Lazio during which he notched an assist.

Pochettino hinted last week that he would call up several uncapped players as the long road to the 2030 World Cup begins, describing the upcoming friendlies as a "new start" for the USMNT. He said the player pool currently stands at around 100 players, which includes a generation of players that are competing to be some of the most talented players to represent the U.S. men's team.

"I think our idea [is] we are going to do a mix [of] experienced players," Pochettino said last week. "I think experienced players with young players that can fit together and start to work and how the young kids start to manage the pressure to play in the first team [in the] very next games … It's tough, but I think it's important now to have this pool of a lot of players because I think players can evolve from one month to another, six months, one year and it's important to keep that connection."

The USMNT resume play with four friendlies this fall, starting with a clash against Peru on Sept. 26 and then a match-up against Chile on Sept. 29. They follow that up with a meeting against Mexico on Oct. 3 and then conclude the window by facing Canada on Oct. 6.