Folarin Balogun out, Paxten Aaronson in as USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino forced to make more injury changes ahead of Gold Cup

Paxten Aaronson, Walker Zimmerman and Nathan Harriel were added to the U.S. men's national team's squad ahead of the upcoming pre-Gold Cup friendlies, U.S. Soccer announced on Sunday.

The trio replace Folarin Balogun, DeJnuan Jones and Sean Zawadski, all out with injuries, as Mauricio Pochettino had to shift his squad yet again ahead of the 2025 Gold Cup. Balogun's is departing with an ankle injury, while Zawadski and Jones miss out due to knee and lower body injuries, respectively.

The changes come amid multiple notable absences from the pre-Gold Cup camp, with both Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson among those missing, joining Club World Cup participants Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna.

2022 World Cup veteran Zimmerman returns to the USMNT after featuring sparingly in the years since, but the Nashville SC star remains a key veteran defender in the U.S. player pool. The 32-year-old center-back was in January camp under Pochettino, featuring in both matches of that window.

Aaronson joins his older brother, Brenden, in the squad following a breakout season with FC Utrecht. The 21-year-old midfielder was one of the better young attackers in the Eredivisie, registering eight goals and four assists while on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt this season. He earned his only USMNT senior team cap in January 2023, but was a key player for the U.S. in the Olympics last summer.

Harriel, meanwhile, is still searching for his first USMNT cap, having also represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games last summer. This won't be the 24-year-old Philadelphia Union defender's first call-up, though, as he previously joined the team for camp in January 2024.

With Zimmerman joining the squad, this summer's U.S. group now features three members of the 2021 team that won the USMNT's most recent Gold Cup. Matt Turner and Miles Robinson were also in that group.

Ahead of the Gold Cup, the USMNT will face Turkey in East Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday, before hosting Switzerland in Nashville for one final tune up. The U.S. will then face Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti in the group stage of this summer's tournament.

Players are set to report to Chicago starting on Sunday ahead of the weekend match.