Antonee Robinson's return, Patrick Agyemang's opportunity, Yunus Musah's absence and the winners and losers of Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT roster

He's finally back, and that's good news not just for Robinson, but for the USMNT as a whole.

This will be Robinson's first camp of 2025, believe it or not, as injuries have essentially derailed his calendar year with the USMNT. Throughout that span, the U.S. was repeatedly confronted with a fact that, in truth, everyone already knew: there is no replacement for the Fulham star. Other players have stepped in capably, and Max Arfsten has been turned into a decent backup, but Robinson is in a class of his own.

The only real negative is that, because of injury, Sergino Dest is out on the other side, so we won't get a proper look at what this three-back system could look like with the two primary wingbacks. Maybe next month. But in the meantime, the USMNT will be glad to welcome back Robinson, who remains an integral a piece to this team.

With time dwindling before a World Cup, every camp seems all the more important. So, for those not on the squad, this is quite obviously a missed opportunity, whether you're a player on the fringes or one in the starting XI.

It would have been very nice to see how Dest played in this system with Robinson on the other side. His PSV teammate, Ricardo Pepi, meanwhile, is also dealing with injury issues that are, for the moment, preventing him from pushing Folarin Balogun for that spot as the USMNT's starting striker.

In the midfield, Johnny Cardoso is dealing with an injury, and no player needs a good international performance more than the newly-signed Atletico Madrid man, who has had few opportunities with the World Cup coming. And then there's Gio Reyna. There's no guarantee he'd have been here even if he was fully fit, due to his lack of minutes but, again, the clock is ticking.

There aren't many chances remaining for players to prove that they belong next summer. For several players in the pool, this one will pass them by due to unfortunate timing.

Speaking of fullbacks, there's one big absence in that spot: Joe Scally. His exclusion comes after a wild performance in the Bundesliga, one in which he provided two assists in a chaotic 6-4 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. 

At least for the moment, it seems that Alex Freeman is in pole position for that backup spot on the right side. The reasons why are fairly clear. Freeman, at his core, is an attacking fullback, more of a like-for-like replacement for an injured Dest. Tim Weah, too, is an option in the right-wingback spot, having played there fairly regularly on the club level in recent years.

As a result, Scally is the odd man out at the moment. Despite his assists this weekend, he's more defensive by nature. He does provide versatility in that he can play on either side or as part of a back three. But with the squad expanded to 26 players, there's room to take more specialists than Swiss army knives. At the moment, it seems that fact is keeping Scally out of the team.

He's seemingly settled in at Derby County, even if he's waiting for that first goal. Now, Patrick Agyemang is back with the USMNT, offering some indication of where he remains in the overall pool.

The now-former Charlotte FC striker has two assists already for his new Championship club and has offered glimpses into the skillset that convinced both Pochettino and Derby of his overall talent. After missing the September camp due to injury, Agyemang will be competing with Balogun and Haji Wright for minutes at the top of the USMNT attack.

Striker, of course, is a unique position, one that depends on form more than anywhere else on the field. You have to be in the mix, though, to make that form count, and Agyemang remains right there.

On the other side of that striker race is Josh Sargent, whose form has cooled of late. As a result, he's out of this squad, despite Pepi's absence, which offers some insight into where he stands going forward.

Heading into September, Sargent was the man in form. He was on fire for Norwich City, scoring goal after goal. Then, with the USMNT, he was unable to keep that rolling against South Korea. In truth, that wasn't entirely his fault, as the U.S. was unable to really play to his strengths or generate much in the attack.

Since then, Sargent hasn't helped his case as he's gone through a goal drought, at least compared to his previous successes. If the goals start flowing, Sargent will be fine, even with the question marks about his USMNT form.

This is a reminder, though, that the line for strikers is very fine, and that it can all change very quickly.

The USMNT midfield looks very different this time around. Tyler Adams is out on paternity leave. Sebastian Berhalter and Jack McGlynn, who have played considerable minutes since the summer, are not involved. Weston McKennie is back, of course, and so too is veteran Cristian Roldan. 

But alongside them are several players with less USMNT experience and more points to prove - starting with James Sands, who is back with the U.S. for the first time under Pochettino. The former NYCFC midfielder would have likely been here earlier if not for an injury earlier this year but, since moving to St. Pauli, he's taken a major leap forward. He's earned this opportunity with his play in the Bundesliga but, with the World Cup looming, he'll know he has to make the most of it.

Same for Tanner Tessmann, who enters camp as arguably the USMNT's most in-form player not named Christian Pulisic. Tessmann has been incredible for Lyon over the last few weeks and is now back with the U.S. for the first time since March's CONCACAF Nations League. Tessmann has seemed a new player this season, on both the attacking and defensive ends.

As for Aidan Morris, here's a player who - just one year ago - seemed to be a mainstay. It hasn't happened that way. He, too, has been playing well for Middlesbrough and is, perhaps, the best like-for-like replacement for Adams. The U.S. has plenty of eights but few sixes. Can Morris be one?

The midfield, then, might just be the position to watch as roster battles heat up.

One midfielder not in the squad, though, was Musah. He was also left out of the September team. When asked why on Thursday, Pochettino said that, in general, players know why they are and aren't in camp. And left it at that. 

Musah is seemingly doing everything possible to get back. Facing an uncertain future at Milan, he went to Atalanta on loan this summer, joining a more consistent club that could also offer him more playing time. He provided an assist midweek, coming off the bench to help lead his new team to a Champions League victory. Clearly, though, he has more to prove.

Pochettino has insisted that no door is ever shut. It's up to Musah, then, to kick it in ahead of the November camp.