Three natives of metro Atlanta were selected for the U.S. men’s national team that will play in the World Cup in Qatar.
Sean Johnson (Lilburn), Walker Zimmerman (Lawrenceville) and Shaq Moore (Powder Springs) were selected by manager Gregg Berhalter, whose choices were announced Wednesday.
Johnson, 33 years old, has spent his career in MLS as a goalkeeper. He has made 355 appearances for Chicago and NYCFC, helping it win the MLS Cup in 2021. He has made 10 appearances for the U.S.
Zimmerman, 29, has made 217 appearances for Dallas, LAFC and Nashville as a centerback in MLS. He was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2020 and ‘21. He has made 33 appearances for the U.S.
Moore, 26, joined Nashville at midseason and made 11 appearances. He previously played for Tenerife in Spain. He has made 15 appearances for the U.S.
The U.S. will open the World Cup against Wales on Nov. 21. The other teams in its group are England and Iran. The tournament is scheduled to start Nov. 20 when host Qatar plays Ecuador.
Zimmerman is presumed to be a starter. Other centerbacks selected were Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, Fulham’s Tim Ream, and the New York Red Bulls’ Aaron Long.
Moore will compete with A.C. Milan’s Sergino Dest, Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, Inter Miami’s DeAndre Yedlin and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Joe Scally for one of the two fullback spots.
Johnson will compete with Ethan Horvath, who plays at Luton Town in England’s second division, and Matt Turner, who is a backup for Arsenal.
Midfielders selected were Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson, LAFC’s Kellyn Acosta, Leeds United’s Tyler Adams, Celta Vigo’s Luca de la Torre, Juventus’ Weston McKennie, Valencia’s Yunus Musah and Seattle’s Cristian Roldan.
Forwards selected were Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira, Seattle’s Jordan Morris, Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna, Norwich’s Josh Sargent, Lille’s Tim Weah and Antalyaspor’s Haji Wright.
It is the second youngest World Cup roster for the U.S., with an average age of 25 years, 175 days. Nine players compete in MLS.
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