Sullivan and Pierre join U.S. squad for Haiti matches

Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre were named to the United States men's national team roster on Wednesday. The call-up prepares the squad for two quarterfinal matches against Haiti in the CONCACAF Nations League.

The first leg is scheduled for November 14 at Nu Stadium in Miami. The second leg follows on November 17 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. Both games are competitive ties. Under the competition rules, any young player who takes part becomes permanently committed to the U.S. team. This rule applies to both Sullivan and Pierre, who are currently eligible to represent other nations. Pierre holds eligibility for Haiti.

The match dates fall immediately after MLS Decision Day. The Philadelphia Union will conclude their regular season at home against Toronto FC. The schedule also precedes the start of the playoffs, meaning the selected players will miss no club games during this period.

Sullivan turned 17 during the September and October friendlies. He played in three of those matches and scored one goal. That strike made him the second-youngest goal scorer in U.S. men's national team history. Pierre also appeared in three games during that previous window. The current roster features a more experienced group than the last. Three players from the recent World Cup squad, Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, and Weston McKennie, returned to the fold. They had been excluded from the previous friendly window. Thirteen players total are holdovers from that World Cup roster.

Only two players on the current list are uncapped. They are Reed Baker-Whiting of Nashville and Santiago Castaneda of SC Paderborn in Germany. The average number of caps for this squad stands at 24. Sullivan, ranked the top player in the MLS 22 Under 22 prospect list, has seven goals and 14 assists in 20 games this season. He returned from an ankle injury in Saturday's loss to Cincinnati. Pierre, 19, has five goals in 17 games since returning from a loan to Lyngby in Denmark.

The roster includes several players with ties to the Philadelphia area. Matt Freese, a former Union Homegrown goalkeeper now with New York City, has earned 20 caps. He was the number one keeper at the World Cup. Auston Trusty, a Penncrest graduate and Media native, is playing for Celtic Glasgow and has 14 caps. George Campbell, raised in Nether Providence, plays center back for West Bromwich Albion. The United States seeks its fourth Nations League title in the fifth edition of the tournament. The winner of this tie will face the victor of the Jamaica and Mexico match in the semifinals in March.