American soccer midfielder for Internacional
Argentina has named Lionel Messi among 55 players in its preliminary World Cup squad, with ongoing questions over his availability. Gianluca Prestianni faces a worldwide ban extension that could affect Argentina’s opening games; the World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, with Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Argentina’s group.
Johnny Cardoso will undergo surgery on his right ankle after training injury, ruling him out of the US World Cup squad. His injury compounds midfield concerns as Tanner Tessmann and others face limited availability ahead of the tournament co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. Mauricio Pochettino is set to name the 26-man roster on May 26.