United States midfielders Sebastian Berhalter and Giovanni Reyna are embracing veteran roles for a young USMNT squad. The 23-year-old Reyna said the change "makes me feel a little bit old." When manager Mauricio Pochettino announced his 28-player squad last Thursday, the average age was 22 years, nine months. That dropped further after 22-year-old forward Damion Downs of St. Louis City replaced injured Ricardo Pepi, 23. The team has 13 uncapped players who will rely on World Cup veterans Reyna and the 25-year-old Berhalter.

"It makes me feel a little bit old, but it's nice to have a lot of them here," Reyna said. "Looking forward to getting to know them better on and off the field. So yeah, just here, try to help them, show them what we've built and what we're striving to build."

The U.S. will face Peru in Orlando on Sept. 26, followed by games against Chile, Mexico and Canada. "I think our focus here should now quickly turn to Peru," Berhalter said. "It's a lot of work going into these games."

Both players are adjusting to new clubs: Berhalter with Middlesbrough and Reyna with Strasbourg. Berhalter's adaptation has been aided by three American teammates at Middlesbrough, including Max Arfsten, Aidan Morris, and Rokas Pukstas. Reyna has started Strasbourg's last four games.