Brenden Aaronson has been left out of the United States squad for the second straight international window, as his difficult start to the season with Leeds United continues.
U.S. Soccer named its 25-man roster for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti on Wednesday, November 4. Aaronson’s name was not on it.
He was also omitted from the September and October squad. That group played four friendlies and won all four.
NBC Sports listed Aaronson among the players left out in its review of Mauricio Pochettino’s selections.
The United States faces Haiti in Miami on Saturday, November 14, and in Cincinnati on Tuesday, November 17.
A Difficult Season at Leeds United
Aaronson started the campaign in Daniel Farke’s starting lineup. His role has shrunk since then.
Reporting on his season has noted that he spent Leeds’ last four Premier League fixtures on the bench before the most recent matches.
The end product has not come. Football FanCast’s review of his season counts no goals and no assists in eight Premier League outings.
Leeds themselves have struggled for goals. The same review noted a five-match winless run and one of the lowest scoring records in the division.
For an attacking player, that combination explains the international picture. Pochettino picked form players for a competitive quarterfinal, and Aaronson is short of both minutes and output.
Leeds United Have Backed Him
The omission is not a reflection of his standing at Elland Road. Leeds tied Aaronson down only three months ago.
Leeds United announced on August 20 that the American had signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2029.
The club announced the deal after a season in which he helped Leeds win the Championship title in 2024-25 and then played at the home World Cup in 2026.
Football Insider has reported that Farke still plans to use Aaronson as an important squad player, and that Leeds have no plans to let him leave.
That reporting is not a club statement. But the contract itself is a clear signal of how Leeds rate the 25-year-old.
The Road Back Runs Through Elland Road
Aaronson remains a World Cup player. He was part of the United States squad at the 2026 tournament on home soil.
Pochettino is now building toward the 2030 cycle, and the Nations League is the first official competition of that cycle.
Younger attackers took the places this time. Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall and Justin Ellis are all in the squad, alongside Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun.
For Aaronson, the path back is simple to describe and harder to walk. He needs a run of starts at Leeds, and he needs goals or assists when they come.
Until then, a player Leeds committed to until 2029 will watch his national team’s new cycle begin without him.
