Gregg Berhalter’s assistant Mikey Varas shocked the USMNT faithful by taking over as the interim coach for its September friendlies. Everyone expected the imminent hire, Mauricio Pochettino, to be at the USMNT’s helm this month. Anyhow, that’s not the only shocker Varas gave. He snubbed ace Juventus midfielder, Weston McKennie, and Fulham star Antonee Robinson. Many folks, including former US stars, have frowned upon the interim coach’s exclusion of these two USMNT stars. Now, the 41-year-old coach has let loose his thoughts behind the roster selection.

Mikey Varas said setting a roster during the September window has always been tricky. Speaking of the USMNT roster, Varas revealed why he thinks the USMNT call-up isn’t the best option for Weston McKennie, at the moment.

“In the case of Weston McKennie he wasn’t able to do a full preseason, so the best thing for him in collaboration with player, club, and country is to leave him at Juventus and let him catch up and get ready for his season,” said Mikey Varas, during his Q&A session with the US Soccer.

The 41-year-old coach continued and lifted the lid on his snub of Jedi Robinson afterward. “Jedi [Robinson] has been playing banged up for the last year, and the best thing for him at this moment is to stay back, reset, and get ready for a long, grueling Premier League season,” Mikey Varas added.

Anyhow, not everyone was ready to buy Varas’ explanation about McKennie still being in pre-season mode. US veterans, Jimmy Conrad and Charlie Davis were not afraid to question Varas’ choices for the roster.

Weston McKennie’s snub prompts USMNT veterans to question other midfielders’ place in the team

Conrad and Davis brought up Weston McKennie’s snub during a recent CBS Sports Golazo episode. Conrad explained the USMNT did not select McKennie because he was in pre-season mode. Charlie Davis immediately asked his co-host what mode fellow midfielder Gio Reyna was on.

Notably, Conrad replied Reyna was always in pre-season mode. Reyna notably has made the USMNT’s September squad when Weston McKennie hasn’t.

Jimmy Conrad then called out the USMNT for setting different precedents for its players. He also frowned upon Jedi Robinson’s snub and questioned why Lucas De La Torre is in the US squad when he always fails to make Celta Vigo’s first 18. While this defense of McKennie stands, he is still going through a tumultuous time in the club as well.

On Sunday, Juventus bagged a forgetful goalless draw against Roma in the Serie A. McKennie was on the bench initially, but came for a last 20-minute cameo, only to put up an impactless performance. Therefore, his selection process has drawn criticism from all corners of the U.S.A.