United States coach Gregg Berhalter unveiled his 23-man squad fror the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Thursday, leaning heavily on established veterans for what will be the first major tournament of his tenure.

A day after an experimental line-up slumped to a lacklustre 1-0 loss against Jamaica, Berhalter hopes experience will help his team successfully defend their continental crown.

Teenage striker Josh Sargent, who squandered two good chances in Wednesday's defeat to Jamaica, was a notable omission from the 23.

Berhalter's decision to drop the Bundesliga-based 19-year-old is certain to raise eyebrows, given that Sargent could have been playing in the Under-20 World Cup instead but now will feature in neither tournament.

"As always, there were some difficult decisions to be made for this roster and I'm extremely pleased with how the players have shown so far this year overall," Berhalter said.

"We've had a chance to look at the player pool for the last six months and we feel great about the group that will take on the task of trying to win the Gold Cup. This is only the start of the journey," added Berhalter, whose team were booed off the field after Wednesday's defeat to Jamaica.

"Our ambition is to progress as a team throughout the tournament and put ourselves in a position to be playing July 7 in Chicago," Berhalter said.

Berhalter's squad includes Chelsea-bound midfield star Christian Pulisic, Schalke's Weston McKennie and Toronto veterans Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.

The US will face Venezuela in Cincinnati on Sunday in what will be their final friendly before they open their Gold Cup campaign against Guyana on June 18.