Union's Chris Pontius to join U.S. national team for Gold Cup, replacing Kenny Saeif

Philadelphia Union midfielder Chris Pontius will join the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup this month after receiving a call-up from head coach Bruce Arena on Wednesday.

Pontius will travel to Kansas City for the team's game Thursday (8:30 p.m., The Comcast Network), then will join the American ranks for the Gold Cup's group stage. The U.S. team's first game will be Saturday against Panama in Nashville (4:30 p.m., Fox and Univision).

He replaces midfielder Kenny Saeif, who withdrew because of a groin injury. A spokesman said the injury has been bothering Saeif, and became worse in the wake of Saturday's game against Ghana in which he made his national-team debut.

Pontius made Arena's provisional 40-man squad for the tournament, but did not make the cut for the 23-player tournament squad. The veteran midfielder previously played two games for the national team. The first came Jan. 29 in a friendly against Serbia, when he replaced Union teammate Alejandro Bedoya for the final 25 minutes. Pontius' first start for the U.S. came Feb. 2 in a friendly against Jamaica.

Bedoya and Pontius are both on the Gold Cup squad.

As of now, the only Union game Pontius is guaranteed to miss is the exhibition contest against English Premier League club Swansea City on July 15 at Talen Energy Stadium. If he stays with the team through the rest of the tournament, he would miss up to three more games: July 19 at Montreal, July 22 at Columbus and July 26 vs. Columbus.

Teams in the Gold Cup can make up to six roster changes between the end of the group stage and the start of the knockout rounds. That window will be July 17-19. With big names such as Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Darlington Nagbe waiting in the wings, Pontius could be one of the players let go. If that happens, he wouldn't miss any Union games that matter.

If Pontius stays on the roster, he could return to Philadelphia for a different reason. Lincoln Financial Field will host a Gold Cup quarterfinal doubleheader July 19, and the top two finishers in the United States' group will play there.

Pontius is in his second season with the Union after joining the team in 2016. He led the club in goals scored and tied for second in assists in his first season in Philadelphia, earning the MLS Comeback Player of the Year award for his performance. In his career with the Union, Pontius has recorded 12 goals and 12 assists.

Saief's arrival at the Gold Cup was highly anticipated by many observers, as he switched nationality from Israel to the U.S. in the last few weeks. Although the Ghana game was a friendly and not an official match, he did not need to play in the Gold Cup to be cap-tied to this country. He had played friendlies for Israel's senior team, and players who switch nationalities in such scenarios are locked into their new national teams for good.

Staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this report.