The US Men's National Team has selected its 26 players for the 2026 World Cup! Mauricio Pochettino selected his team for the World Cup hosted in North America. Can the UMSNT make a deep run with homefield advantage with this 26-man roster?
News broke last weekend, with reports of which players were called in and which were left off the roster. First, Tom Bogert and Paul Tenorio of The Athletic published reports of certain players who were called in and told they had not made it. Then, a day later, Pablo Maurer and Jeff Rueter of The Guardian released a 26-man roster that they obtained. This proved true this afternoon when the official roster was released.
Here's a look at the 26 that will represent the USA at this summer's World Cup:
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution).
Defenders (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic).
Midfielders (4): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders).
Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América).
Strikers (3): Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City).
Upon first glance, it's clear that Pochettino is focusing his team on defensive stability, calling in 10 defenders. The part that is a bit shocking is that he only has four players in midfield who can play centrally. Let's break down this roster position by position to get a good feel for these USMNT players.
Throughout Pochettino's tenure as USMNT coach, he has leaned on Matt Freese as his goalkeeper. The former Philadelphia Union homegrown has made a name for himself as the number-one shot stopper for New York City FC, and he took the USMNT starting spot from Matt Turner last summer.
Matt Turner was a star for the USA in the 2022 World Cup, but he seems to have lost his spot. However, he will be ready if he is called upon to go between the posts. The third goalkeeper on this list is Chris Brady of the Chicago Fire; he's been a promising player in MLS, but likely won't see the field at the 2026 World Cup.
The USMNT boss was a centerback in his playing career, and that's probably why he called in five centerbacks to his 26-man roster. Two of those five are former Philadelphia Union homegrowns, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty. The USA will likely play a back three, meaning three centerbacks will be on the field for the Red, White, and Blue at once. The leading man of that group will likely be Chris Richards, who is working his back back from an injury.
Outside back is a spot where the USA has talent and flair. Antonee "Jedi" Robinson and Sergiño Dest are gamechangers as wing-backs, which is likely the role they will be in for this team. The backups, Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, and Joe Scally, are all serviceable and could fill other spots in the USMNT's starting XI, whether at center back or in midfield.
The midfield that Pochettino has called up all have the talent to control the middle of the field. The problem may be that there aren't enough of them. Calling in four midfielders means that we will likely see a double-pivot of Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. While there is a lot of talent, there isn't a player who likes to stay home and help the defense.
Backups Cristian Roldan and Sebastien Berhalter are more traditional box-to-box midfielders and will likely be relied upon for some minutes. The low numbers in this spot when players like Tanner Tessman and Aidan Morris were available for selection and playing well are a bit baffling. Will the lack of holding midfielders hold the USMNT back?
Further up the pitch, the players tasked with setting up or scoring goals for this team are led by Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah. Those two will be behind a lone striker and tasked with providing the creative spark.
On the bench will be playmaking dribbler types in Gio Reyna and Malik Tillman, and work-rate wingers Brenden Aaronson (the former Philadelphia Union homegrown star) and Alex Zendejas. The main name missing from this list was a player Pochettino relied heavily on in 2025: Diego Luna. Luna will be seen heavily in the promotional material, but has not made the final roster.
The talisman up top for the USMNT is the striker. In their recent shape, the USA plays a 3-4-2-1. The lone striker is tasked with holding up play, running into channels, and finding space inside the box to create scoring opportunities. Folarin Balogun seems to have the inside track to be the starter at the World Cup for the USA.
Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright have also had great years for their clubs, and it will be great to have one of them come off the bench in a game where a goal is needed. This seems to be the one spot on the field where Pochettino has truly nailed his personnel.
With just 17 days until the USMNT's World Cup opener vs Paraguay, this 26-man roster will have time to come together and gel in training and in friendlies. Pochettino's men will play Senegal on Sunday, May 31, and Germany on Saturday, June 6. They then enter the World Cup on Friday, June 12. Only time will tell if this squad will lead the USA to glory at the 2026 World Cup!
