The U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) is less than two weeks away from kicking off its 2026 World Cup campaign. Their 26-man roster was announced on Tuesday, and they've had a week of training together. Sunday afternoon, they will face their first test on the field; the champions of Africa await!
The USMNT faces off against Senegal at 3:30 pm ET in the first of two tune-up games before they begin their World Cup Group stage on June 12th. How will head coach Mauricio Pochettino have his team set up? Will we see cohesion from this USA side that has been up and down over the last five matches? Let's dive in and see how this USMNT team will use this preparation match.
The USA boss Mauricio Pochettino's tenure as USMNT coach has led to this moment. His pedigree as a big-time European league coach was what lured US Soccer to hire him to lead their men's team at a World Cup they are co-hosting. His tactics in just over a year on the job have been inconsistent or hard to predict. He wants his USA team to show the fight and spirit of his home nation, Argentina, and he's tried to instill that in as many players as possible.
The culture of the USMNT, in terms of how players act, has been, in a better word, "fixed" by Poch after things were very broken before his tenure. However, his 26 players on this roster will have to show they can emulate the fight and spirit, and that may mean playing in multiple or different positions. With the way the USA has set up under their coach, that could mean seeing some players play differently than they do for their club teams. For this first game against Senegal, that could be the case.
Projected USA Starting XI vs Senegal. Formation: 3-4-2-1
GK: Freese
CB: Ream CB: M. Robinson CB: Freeman
LWB: A. Robbinson CM: McKennie CM: Adams RWB: Dest
AM: Pulisic AM: Weah
ST: Balogun
One player who has shown this is centerback Tim Ream, who was recently appointed as USMNT captain for the World Cup. The 38-year-old veteran will be tasked with being part of a back three and leading the team through organizing, rather than out-and-out skill. He will be the one who helps keep this team's young core in check, but will that be enough against a team like Senegal?
The opponent that awaits the USA in Charlotte, North Carolina, is Senegal. They are one of the strongest teams in Africa, went undefeated in qualifying, and won the African Cup of Nations over Morocco, beating them 1-0 after extra time. Yes, that title was stripped from them two months later, after they delayed the game by walking off the field to protest a questionable refereeing decision. They still celebrated the win with a parade despite the ruling that overturned their win, and still hold onto the trophy in protest.
On the field, Senegal plays with fluid movement. They like to press when they don't have the ball, and overload the middle of the pitch, making it hard for their opposition to play through them. Collectively, they are very athletic, but also rely on their aging star, Sadio Mané. His creative spark on the left wing is key to their attacking play.
The USMNT will need to be careful in how they approach this game. Their normal build-from-the-back possession style of play may be overrun by Senegal's frantic play. To get past this, the USA will need to rely on the width their fullbacks provide and look to play whoever is in attacking midfield (mainly Pulisic) in behind the defense. Width and directness can help keep the USMNT competitive in this match.
No matter the result of the game, this will be the first look at how this USA side will fare at the World Cup. Anything, barring a blowout defeat, should be seen as a positive. To see the USMNT in this tune-up match, tune in to TBS, Telemundo, or HBO Max at 3:30 pm ET.
