The U.S. men’s national team is a fluid entity, but one with fixed endpoints. Dozens of players cycle in and out of the USMNT; hundreds more dream of reaching it; and all, to some degree, share an ultimate goal: the 2026 World Cup.
The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host that landmark tournament. Their national teams, therefore, don’t have to worry about qualifying for it. So the 15 months leading into the World Cup will spotlight another battle: the one for roster spots.
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From the millions of soccer-playing Americans, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino must select 26 for the most visible squad in program history. With his choices, he’ll fulfill some dreams and dash others. Who will he pick?
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That’s the question we’ll try to answer, below and constantly over the coming year, with our USMNT 2026 World Cup roster big board.
Snapshot of the USMNT’s World Cup roster picture
When Pochettino took the U.S. job last fall, he inherited a core group of established players. That core has remained largely unchanged over the past few years, and through Pochettino’s first few training camps.
Surrounding it, though, there is uncertainty — and opportunity. There are six A-team camps between now and the 2026 World Cup. There’ll be two batches of competitive games — this week’s CONCACAF Nations League finals, then the Gold Cup this summer — and around a dozen friendlies, plus an entire club season for players to prove their worth.
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So, there are not that many chances for the player pool to expand; the roster bubble is far narrower than it was four years ago. But there are some, and that’s one of several reasons the following list will fluctuate monthly. (We plan to update it before and after every camp, or whenever necessary.)
World Cup roster locks*
*More than a year out from the World Cup, the very concept of a “lock” comes with multiple caveats. Injuries, off-field troubles, and a variety of other issues can derail careers.
That said, the following players will be in the squad if healthy.
1. Christian Pulisic (F) — The attacking focal point, primary goal threat, and increasingly comfortable leader.
2. Weston McKennie (M) — No matter how many times Juventus pushes him “out of the project,” McKennie, Mr. “Do Everything,” fights his way back and makes himself indispensable.
3. Antonee Robinson (D) — The USMNT’s (and Fulham’s) most consistent player. (His absence this week — due to an undisclosed, presumably minor injury — will be felt.)
4. Tim Weah (F) — In a tier of his own as a vertical winger in a U.S. player pool that has no like-for-like replacement.
5. Tyler Adams (M) — Six months ago, Adams would not have been a lock; you can’t be when you only play more than 45 minutes in two games over a span of 20 months for club and country combined. But he appears to be over the injuries. He’s become a key cog for Bournemouth. And he’ll surely be one for Pochettino. (The U.S. boss has spoken about trying to sign Adams two summers ago while the head coach at Chelsea; he’s clearly a fan.)
6. Yunus Musah (M) — Musah has quietly become an every-game starter for AC Milan, just as he was for Pochettino in the fall. His versatility can make him feel less established than he actually is. And, at age 22, he’s only going to get better. He’ll have a role at the World Cup, even if we don’t yet know what, exactly, that role will be.
Several players from the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup squad are locks for 2026, but who will join them?
(John Todd/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
World Cup roster likelies
Six others will almost certainly be on the roster, unless something goes awry.
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7. Matt Turner — He’s the No. 1. The only source of slight uncertainty is his lack of game time at multiple clubs since making the leap from MLS to the English Premier League.
8. Folarin Balogun — He’s the most talented U.S. striker. But he’s got competition (see Pepi, Ricardo and Sargent, Josh), and his 2024-25 season has been both injury-riddled and rocky.
9. Sergiño Dest — Dest is a lock as long as he returns from his ACL tear as something resembling his pre-injury self. (Over the past two weeks for PSV Eindhoven, he got his first minutes, and then his first start, in 11 months.)
10. Chris Richards — Richards has been the USMNT’s most promising center back for some time now. His problems have been injuries, then a lack of consistent playing time at Crystal Palace — which has occasionally translated to a lack of consistent playing time with the national team. But over the past three months, he’s been an every-week starter for what, by some measures, has been the best team in the Premier League …
(Screenshot: FBref.com)
11. Gio Reyna — Reyna’s gifts — his vision, creativity and technical ability — are unmistakable. Unfortunately, they’ve spent a lot of time on Borussia Dortmund’s (and Nottingham Forest’s) bench. He’ll probably find his way onto the World Cup roster even if he can’t find regular club minutes; but that possibility is the reason for pause.
12. Joe Scally (D) — Scally, at age 22, has already played 113 German Bundesliga games. He starts every week at right back (or right center back, or right wingback) for Borussia Mönchengladbach. He has neither the pedigree nor the ceiling of some players above him on this list; but at this point, at worst, he’s a trusted USMNT backup at both fullback positions.
Right side of the bubble
“The bubble” encompasses a wide range of names, from those who could be locks in a few months to those who’ve only just emerged as roster contenders.
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So, we’ll split it into multiple tiers, and rank those names in rough order of roster likelihood.
13. Johnny Cardoso (M) — Johnny Soccer is rising, into the starting 11 at Spanish club Real Betis, and potentially to Tottenham at age 23 this summer. In other words, he profiles as a World Cup lock. But his performances for the USMNT, at perhaps its deepest position, have been underwhelming. That — plus the possibility that he goes to Spurs and hardly plays; plus the minor injury that ruled him out of the Nations League finals, robbing him of a chance to fortify his U.S. place — is why he lands on the bubble for now.
14. Ricardo Pepi (F) — As of late January, Pepi’s goals-per-90 minutes rate was among the best in all of European soccer. Granted, it was heavily juiced by so-called “sub effects,” because Pepi still wasn’t starting regularly at PSV; but he’d rediscovered the form that made him a prized teenage prospect. The transfer rumor mill began linking him with elite clubs. Pochettino handed him two straight starts in November, and Pepi repaid the faith with two goals. “I’m feeling ready to be the man, to be the starter,” he said.
Then, after scoring against Liverpool in the Champions League, he tore his meniscus. He underwent surgery, and will likely miss the rest of the season. When he returns, will he resume his red-hot streak? Or regress to what he was circa 2022? The answer will determine his place on the U.S. striker depth chart.
15. Josh Sargent (F) — Pochettino last week called Sargent “the most in-form striker” in the English second division. He’s also, arguably, the most well-rounded of the USMNT’s top three options at the position. But he’s struggled over the past several years with injuries and inconsistency, and hasn’t scored a goal for the national team since … 2019.
16. Malik Tillman (M) — Tillman was balling for PSV until he sustained a “serious ankle injury” in January. Like others mentioned above, his World Cup hopes will hinge on how he recovers and returns from the layoff. (Unlike the others, though, at age 22, he doesn’t have much of a USMNT track record.)
17. Cameron Carter-Vickers (D) — Center back, as we’ll see below, is probably the most unstable position in the entire player pool. Carter-Vickers is in his prime and performing well for Celtic … but the Scottish Premiership hardly pushes him. Under the increased stress of international soccer, he at times looks shaky. He has a history with Pochettino — CCV, as he’s known, came through the academy at Tottenham when Pochettino was the first-team coach there — but how the new U.S. boss sees his former pupil now is anybody’s guess.
18. Mark McKenzie (D) — McKenzie has found his footing at Toulouse in France, and started three of Pochettino’s first four USMNT matches. But he’s been mistake-prone in the past, and will have to demonstrate his reliability throughout 2025 to shore up his standing.
19. Tim Ream (D) — Ream is 37, and isn’t the same player he was at 34 or 35. His legs have slowed. His return to MLS, after nine fine years at Fulham, reflects his current ability. But he’s still a valued piece of the current USMNT, as much for his calm head and leadership as his precise left foot. At 38 years and 250-plus days next summer, he’d be the oldest player to ever represent the U.S. at a men’s World Cup … but he very well might do it.
20. Patrick Schulte (G) — He’s the No. 2 goalkeeper, both based on his performances for the Columbus Crew and by default; nobody else has stepped forward to challenge Matt Turner.
21. Haji Wright (F) — Wright isn’t with the USMNT this month because he only just returned from an ankle injury that had sidelined him for nearly four months. But he returned with a bang — a hat trick in just his second game back in the Coventry City starting lineup. He’d surely be in U.S. camp if it were a couple weeks later. Since the last World Cup, when he was something of a Hail Mary selection at striker, he’s morphed into a versatile forward capable of producing from any position between the No. 9 and the left touchline.
The World Cup roster bubble
The following isn’t necessarily a roster projection. We’ve included a cut line — between No. 26 and 27, assuming World Cup rosters will feature 26 players — as if it were. But the position-by-position analysis below is more relevant.
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22. Tanner Tessman (M) — Tessman appears to have won a place, at least temporarily, at Lyon. He hasn’t yet proven he has the mobility to hang at international level — and Pochettino’s system could highlight his shortcomings — but he’s been in every camp since the coaching transition. If he continues his steady ascent, he should be in the squad come 2026.
23. Brenden Aaronson (M) — Aaronson was the notable omission from the March roster. But that doesn’t mean he’s sinking out of the USMNT picture. He’s played 47 times for the national team since 2020, and is an every-week starter for Leeds United at the top of the English Championship. He’s probably never going to be that for the U.S., but his versatility off the bench would be a World Cup asset.
24. Aidan Morris (M) — Another somewhat curious omission from the March roster, Morris started Pochettino’s first two games in charge, and has been solid for Middlesborough since his summer move to England — before and after a knee injury interrupted his debut campaign in November. He’s more agile than Tessman, and similarly tidy on the ball, though perhaps not as progressive with it.
25. Auston Trusty (D) — Trusty was one of five center backs named to the March roster — before a calf injury ruled him out of last weekend’s Old Firm derby and the Nations League camp. Based on club form alone, the 26-year-old Philadelphia Union product compares favorably to the other four; but of the five, he has by far the least USMNT experience (only one start).
26. Zack Steffen (G) — Steffen is firmly back in the U.S. mix, three years after tumbling out of it. He’s come close to recapturing the MLS form that made him the national team’s No. 1 goalkeeper for much of the 2022 World Cup cycle. After missing out on that roster, he appears to be in line for the 2026 one.
27. Marlon Fossey (D) — Fossey seems to be fourth in line at fullback. But Pochettino might only need three — especially if he takes an extra winger who can serve as a fourth …
28. Kevin Paredes (M) — Paredes seemed to be carving out a niche on USMNT rosters, as a winger who could deputize at left back. He also did just that at Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga, where he became a regular starter by the end of last season. Then, he fractured his foot this past preseason; he suffered a setback in November, and hasn’t played since. He could end up on the World Cup roster … or nowhere close to it.
29. Alex Zendejas (M) — Zendejas is playing the best soccer of his career for the best club team in North America. But he’s never been able to translate his Club América stardom to the USMNT. That doesn’t mean he can’t; but he hasn’t, and he might not get another extended chance between now and 2026.
30. Gianluca Busio (M) — Busio has had a rough season with Venezia in the Serie A relegation zone. So, he’s on the outside looking in at the U.S. roster for now.
31. Patrick Agyemang (F) — Agyemang, a late-blooming striker, only just debuted for the USMNT in January, during an MLS-only camp. His two goals earned him a call to the A-team this month. He isn’t close to leapfrogging Sargent or Pepi, but if any of the Big Three get bogged down by injuries, and Agyemang keeps blooming … he might just be next in line.
32. Diego Luna (M) — Luna didn’t even make the U.S. roster for the Olympics, a mostly-under-23 tournament. But, like Agyemang, he got a shot at that MLS-only camp in January, seized it, and now has an opportunity to show he can chop it up with the big boys.
Luna’s inclusion on the March roster, to be clear, does not necessarily mean he’d be on a World Cup roster if it were named tomorrow. His track record pales in comparison to that of Aaronson or even Zendejas. But he has what the others don’t this month: another opportunity to impress Pochettino.
33. Miles Robinson (D) — Robinson is probably sixth on the center back depth chart. He probably can’t climb much higher on his own, but he’s a reliable reserve if others aren’t available.
34. Jack McGlynn (M) — McGlynn was called into March camp as an injury replacement for Cardoso; but don’t read too much into Pochettino reaching for him rather than for Morris or another midfielder based in Europe. With timelines tight, arranging flights from England or Italy all the way to Los Angeles on short notice made little sense; McGlynn, on the other hand, was able to fly from Houston and train with the U.S. on Monday. (More on his roster prospects below.)
There are, of course, dozens of others who could play their way onto the bubble over the coming months. There are dual nationals who could commit. There are teens who could break out. All of them are mentioned in the following breakdowns of each position.
Position-by-position breakdown
Goalkeepers
Locks and likelies: Matt Turner
Bubble: Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen
Long shots: Diego Kochen, Matt Freese, Drake Callender, Gaga Slonina, Ethan Horvath, Chris Brady
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This is the weakest — and most wide open — pool of U.S. goalkeepers in recent memory. Unless Kochen, an 18-year-old at Barcelona, can get significant game time in 2025, perhaps on loan, it seems likely that Turner’s two backups will come from MLS — and depend on form over the next 15 months.
Fullbacks
Locks and likelies: Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Joe Scally
Bubble: Marlon Fossey
Long shots: Max Arfsten, John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley, DeJuan Jones, Kristoffer Lund, Shaq Moore, Bryan Reynolds, George Bello
Wild cards: Richy Ledezma
The starters and the top backup seem pretty darn secure. Below them, it’s open season.
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The most intriguing name is Richy Ledezma, once a promising prospect in midfield, now PSV’s starting right back in Dest’s absence. But Pochettino didn’t even put Ledezma on his 60-man preliminary roster for the Nations League finals. Since then, the 24-year-old from Phoenix has been in touch with Mexico’s national team, for which he’s also eligible. Pochettino gave a vague answer when asked about Ledezma last week.
The other important note here is that, although most traditional squads feature four or five fullbacks, Pochettino might need only three. Dest and Scally can play on both sides. Weah, Musah and others have deputized at fullback for their clubs. Ream is currently playing left back for Charlotte FC. And Poch, like many top coaches, has preferred an unbalanced back four that can function with either two center backs and two true fullbacks or three and one.
Center backs
Locks and likelies: Chris Richards
Bubble: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Auston Trusty, Miles Robinson
Long shots: Noahkai Banks, Walker Zimmerman, Maximilian Dietz, George Campbell, Jackson Ragen, Matai Akinmboni
Wild cards: Anrie Chase
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Both the starting spots and roster spots are fully up for grabs. Richards, CCV, McKenzie and Ream are the current favorites, but there’s plenty of potential for an out-of-nowhere emergence.
Among those with potential are Noahkai Banks and Anrie Chase, two young dual nationals. Banks, 18, grew up in Germany but was born in Hawaii and has played for U.S. youth national teams; he recently broke into the first team at Bundesliga club Augsburg, and made the USMNT’s 60-man Nations League preliminary list. Chase, on the other hand, a 20-year-old at Augsburg, is U.S.-eligible through his father, but has so far only represented the youth teams of Japan, where he was born and spent most of his childhood.
Central midfielders
Locks and likelies: Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah
Bubble: Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessman, Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn
Long shots: Timothy Tillman, Benjamin Cremaschi, Lennard Maloney, James Sands, Luca de la Torre, Emeka Eneli, Santiago Castañeda, Keaton Parks
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With the core fairly set in stone, there’s little room for the long shots. The one exception might be McGlynn, whose inventiveness and wand-like left foot offer something the U.S. roster won’t otherwise have in these deeper midfield roles. But there’s probably not room for the 21-year-old from Queens, and probably not enough time to displace the current reserves — especially after he moved this winter from the Philadelphia Union to Houston Dynamo, rather than to Europe.
One other note on the above and the below: These positional designations are obviously flexible. Musah, for example, could be a classic central midfielder or a hybrid winger. Reyna, in a hypothetical 4-2-3-1, could be anywhere among the “3,” or even one of the “2.” There’s no perfect way to analyze a roster and capture all that versatility.
Wingers/attacking midfielders
Locks and likelies: Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna
Bubble: Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, Kevin Paredes, Alex Zendejas, Diego Luna
Long shots: Paxten Aaronson, Brian Gutierrez, Griffin Yow, Jordan Morris, Cole Campbell, Djordje Mihailovic, Quinn Sullivan, Taylor Booth, Caden Clark, Rokas Pukstas, Cavan Sullivan
Wild cards: Luca Koleosho, Fidel Barajas
On the bubble, beyond Pulisic, Weah and Reyna, Pochettino will probably face a choice between known quantities and upside. We won’t know exactly what that choice is until the spring of 2026, but it’s fair to assume that options like Brenden Aaronson will be available; and that one or a few younger players — Luna? Paxten Aaronson, who’s been pretty good on loan at FC Utrecht in the Netherlands? Brian Gutierrez, who’s off to a fast start for the Chicago Fire, and was just called into March camp as an injury replacement? — will announce or affirm their candidacy throughout the next year.
The biggest wild card is Luca Koleosho, a multinational 20-year-old winger who’s played for both U.S. and Italian youth national teams, and even briefly accepted a call-up to Canada’s senior team in 2022. He hasn’t yet committed to any country for the long haul. He also hasn’t been as prolific since a serious knee injury ended his breakout 2023-24 season. But there’s a chance that, at this time next year, he’s starring for Burnley in the Premier League and fully committed to the USMNT.
Strikers
Locks and likelies: Folarin Balogun
Bubble: Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, Haji Wright, Patrick Agyemang
Long shots: Daryl Dike, Brian White, Brandon Vazquez, Cade Cowell, Damion Downs, Jesús Ferreira
The depth chart, for now and the near-term future, is Balogun-Pepi-Sargent, in some order, with Wright as a supersub anywhere across the front line. (We don’t yet know whether Pochettino likes Wright more as a winger or inside forward.)
Realistically, the only two players who seem capable of upending that order are Agyemang and Daryl Dike. Both have the necessary physical tools. Agyemang, though, is unpolished, and Dike is often unavailable. Dike’s heartwrenching run of injury luck has essentially ruined his USMNT career, but he recently returned to the field for West Brom; if he can just stay healthy for a year, there’s a non-zero chance he’d remind U.S. fans why they were once so excited about his national team prospects.
