The US men’s national team World Cup roster is out Tuesday. Who’s making the cut, and might be left out?
It’s a big summer for the United States men’s national team, as a long-awaited FIFA World Cup on home soil opens for the Americans on June 12.
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Coach Mauricio Pochettino will make his 26-man squad official next Tuesday. With less than a week to go, here’s a look at who’s likely to make the cut and who might be watching from home.
Goalkeepers
There should be little drama around Pochettino’s choices. The Revolution’s Matt Turner and New York City FC’s Matt Freese are certainties, with Freese most likely to start after handling most of the duties since Pochettino took over.
The only question will be who gets the third spot, which will likely be the Chicago Fire’s Chris Brady (the believed favorite), Columbus Crew goalie Patrick Schulte, or FC Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano.
Defenders
The only certainty is center back Chris Richards, who plays for English Premier League side Crystal Palace — provided the ankle injury he suffered over the weekend is relatively minor.
Richards has anchored Pochettino’s back three so far, and will be expected to do so in June. Two more European based players, Fulham’s Antonee Robinson and PSV Eindhoven’s Sergiño Dest are the favorites to start at left and right wingback, respectively, but Richards’s partners in the back three are less certain.
Charlotte FC’s Tim Ream, a national team mainstay, is 38 and has a strong chance to make the squad, but not as a guaranteed starter as he was at previous tournaments. Auston Trusty (Celtic) and Mark McKenzie (Toulouse) are playing top-flight soccer in Europe and have made recent starts for the United States, giving them an inside track to make the squad.
One player on the bubble is Arlington native and Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson, who looked like a sure starter for the 2022 World Cup before tearing his Achilles in May of that year. Robinson played nine times for the United States in 2025 and will be on the short list — along with Vancouver’s Tristan Blackmon and Toronto’s Walker Zimmerman — if Pochettino wants to bring a fifth center back to the tournament.
The Columbus Crew’s Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman (Villareal) are likely to make the squad as depth choices at wingback.
Defensive midfielders
Despite playing just a handful of Premier League matches for Bournemouth this season, the US midfield should center around Tyler Adams.
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Who will partner with Adams in midfield is another question. Weston McKennie (Juventus) will likely start somewhere, but he may play as one of the Americans’ two attacking midfielders alongside US superstar Christian Pulisic (AC Milan).
Atletico Madrid’s Johnny Cardoso is expected to miss the World Cup after undergoing ankle surgery. Tanner Tessmann has played well in France for Lyon and can play at center back or as a defensive midfielder, but he was sidelined for the final two games of the season with a muscle strain.
Vancouver’s Sebastian Berhalter and Seattle’s Cristian Roldan are likely depth options in midfield. Houston’s Jack McGlynn is on the outside looking in; the 22-year-old might have to wait for 2030.
Forwards/attacking midfielders
There’s not a lot of doubt about the strikers: Folarin Balogun (Monaco) is Pochettino’s first-choice No. 9, and PSV’s Ricardo Pepi and Coventry’s Haji Wright should be in the squad for depth. Toronto’s Josh Sargent is another option but likely on the outside looking in.
There’s much more interest around the attacking midfielders as Pochettino looks for a partner for Pulisic to play behind the striker.
The Americans’ attack still revolves around Pulisic despite the 27-year-old’s lagging form — he hasn’t scored for the United States since 2024, and hasn’t scored for AC Milan in 2026.
There are plenty of options for the other attacking midfield spot, but none are perfect. McKennie can play there, but he might be better suited a little deeper alongside Adams. Malik Tillman should be a lock to make the squad and is primarily a No. 10, but he hasn’t always impressed at Bayer Leverkusen this season.
Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna is a Pochettino favorite and should be in the squad, and you’d expect to see Marseille’s Tim Weah, who can play wide both as a forward and as a wingback, make the cut.
Gio Reyna, who looked like an emerging star just a few years ago, seems likely to make the squad despite struggling for minutes in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach (and having a bit of a messy history with the national team). Brenden Aaronson has played well in the Premier League for Leeds, making him a more likely option than Alex Zendejas (Club America) or teenagers Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake) and Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls).
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