Predicting the USMNT World Cup roster

I’m so glad I’m not Mauricio Pochettino right now.

But if I were in the shoes of the USMNT head coach, I don’t know how I would go about selecting the 26 players who will represent the United States at the World Cup. This isn’t as simple as picking a matchday squad like he did when he was coaching at the club level. This is a process that could create legacies, both positive and negative. And it will set the course of the USMNT’s success — or lack of success — this summer.

Thankfully, since I’m not Pochettino, that gives me plenty less pressure to work out who I think will be on the proverbial plane to the tournament. Some of these were cut-and-dry. Others were a little more difficult. If anything, though, I want to disclaim that Pochettino could go in a completely different direction and make me look foolish in the process.

With that said, here we go:

Goalkeepers (3)

Matt Freese –  New York City FC; Matt Turner – New England Revolution (on loan from Lyon); Chris Brady – Chicago Fire

No surprises here, but the only question is whether it will be Freese or Turner who wears the No. 1 shirt during the tournament. Turner hasn’t made things easy, as Atlanta United fans can attest to after seeing him make several key saves to help the Revs to a win at the Benz on April 22. I honestly could go either way on this, personally.

Defenders (8)

Antonee Robinson – Fulham; Mark McKenzie – Toulouse; Tim Ream – Charlotte FC;; Sergiño Dest – PSV Eindhoven; Chris Richards – Crystal Palace; Joe Scally – Borussia Mönchengladbach; Auston Trusty – Celtic; Alex Freeman – Villarreal

An injury to Chris Richards caused (understandable) concern among the USMNT fanbase. Though he’ll miss Palace’s UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27, the hope is that he’s fit enough for the World Cup.

Everything else, for the most part, is straightforward. Jedi Robinson and Sergiño Dest were always going to be the outside backs. Freeman’s inclusion will continue an impressive career arc that started with Weston FC and later Orlando City’s academy before a breakout 2025 with Orlando’s first team, which led to him being sold to Villarreal. He’s flexible in that he can be deployed at right wingback — where he could push Scally for the backup spot behind Dest — or further up in the attack as a right wing.

“Straightforward” doesn’t necessarily mean worry-free, though. My main worry being the presence of a 38-year-old Tim Ream as a starting CB. (I say that as a male in his early 40s who, at 38, wasn’t even remotely as physically fit as Ream is now.)

Midfielders (8)

Tyler Adams – Bournemouth; Weston McKennie – Juventus; Malik Tillman – Bayer Leverkusen; Gio Reyna – Borussia Mönchengladbach; Sebastian Berhalter – Vancouver Whitecaps; Diego Luna – Real Salt Lake; Cristian Roldan – Seattle Sounders; Tanner Tessmann – Lyon

There’s one player on this list that I know will draw a lot of attention. To that, I’ve seen and heard the opinions about Reyna and his form (or lack thereof) at the club level. It’s just that it will be tough to leave off a player with the demonstrated skill and quality that he provides and has demonstrated in the past.

…wait. You were thinking about Berhalter, not Reyna, right? Berhalter’s too good to leave off the roster. He’s gone from “Gregg’s kid” to one of the best midfielders in MLS and has picked up where he left off from a Best XI season with the Whitecaps in 2025. I’m taking him if I’m Pochettino.

One note: Johnny Cardoso was set to be part of this midfield group and in line for his first World Cup appearance, but an ankle injury suffered during a May 7 training session means he’s sadly out of the picture.

Forwards (7)

Christian Pulisic – AC Milan; Folarin Balogun – Monaco; Tim Weah – Marseille; Ricardo Pepi – PSV Eindhoven; Brenden Aaronson – Leeds United; Haji Wright – Coventry City; Max Arfsten – Columbus Crew

Pretty straightforward here. A struggling Christian Pulisic is better than no Christian Pulisic at all. Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright are all in excellent form for their clubs. The big question, I think, will be Max Arfsten. I wasn’t really impressed with him during the friendlies in Atlanta. That said, I think he’s done enough to be included in the squad.

It’s a massive shame that Patrick Agyemang isn’t going to be able to be a part of this World Cup, by the way. He was having a great season at Derby County before his injury.

What about Zavier Gozo?

I was incredibly tempted to add Gozo to the list after his unbelievable work with Real Salt Lake (Atlanta United fans got a taste of that in March). At 19, he has a tremendous future ahead of him, and I seriously doubt he’ll be playing in MLS in 2027.

The fact that he has a bright future is, in part, why I ultimately left him off. I’m taking nothing away from what he’s done so far. But with his whole career in front of him, he has plenty more time to grow into a foundational piece of the USMNT setup. That day will come soon, but for this summer, it’s a reluctant no.

That said, there could be a world where Pochettino takes seven defenders and includes Gozo to bring his forward count up to eight, so we’ll see.

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