United States manager Mauricio Pochettino shared his 26-man World Cup roster on Tuesday, ending months of speculation but offering few surprises.
The biggest of those may be the inclusion of Gio Reyna, the talented but injury-plagued midfielder and son of former USMNT great Claudio Reyna, who was at the center of an unseemly scandal involving previous American manager Gregg Berhalter in the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup.
Notable omissions include attacker Diego Luna and midfielder Tanner Tessmann, two players whom Pochettino has called upon regularly during his tenure. Reports have indicated the latter may be carrying an injury following his season with Lyon in France’s Ligue 1.
The roster — originally leaked to The Guardian on Saturday — is still subject to change until June 1, and can be adjusted based on late-developing injury information or other issues.
2026 USMNT World Cup Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire, 0 caps/0 goals), Matt Freese (New York City, 14/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution, 53/0)
Defenders (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew, 18/1), Sergino Dest (PSV, 37/2), Alex Freeman (Villarreal, 15/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse, 27/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC, 80/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, 36/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 52/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati, 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach, 24/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic, 6/0)
Midfielders (4): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth, 52/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps, 11/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus, 64/12), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders, 45/0)
Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United, 57/9), Christian Pulisic (Milan, 84/32), Gio Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach, 36/9), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen, 28/3), Tim Weah (Marseille, 49/7), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America, 13/2)
Forwards (3): Folarin Balogun (Monaco, 25/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV, 35/13), Haji Wright (Coventry City, 20/7)
Our takeaways on the selection of U.S. team, which makes its 2026 World Cup debut on June 12 against Paraguay.
–Playing It Safe?
Pochettino began his USMNT tenure with major shakeups of the United States player pool, but when it came to the final decisions, there was a pattern of deference toward World Cup experience or club pedigree.
Presumably it was Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Cristian Roldan and Miles Robinson who were among the final names on the roster. The former two play in Europe’s big five leagues. The latter three were all on Berhalter’s squad.
Even Alejandro Zendejas, the other surprise attacking inclusion alongside Reyna, had the pedigree edge over Luna as a veteran at Club America, North America’s most famous team.
The exception might be Sebastian Berhalter. But most analysts agree the Whitecaps midfielder is the best set piece taker in the entire player pool.
–Five for Fighting
The inclusion of 10 defenders suggests an answer to one of the biggest questions surrounding Pochettino’s squad: whether he would play three center backs.
The increased back line personnel doesn’t guarantee a 5-4-1 or 3-4-3 for every World Cup game. But it makes it pretty clear that the Argentine believes he needs to be able to have the depth to play those formations at some point during the tournament.
The Americans started in a 3-4-3 in five consecutive home friendlies between September and November, and enjoyed their best stretch, posting a record of 4-0-1 all against 2026 World Cup participants.
–Midfield Mystery
Tactically, the most obvious question from this roster is how Pochettino may address concerns over midfield balance.
With Tessmann out, Tyler Adams is the only true defensive midfielder in the group. Weston McKennie, Aaronson and Roldan can all play there, but are more natural fits elsewhere.
The roster construction also suggests Pochettino may lean into his tactical comfort zone across his club managerial career, which includes a heavy emphasis on attacking in transition.
–Striker Strength?
For much of the last two World Cup cycles, the biggest question for the American men’s national team has come at center forward. But heading into 2026, it’s decisively a lesser concern than it has been.
Folarin Balogun averaged one goal every two UEFA Champions League appearances for AS Monaco this year, Haji Wright’s 17 league tallies helped Coventry City earn promotion to the Premier League and Ricardo Pepi has averaged more than a goal per 90 minutes across his Eredivisie career with PSV Eindhoven.
All three have had questions regarding health and availability during Pochettino’s tenure, but they all finished their seasons healthy and with some time to regenerate.
–Ian Quillen, Field Level Media
