ATLANTA — The U.S. men’s national team was hoping that fall momentum would carry through March into the 2026 World Cup. Instead, it got a reality check from Belgium and Portugal. A pair of losses raised questions about the USMNT’s ceiling — and about which players merit a place on the World Cup roster this summer.
With less than two months to go, spots on that final tournament list remain up for grabs. And few, if any, players grabbed a place with two hands over the past week in Atlanta.
So, for head coach Mauricio Pochettino, difficult decisions loom.
“It is going to be painful,” Pochettino said of the roster selection process.
Speaking after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Portugal, Pochettino indicated that there are around 35-40 players in consideration for 26 spots. And as for how he’ll pick from the 35 or 40?
“They know that it’s going to be a competition,” he said of his players. Pochettino vowed that he and his staff would be watching “every single week, every single game,” while analyzing each player’s body of work since he took over in 2024.
With the roster reveal date of May 26 nearing, and with no international matches between now and then, here is our updated look at position battles and our prediction for what Pochettino’s World Cup squad will ultimately look like.
Matt Turner had a difficult night for the USMNT against Belgium. (Omar Vega / USSF / Getty Images)
Goalkeepers
Locks: Matt Freese, Matt Turner
Confident: None
In consideration: Chris Brady, Roman Celentano, Patrick Schulte
Stock up: Turner
Paul Tenorio: Turner got his first start since June 2025. Unfortunately, the U.S. gave up five goals. It wasn’t the World Cup veteran’s fault. He actually made a couple of big saves in the game. But anytime you give up five goals as a goalkeeper, it’s not going to reflect well. Freese also had some nice saves in the 2-0 loss to Portugal, and it’s difficult to see how Turner will have leapfrogged him on the depth chart after this March window. For me, it looks like Freese is the starter and Turner the No. 2.
Henry Bushnell: I agree. And Chris Brady seems to be No. 3. Nothing else to note here, other than the fact that this is the weakest group of goalkeepers the U.S. has taken to a World Cup in decades.
Chris Richards made a welcome return to action against Portugal. (Perry McIntyre / ISI Photos / ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Center backs
Locks: Chris Richards, Tim Ream
Confident: Mark McKenzie
In consideration: Noahkai Banks, Miles Robinson, Auston Trusty, Walker Zimmerman
Stock up: McKenzie
Stock down: Banks, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Robinson
Tenorio: Honestly, I’m not ready to declare that anyone cemented themselves at this position in this window. I thought Trusty was fine against Portugal. There were some moments he was a bit shaky, but overall, he probably put himself in a good position to make the roster as Ream’s backup, and as another left-footed option for Pochettino.
There isn’t a lot you want to highlight defensively coming out of the 5-2 loss to Belgium, which isn’t great for McKenzie. At the same time, he’s been a stalwart of Pochettino’s camps. Robinson’s injury doesn’t help, but Banks seemingly removing himself from consideration helps this whole group.
With the flexibility of a 26-man roster, it will be interesting to see if Pochettino considers the leadership and late-game abilities of Zimmerman, who could be summoned to see out results with his presence in the air and is respected in the locker room.
Bushnell: I actually think the center backs were among the least culpable U.S. players in the losses to Belgium and Portugal. Trusty impressed me Tuesday night. The five who were in camp last week are probably the top five, but there’s one wrinkle: Pochettino doesn’t necessarily need to bring five center backs if he’s going to bring Alex Freeman and potentially Joe Scally, both of whom can play on the right of a three. He also acknowledged last week that Tanner Tessmann could play here in a pinch. If he feels a need for extra numbers at other positions, there’s flexibility here.
Fullbacks/wingbacks
Locks: Antonee Robinson
Confident: Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman
In consideration: Max Arfsten, Joe Scally
Stock down: Dest, Arfsten, Scally, Jon Tolkin
Tenorio: Tim Weah’s ability to play right back for Pochettino — and do it fairly well, considering the matchup with Jérémy Doku — adds enormous positional flexibility for the final roster decision. Arfsten looked shaky, frankly, in both of his outings against top-class opponents. I’m not sure he’s a player worth bringing if he can’t truly be trusted on the field. Right now, I see Robinson and Dest as the starters. If Robinson were to get hurt during the tournament, Dest and Weah can both play at left back. If Dest were to go down, you have cover with Freeman and Weah. I’m using that flexibility to bring an extra midfielder or forward.
Bushnell: Robinson — whom Pochettino has finally learned to call “Jedi,” by the way — looks fully fit again. Now the main fitness concern is Dest, who suffered a hamstring injury early last month. He says he’ll be ready for the World Cup. “This is NOT the end of the season!” he wrote on Instagram after getting the diagnosis. But the uncertainty that will accompany his recovery bumps him down from “lock” status.
Tanner Tessmann (center) looks to have secured a potential World Cup roster spot. (Perry McIntyre / ISI Photos /ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Central midfielders
Locks: Tyler Adams, Tanner Tessmann
Confident: Cristian Roldan
In consideration: Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Aidan Morris
Stock up: Roldan, Tessmann
Stock down: Yunus Musah
Tenorio: I wasn’t convinced by the 45 minutes I saw from Cardoso, but when I think about roster balance overall, he’s probably going to make this team with Weah’s ability to play right back. It makes sense to protect against an Adams injury with the Atletico Madrid midfielder. I think Berhalter made up for his Belgium performance with a better outing against Portugal, and he was very good last fall against Uruguay. You know he’s going to work his tail off in training. You need players like that in the depth of this team, just as you need a leader like Roldan, who is a proven glue guy who is cherished by the players on the top and bottom of the depth charts.
Bushnell: A quick story about two of the players in question here: On Friday before the Belgium game, two other reporters and I sat down with Cardoso for a roundtable interview. And you know who agreed to sit with us in case Cardoso needed an English-to-Spanish interpreter? Roldan.
Cardoso ultimately didn’t need the help; his English was excellent. But his face lit up when asked about Roldan. “This guy is my idol,” Cardoso said with a smile. “He makes me feel comfortable here. That’s the most important.” And that, in a nutshell, is why Roldan is going to be on this roster.
But, I don’t think you want Roldan as your third central midfielder, as a guy who’d need to log significant minutes if Adams or Tessmann were to get injured. I’d much rather have the guy competing well for a Champions League quarterfinalist. I think Cardoso did enough in 45 minutes against Belgium to earn a spot. Morris, on the other hand, just hasn’t quite looked like he belongs at the international level.
Attacking midfielders/wingers
Locks: Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah
Confident: None
In consideration: Brenden Aaronson, Diego Luna, Gio Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas
Stock down: Zendejas
Tenorio: I’m fascinated to see what Pochettino does here. I just don’t see how bringing Gio Reyna is the right move for this U.S. team if he continues not to play at the club level. He doesn’t bring enough to the equation right now to justify being such an exception to Pochettino’s insistence that he isn’t picking this roster by considering players’ reputations, but rather what they’re doing on the field.
That being said, I’m not sure anyone behind the four “locks” have done enough to grab hold of a job on this team. Maybe you bring your ‘effort’ guy in Luna and your ‘luxury’ guy in Reyna. Brenden Aaronson’s run of form in the Premier League has subsided and he hardly played in March. I don’t think that’s a great sign. Zendejas not being here is probably a good indicator that he is behind Reyna, Luna and Aaronson.
Bushnell: Paul set the stage well. This segment of the roster bubble is probably the most fascinating one — and the one that will most depend on club form over the next month and a half. I’d still bet on Luna.
Patrick Agyemang’s goal against Belgium was a rare high point for the USA. (Andrew J. Clark / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Strikers
Locks: Folarin Balogun
Confident: None
In consideration: Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright
Stock down: Josh Sargent, Brian White
Tenorio: At this point, I’m convinced Pochettino brings all four strikers. Wright can play winger if you switch things back up to a 4-2-3-1, as Pochettino did in March. Agyemang can be a target in games where you need that profile up top. Pepi might have the most to do to convince Pochettino he should be on this roster. I’m not sure it’s a great sign for any of the strikers that the coach opted to start Pulisic up top against Portugal.
Bushnell: I, too, am still Team Four Strikers despite the Pulisic experiment on Tuesday. They all offer something unique. If there’s one who doesn’t, it’s Pepi, and that’s why I’m most skeptical of his standing. Beyond Balogun, I’m actually most confident in Agyemang’s chances.
USMNT 2026 World Cup roster projection
(As of April 2026)
Paul Tenorio
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Matt Turner
Center backs (5): Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Auston Trusty
Fullbacks/wingbacks (3): Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson
Central midfielders (5): Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Cristian Roldan, Tanner Tessmann
Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Diego Luna, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah
Strikers (4): Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright
Henry Bushnell
Goalkeepers (3): Matt Freese, Matt Turner, Chris Brady,
Center backs (4): Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty
Fullbacks/wingbacks (5): Tim Weah, Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Max Arfsten
Central midfielders (5): Tyler Adams, Tanner Tessmann, Johnny Cardoso, Cristian Roldan, Sebastian Berhalter.
Attacking midfielders/wingers (5): Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, Diego Luna
Strikers (4): Folarin Balogun, Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright
