Predicting the USMNT 26-man World Cup roster

The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is almost here. USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino will announce the official 26-man World Cup roster on May 26. Before that happens, though, let’s predict exactly what that will look like.

Goalkeepers (3)

In: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Who else makes it: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire)

Out: Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati)

Matt Freese is the starter, and Matt Turner is the experienced backup. That part is easy. The third goalkeeper spot is a little harder to predict, though. It looks like it will come down to Patrick Schulte and Chris Brady, who are 25 and 22, respectively.

They’ve both been in decent form in MLS, and neither is likely to touch the field in the 2026 tournament. So, with an eye on World Cup 2030, Pochettino and U.S. Soccer will give a nod to the future and take the young Chicago Fire keeper.

Defenders (8)

In: Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)

Who else makes it: Auston Trusty (Celtic), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse)

Injured: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic)

Misses cut: Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Walker Zimmerman (Toronto FC), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Pochettino’s defensive selections are relatively straightforward. He’ll take four fullbacks (Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, and Max Arfsten) and four center backs (Tim Ream, Chris Richard, Auston Trusty, and Mark McKenzie).

The question that remains is, will he take a ninth defender? Or is Freeman’s ability to play RB and CB enough to go with eight on the final USMNT World Cup roster? If the manager does decide on depth in the back end, look for Miles Robinson to be the guy with Cameron Carter-Vickers injured. If not, the eight above seem almost set in stone.

Midfielders (5)

In: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Who else makes it: Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

Injured: Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid)

Out: Yunus Musah (Atalanta), Luca De La Torre (Charlotte FC), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo)

The injury to Johnny Cardoso took a good deal of the drama out of the central and defensive midfielder selection process. Tyler Adams is the USMNT captain, and Tanner Tessmann and Sebastian Berhalter seem like near locks.

That left three candidates for two spots, or one fewer attacker if Pochettino decided to take all three. With Cardoso out, though, Aidan Morris and Cristian Roldan bring versatility and experience to the table, so you can pencil them in.

The also-rans—Yunus Musah and Luca De La Torre—just haven’t had enough time on the pitch in the run-up to the World Cup. However, 22-year-old Jack McGlynn could be an intriguing Wild Card if Poch wanted to add a young, dynamic midfielder to the group instead of the steady veteran hand of the 30-year-old Roldan.

Attacking Midfielders/Wingers (7)

In: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake)

Who else makes it: Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Brendan Aaronson (Leeds United)

Out: Alejandro Zendejas (Club América), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake)

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Malik Tillman are the star forwards on the 2026 USMNT, and the team will likely go as far as this trio takes them in the World Cup.

Tim Weah and Diego Luna are backups who can play like more traditional wingers, allowing Pochettino the option of flexing from the 3-4-2-1 he likes a lot to a 4-3-3 depending on the matchup and game situation.

The final two forward spots will likely go to late-game super subs whom the manager can throw on the pitch as a Hail Mary if he desperately needs a goal. Gio Reyna and Brendan Aaronson are perfect for that. What these two lack in consistency, they make up for with moments of brilliance, and that’s what these last two spots are all about.

There’s a chance that Alejandro Zendejas’ latest run of incredible form in Mexico pushes him ahead of Reyna, Aaronson, or even Luna, but that seems like a long shot at this point. And while Zavier Gozo is the winger of the future, the 19-year-old is just shy of being ready for Prime Time in 2026.

Strikers (3)

In: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven)

Who else makes it: Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Injured: Patrick Agyemang (Achilles)

Out: Haji Wright (Coventry City), Josh Sargent (Toronto FC)

This seemed like Patrick Agyemang’s spot to lose in the Gold Cup, but a devastating Achilles injury ended that. Now, it’s back to mix-and-match strikers for the 2026 USMNT World Cup roster, with the hopes that Folarin Balogun can step up and become the guy.

The one bold prediction is that Pochettino will go with form over experience here, naming Brian White over Haji Wright. White has seven goals in his last 10 tilts, making him the hottest U.S. striker right now. Since Balogun and Pepi will likely get the lion’s share of the work at the World Cup, why not bring a hot hand for some possible late-game heroics?

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