The reveal happened in New York, which was a choice. A stage, a crowd, a television moment — the kind of production the United States Soccer Federation has been building toward since the day the bid was won. Mauricio Pochettino stood at the front of it and read out 26 names, and the country that has spent the better part of a decade telling itself this generation is different finally has to find out if it is.
The squad named on Tuesday has the shape of a team built to go deep. Heavy on defenders — ten of them, which is more than any conventional formation requires and which tells you something about how Pochettino sees the tournament. The opposition in Group D is Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye, none of whom should present an existential problem. The question the squad is really answering is what happens in the Round of 16, and the Round of 8, and beyond.
Pulisic
Familiar Names, New Stakes
Christian Pulisic leads the group by experience — 84 caps, the most on the roster, coming off a productive season with AC Milan in Serie A. Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams are back, as is Antonee Robinson, as is Tim Ream, now 38 years and 250 days old on the day of the opening match against Paraguay, which makes him the second-oldest player on a USMNT World Cup roster in the history of the program. He is also one of its most reliable defenders over the past four years. Both things are true.
The 13 returning players from the 2022 squad in Qatar bring institutional memory of what the knockout rounds feel like — the USMNT reached the Round of 16 before losing to the Netherlands. The 13 first-timers include Ricardo Pepi, who was one of the last cuts for that roster, and Chris Richards, who would have been there too had he not been injured. Neither arrived at this moment easily. Both are in the squad now.
The Risks Pochettino Took
Two inclusions carry genuine uncertainty. Gio Reyna has had the more difficult club season of any player in the squad — 137 minutes in league play across eight appearances for Borussia Mönchengladbach since the start of the calendar year. The promise has always been there. The question is whether it survives tournament football at full intensity. Pochettino included him anyway, and was direct about why: "I think we all know Gio have an amazing talent and experience, too." He is unlikely to start. He is there to change games from the bench — the kind of player, Pochettino said, who can "add different things to the team" at moments that decide whether a tournament run continues or ends.
Chris Richards is a different problem. He was training with Crystal Palace ahead of the UEFA Conference League final and Pochettino, asked about Richards' fitness on Tuesday, said only: "We'll see tomorrow." A center back carrying a fitness question into a home World Cup is not ideal. It may resolve cleanly. It may not.
The One That Wasn't Expected
Alejandro Zendejas was not on most people's lists. The Club América forward had not played for the USMNT since last September, earned limited minutes under Pochettino, and was a dual national who chose the United States over Mexico. His late-season form for América — four goals and two assists over his final five Liga MX playoff matches — made the argument for him. Pochettino listened.
The cost was Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake's midfielder and a player who appeared in so much of US Soccer's marketing for this tournament that his omission has a faintly surreal quality. Luna had injury concerns of his own in the spring, but had been assumed available. He is not going. He will watch from home while the country watches without him.
Tanner Tessmann is also absent. The Lyon midfielder was shut down late in the club season with what his manager called a muscle strain. The assumption was recovery in time. Pochettino decided not to assume.
What the Numbers Say
The average age of the squad is 26 years, 332 days — the fifth-youngest World Cup roster the United States has assembled, behind only 1990, 2022, 1930, and 1994. Thirteen players are dual nationals. The strikeforce of Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), and Haji Wright (Coventry City) combined for 55 goals this season: Balogun with 19, Pepi with 19, Wright with 17 — the last of those helping Coventry win promotion from the Championship. For the first time in the modern era (since 1990), every player in the squad plays in the top flight of their club's league. It is the most professionally accomplished squad the United States has sent to a World Cup.
If Tim Ream plays against Paraguay, he will be the oldest player ever to appear for the United States at a World Cup — 38 years and 250 days on match day, surpassing Fernando Clavijo's previous mark of 37 years and 162 days. The oldest player to be named to a USMNT roster remains Frank Moniz of the 1950 team, at 38 years and 272 days. Ream doesn't break that record. He may break the other one.
The midfield without Tessmann has four recognized central players: Adams, McKennie, Berhalter, and Roldan. Malik Tillman can slide deeper. It is functional. It is not lavish.
The Group and Beyond
Paraguay opens proceedings on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California — the same ground that hosted Super Bowl LVI, which tells you the scale of occasion being asked of these players. Australia and Türkiye follow. The United States should advance. The tournament for this team begins in the Round of 16, wherever that falls, against whoever arrives from the other group.
Pochettino has had more time with this squad in the lead-up than any previous USMNT coach going into a tournament. The system is flexible — primarily a 4-2-3-1 that becomes a 3-2-5 in possession, with a 3-4-3 remaining a fully viable alternative when he wants more control in build-up. The formation question is still live. What is not live is the intent: Pochettino has built a unit that can adapt, and the question the summer will answer is whether that flexibility is an asset or a source of uncertainty when 80,000 people are in the building and the score is level with fifteen minutes left.
Home soil. No excuses. Twenty-six players named. The rest, as of Tuesday, is still ahead of them.
USMNT World Cup 2026 Squad
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Attacking midfielders/wingers: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)
Strikers: Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Coach: Mauricio Pochettino | Group D: Paraguay · Australia · Türkiye