Pochettino's 26: Inside the USMNT squad heading into the 2026 World Cup opener

Mauricio Pochettino announced the United States' final 26-man roster on May 26 in New York, capping a 19-month audition process that started the moment he replaced Gregg Berhalter in early 2024. The squad is, by almost any measure, the most talented collection of players ever assembled under the USMNT badge — and also the most European. Of the 26, only four play their club soccer in Major League Soccer. The rest are scattered across the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Eredivisie, La Liga, and the Scottish Premiership. 1

The Americans are in Group D alongside Paraguay, Türkiye, and Australia. Two games in the United States (Los Angeles opener vs. Paraguay on June 12 and Seattle vs. Australia on June 19) and a road trip to Houston for the Türkiye match on June 25. On paper, this is a group the USA should get out of. Historically, that paper has gotten soggy.

Here is the breakdown of who made it and what each player brings — plus the tactical questions Pochettino still hasn't fully answered. 2

The long era of America having no real striker is over. The squad carries three plausible No. 9s, not one.

Folarin Balogun (Monaco, Ligue 1) finished last season with 18 goals and 4 assists across all competitions for Monaco, earning him the club's Player of the Season award. At 24, the New York-born, London-raised forward is the expected starter in Pochettino's system: he runs in behind, combines well with Pulisic in tight spaces, and finishes with the kind of snap-decision precision that coaches spend years trying to coach into players. Balogun is expected to lead the attack against Paraguay on Friday. "My mind naturally wanders to the opening game of the World Cup, and just the atmosphere," he said before the tournament began. 1

For the first time in decades, the USMNT enters a World Cup with two starting-caliber strikers capable of finishing at the top level of European club soccer.

Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven) scored 19 goals in 34 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie this season. At 23, the El Paso native who was cut from the 2022 squad by Berhalter — a slight he's discussed openly — enters this tournament with something to prove. Where Balogun excels in movement, Pepi offers physicality and aerial ability, making him a viable rotation option or direct alternative if the Paraguay defensive block demands a different profile. 1

Haji Wright (Coventry City) scored 18 goals in 43 club appearances this season, including a hat trick against Middlesbrough in February. At 6-foot-3, he gives Pochettino yet another physical option if late-game circumstances call for it — exactly the kind of target man the US has historically lacked.

Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) is the asterisk on all of this. The most decorated American player in European history, the 27-year-old AC Milan winger was goalless for the USMNT since November 2024 going into the tournament's final preparatory window. He broke that drought with a goal and assist in the first 20 minutes of the May 31 friendly against Senegal, which US fans will hope signals a return to form. "I know a ball will hit off my knee and go in," Pulisic said in March when the drought was at its worst. "I'm not going to panic." He is still the difference-maker — when he runs at defenders, something usually happens. The tournament is a chance to cement his legacy. 2

Tim Weah (Marseille) flanks the attack from the right and brings Pulisic-level pedigree in terms of service. He scored the opening goal of the 2022 World Cup against Wales and has consistently produced as a winger for the USMNT. His crossing, by Yahoo Sports' Matt Ufford's assessment, is even more dangerous than the celebrated Antonee Robinson from the other side — that's a bold take that the group stage will put to the test. 2

The midfield is where the USMNT's ceiling lives — and where its biggest risk sits.

Weston McKennie (Juventus) arrives off the best season of his career: nine goals in nearly 40 Juventus appearances in Serie A in 2025-26. The Texan is a true box-to-box midfielder — he defends, he runs, he arrives late in the box. His long throw-ins are set-play weapons. He scored against Belgium in March. McKennie is the closest thing this squad has to a dominant personality in the middle of the park. 2

Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) is the other half of the midfield spine — when healthy. The former captain returned from an injury absence looking sharp in the final friendly against Germany, dispossessing opponents and breaking up attacks with the controlled aggression that made him a Premier League mainstay. The standard disclaimer applies: if he's healthy, he starts. The caveat is that he missed the November and March international windows leading up to the tournament. 2

Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen) is the likely third-midfielder starter, coming off more than 50 goal contributions across the past three seasons between PSV and Leverkusen. He fits Pochettino's system well.

Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is the most fascinating wildcard on the squad. The 23-year-old was a teenage prodigy four years ago but was limited to just four Bundesliga starts this season at 'Gladbach after leaving Dortmund. He still scored in his first game under Pochettino — a 2-1 win over Paraguay last November — and started all three games at Copa América 2024. When he's on, he's the most creative midfielder America has. When he's off, he's invisible. 1

Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), son of former national team manager Gregg, is a set-piece specialist and MLS All-Star in 2025. His corner delivery and free-kick service give the USA a weapon on dead-ball situations — and at a tournament co-hosted in NFL stadiums, set pieces will matter.

The back four is largely settled — with one major exception.

Antonee Robinson is the easy call. The Fulham left back was named the best at his position in the Premier League last season, won U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year in 2024, and hammered home a rocket volley against Germany in the final friendly. He is fully fit after an injury scare in the spring. 1

Chris Richards (Crystal Palace) should be the anchor of the center back pairing — the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year helped Palace win the FA Cup and reach the UEFA Conference League final. He suffered an ankle injury late in the Premier League season but was reported as a full participant in training by tournament week. If Richards is truly fit, it removes the biggest defensive concern on the roster. If he's not quite right, that concern snaps right back.

Tim Ream, 38, is this tournament's captain — named by Pochettino as the armband holder for the summer. Ream played 312 Premier League appearances for Fulham, started every minute of every match at the 2022 World Cup, and is a critical voice in the locker room. His lack of pace has been a discussion point, but his reading of the game and ability to build out from the back with both feet are genuine strengths.

The position that's been a chronic weakness since Tim Howard retired in 2017 remains unsettled. Matt Turner (New England Revolution) was the No. 1 in Qatar 2022 but struggled during European stints at Arsenal and Nottingham Forest before returning to MLS. Matt Freese (NYCFC) was Pochettino's preferred starter throughout 2025 but has been slightly less sharp this season. Pochettino has declined to declare a starter publicly, meaning the nation is going to find out on Friday night in Los Angeles. 2

The two most-discussed omissions from the final 26 are Yunus Musah (AC Milan), who was left off due to form issues, and the broader debate about whether America's deepening pool of talent in Europe means some previously uncapped players deserved shots. Pochettino's handling of the roster process — 19 months of open auditions, willingness to call in players from Club América (Alex Zendejas) and Vancouver (Sebastian Berhalter) alongside the Bayern Munich and Juventus contingent — reflects a broader philosophy: pick the players in form, not the ones with established reputations.

Alex Zendejas (Club América) is the clearest symbol of that approach. Born in Mexico, he made two senior appearances for El Tri before committing to the US in 2023. He scored the game-winning goal in an exhibition against Japan last September. Pochettino saw something and held the door open; the World Cup is the stage to prove the call was right. 1

USA's schedule in Group D breaks down as follows:

Paraguay is first and arguably the hardest. Manager Gustavo Alfaro runs a defensively compact side built around counterattacking pace — Ramon Sosa (Palmeiras), Diego Gomez (Brighton), and Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United) are legitimate technical threats. The USA beat Paraguay 2-1 in a November 2024 friendly, but friendlies at MetLife are a different proposition than friendlies with the opening Group D result on the line at a 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium.

Australia (Lumen Field, Seattle, June 19) is a team in transitional mode — Mathew Leckie, their most experienced winger, is nearing the end of his international career. Seattle in June, with a predominantly American crowd, should be the most controlled environment the US faces in the group.

Türkiye (Houston, June 25) is the wild card. Vincenzo Montella's side carries Arda Güler (Real Madrid), Kenan Yıldız (Juventus), and Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan) — a midfield combination that can genuinely hurt you on the break. A result against Paraguay makes the Türkiye game much more manageable; dropping points in LA makes Houston a must-win.

The United States has reached the round of 16 at the last two World Cups (2018 was an absence due to qualification failure; 2022 was a round-of-16 exit against the Netherlands). Advancing past the group stage on home soil would be the minimum acceptable result. What Pochettino has that no previous USMNT coach had — a striker who scores for his club at the highest level, a left back genuinely world-class at his position, a top-15 manager in the world by any ranking — is the infrastructure to go further. 3

The June 12 opener is 9 PM ET. It's time to find out.