USMNT squad projections for the 2026 World Cup — Who's in? Who's out?

NBC Sports

5 days ago

The United States men's national team will hope that one year from today it will be discussing its recent World Cup quarterfinal appearance, hopefully with eyes on the semifinal stage set for July 14 and 15 of 2026.
Yep. That soon.
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This was expected to be a huge summer of preparation but it turned into more of a depth test. The Club World Cup kept several players with their clubs, others were suffering from long-term injuries, and the program's most important player opted to take the summer away from the team. Whether you agreed with Christian Pulisic's decision or were infuriated by it, this was decidedly not the first full-strength USMNT at the Gold Cup in decades. It was a B- or even B-minus team.
So what do we know about next summer's World Cup roster under Mauricio Pochettino.
Some roster spots were likely earned (Matt Freese) while others were cemented, tattooed, or written in permanent marker (Malik Tillman).
Let's update our projections with an eye for variables and eventually... a Starting XI.
How many USMNT roster spots are nailed-on for the World Cup?
Given the above, the educated guess would be that there are fewer roster spots available for next summer than there were before this summer's action began for the USMNT.
But has the number changed that much? Sure a bunch of players really impressed at the Gold Cup, but some of the players left out of the squad were truly surprises and others like Johnny Cardoso played a lot less than expected under Pochettino.
The shallow nature of the goalkeeping pool without a Tim Howard or Kasey Keller in sight left the competition for the starting spot wide open, but it's difficult to see either Gold Cup starter Matt Freese or World Cup-experienced keeper Matt Turner missing out on the World Cup.
Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic are no-brainers despite missing out this summer, while Chris Richards, Tim Ream, and Malik Tillman locked down their places this summer.
Tyler Adams is a guaranteed roster man, too, while Timothy Weah, Folarin Balogun, and Sergino Dest are very likely, too. There's a risk of recency bias, but Pochettino's Gold Cup trust of Patrick Agyemang and Luca de la Torre bode well for them.
Others are close. The biggest question marks? Center back #4 and the final slots for center midfield and center forward.
USMNT squad projection for 2026 World Cup
Goalkeepers (3)
The third spot after Turner and Freese feels like a real wild card. Zack Steffen has experience and is playing well for Colorado, while Ethan Horvath and Sean Johnson also boast experience. A young buck could also be called in to earn experience behind Turner and Freese, and Gaga Slonina, Diego Kochen, Gavin Beavers, or Chris Brady could fit the bill.
Projection: Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea)
Defenders (8)
The guess here might normally be four center backs and four full backs, but the midfield and forward pools' versatility especially at right back (Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Timothy Weah) could lend an extra center back place to the group.
Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, and Tim Ream are nailed-on right now, and a healthy Sergino Dest sure would feel like a certainty.
Projection: Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
Midfielders (7)
Tillman locked up a place in the 26 and it would almost be surprising if he wasn't starting in the midfield. Adams will be there, too. Cardoso's summer playing time might breed questions about his starting potential, but his transferring to Atletico Madrid and somehow falling out of the 26 would be wild. Pochettino's had some comments that seemed to aim criticism toward Weston McKennie types, but he'll be there.
Projection: Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Forwards (9)
Pulisic, Weah, and Luna might be billed as midfielders elsewhere but we're counting the two wingers along with center forwards in this positional group. Balogun and Agyemang will have every chance to stand tall atop the XI. There's going to be a surprise here, and while his name wouldn't have counted as a shock about a year ago, look for Kevin Paredes of Wolfsburg's return to health as an X-factor.
Projection: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union),
Sargent, Wright, Reyna, Tessmann, Busio, Fossey, Wiley, Trusty, Scally, Downs, Aaronson, McGlynn, M. Robinson, Zimmerman, Freeman, Tolkin, McKenzie
USMNT Starting XI for 2026 World Cup
What's changed from the last time we tried this exercise?
Yunus Musah is out of the Starting XI, as are Matt Turner and Joe Scally.
But all still make the roster. So who leaves the squad? Auston Trusty, Tanner Tessmann, and Giovanni Reyna, and that's from a 23-man projection this Spring.
As for the XI, here's our latest projections with the 'no-doubters' in bold.
Matt Freese
Sergino Dest — Chris Richards — Tim Ream — Antonee Robinson
Tyler Adams — Luca de la Torre
Timothy Weah — Malik Tillman — Christian Pulisic
Folarin Balogun