Who will start for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup as tournament hits one-year sign post?
The Yanks don't look great, and a sea of players are missing out on the 2025 Gold Cup thanks to injuries, rest, and even the Club World Cup.
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MORE — USMNT 0-4 Switzerland recap | USMNT player ratings
The talent and experience pools are as deep as ever, so precious few starting spots are assured players who remain healthy over the next 12 months.
Christian Pulisic? Of course.
Tyler Adams and Antonee Robinson? Yep.
Beyond that?
Who will start for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup?
Goalkeeper
The United States has very little top-end experience outside of Matt Turner and Zack Steffen, as the position once-laughably strong is very uncertain — Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, nor Tim Howard are walking through that door.
Defenders
The back three trotted out by Mauricio Pochettino in the second half of the Yanks' 4-0 loss to Switzerland offered some intrigue, though Switzerland wasn't exactly hunting goals 5, 6, and 7. Still, right now Tim Ream might be one of the two best center backs in the pool despite his 37 years. Chris Richards is a near lock, but there's room to impress for Cameron Carter-Vickers and a handful of others. Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, and Joe Scally help produce a solid group of fullbacks.
Holding/defensive midfielders
Johnny Cardoso's the name of the moment while Tyler Adams when healthy is a no-brainer. But there's a lot more here. Yunus Musah, Luca de la Torre, Gianluca Busio, and Tanner Tessmann will surely be joined by others. Weston McKennie could count in this camp or the next category.
Attackers/wingers
There's plenty to like beyond Pulisic. Diego Luna and Malik Tillman are top of mind right now given their strong showings against Turkiye and then off the bench versus Switzerland. Timothy Weah has often impressed in a U.S. shirt.
Center forward
Pochettino clearly likes Patrick Agyemang, but Folarin Balogun is the front-runner in a crowded field of players which includes Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, and more.
Predicted 2026 World Cup roster for USMNT
Matt Turner
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Sergino Dest — Chris Richards — Tim Ream — Antonee Robinson
Tyler Adams — Johnny Cardoso
Timothy Weah — Malik Tillman — Christian Pulisic
Folarin Balogun
Bench: Ethan Horvath, Zack Steffen, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman, John Tolkin, Joe Scally, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Giovanni Reyna, Jack McGlynn, Haji Wright, Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi
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Alexi Lalas Responds to Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah: 'I Don't Feel Evil'
We are evil, but you respect us? That makes no sense at all. Let me set this all up. On the latest episode of the "Pulisic" series on Paramount+, Christian Pulisic (along with Tim Weah and Christian's father, Mark Pulisic) talked about criticism and comments made by former USMNT players-turned-pundits. Like myself. Here's what Christian said: "I'd say the most annoying thing, and for me, the biggest cop-out of all time, is when all the pundits want to say: 'They didn't want it. They didn't have the heart. You know, back in our day, we would fight, and we would die on that field.'" And what Weah said: "I think those guys are chasing clicks, and for me, I just feel like they're really evil, honestly, because they've been players, and they know what it's like when you're getting bashed. Those are the same guys that will turn around and shake your hand and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day. Don't get me wrong, I respect all of them. They were players I looked up to, but quite frankly, the guys before didn't win anything either." And then what Mark Pulisic said: "These guys want clicks on social media and subscribe to [their] channels, listen to [their] podcasts or whatever. I think they should look in the mirror and look at their last performances for the national team before they start talking s---." First and foremost, if you're going to accuse people of doing things for clicks and for attention or to watch a show, well played. That's exactly what you just did, and it's exactly what happened. A few things, though, about the comments. Number one: We are evil? That's a whole other level. I don't feel evil. I don't think that I am, and I don't think that any of the other guys that you may have been referring to are evil in our criticism. But if they were, I sure as hell wouldn't respect them. The "Pulisic" clip showed Landon Donovan, a USMNT legend who has shared his thoughts about the current team. Well, Donovan was part of the best U.S. World Cup team in history – they were a possible handball away from going to a semifinal in 2002. He also has a statue outside the LA Galaxy's stadium. So, Donovan surely has done a lot more than any of these players have ever done with the team. Also, don't bring your dad to a fight. I get that Mark Pulisic, like other dads out there, has been involved directly in bringing up, in this case, Christian. I get that he's a former coach. But who brings their dad to a fight? If you're angry at me or Landon or anybody else that is being critical of you, that's fine. You have a platform, you have a microphone – some would say bigger than anybody else out there – to get that off your chest, but you don't need to bring your dad. Never once has it even occurred to have my father defend me from the slings and arrows that are inevitable but well done. You got me to watch, and you got exactly what you wanted. For a team that has produced so much angst and concern over what's happening on and off the field, you should be doing anything to get into the good graces of an American public that is dying to love you and support you. Everything that you do that possibly puts you in a negative light and makes you look like the babies or the weaklings that you are accusing others of labeling you as. That's the problem. You can correct it ultimately on the field, and that's where the road meets the road. That's where your legacy, whatever it ends up being. You should be so lucky that it is even close to Landon Donovan – and that's where it's going to happen next summer at the World Cup. Alexi Lalas is a soccer analyst for FOX Sports and host of "Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast." He represented the USMNT at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and had a nine-year professional career. In 2006, he became the president of the LA Galaxy and helped bring David Beckham to Major League Soccer. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
