USMNT World Cup Roster Comes With a Couple Surprises

The USMNT roster for the World Cup is officially set. Manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed all players who had previously been leaked to make the roster, so if you've been following along, there were no surprise reversals.

Sports • May 28, 2026

Written by ZACH ROBERTS

Photography PAMELA SMITH-IMAGN IMAGES

The USMNT roster for the World Cup is officially set. Last week, the decisions that manager Mauricio Pochettino settled on leaked early, and Tuesday’s announcement didn’t change what we technically knew. Nevertheless, it’s all official now.

Official USMNT World Cup Roster

There were plenty of familiar names on the 26-man roster that Mauricio Pochettino confirmed on Tuesday. The manager confirmed all players who had previously been leaked to make the roster last week, so if you’ve been following along, there were no surprise reversals, even if some of the decisions are surprising.

Of the 26, 13 were members of the 2022 World Cup squad that inspired so much hope. U.S. Soccer has been through a bit of turmoil since then, but they are bringing back 13 key contributors from one of the most talented USMNT squads ever.

Here’s how the roster breaks down:

Goalkeepers

Matt Turner
Matt Freese
Chris Brady

Defenders

Sergiño Dest
Chris Richards
Antonee Robinson
Auston Trusty
Miles Robinson
Tim Ream
Alex Freeman
Max Arfsten
Mark McKenzie
Joe Scally

Midfielders

Tyler Adams
Weston McKennie
Brendan Aaronson
Sebastian Berhalter
Cristian Roldan
Malik Tillman
Alejandro Zendejas

Forwards

Gio Reyna
Ricardo Pepi
Christian Pulisic
Haji Wright
Folarin Balogun
Tim Weah

The USMNT pool isn’t the deepest out of all the countries participating in the World Cup. Therefore, it wasn’t as if Pochettino had a ton of truly difficult decisions to make. Choosing between similar candidates for the 24th, 25th, and 26th spots is unlikely to cost the team too greatly this summer.

That said, there are a couple of interesting notes. The manager left Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, and Aidan Morris off. Luna fell short in a deep group of attackers. Tessmann is the big surprise here, but it’s worth noting he’s been injured. In his place, many expected Morris to get the nod instead.

Mauricio Pochettino defends Gio Reyna

Given what we have often seen from Gio Reyna, it’s not a big shock that he made the roster. However, when he’s not with the USMNT, he doesn’t play much. He’s struggled to make inroads at the club level since the 2022 World Cup. He flashed some brilliance for the Americans, and that seems to be what Mauricio Pochettino is banking on.

“I think we all know Gio have an amazing talent and experience, too,” Pochettino said in defense of his selection. “And to play a non-official game or to play in different competition is not the same as to play in the World Cup. I think we need to trust the players that have experience and I think that is really important.”

Reyna has all the talent in the world. He’s special with the ball at his feet, and he is the one player the USMNT might be able to bring on to really kickstart their attack. He’s inconsistent, but if Pochettino needs a big play, having Reyna as the ace in the hole could be important.

” can add different things to the team. He has the quality,” Pochettino said. He then added, “I think he has characteristics different and I think I really trust , OK? I like trusting everyone. But I really trust in him and to give him the confidence.”

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By Zach Roberts

Zachary Roberts has written in the sports industry for over four years. He's covered the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Seattle Seahawks, and wider coverage of the NFL, pro golf, NHL, MLB, and NBA. He has worked with ComicBook, Sportskeeda, The Sporting News, and the On SI Network. In his free time, Zachary loves playing video games, watching movies, or reading books.

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