USMNT World Cup 2026 Squad

26 Man Squad Has Some Familiarity, But Shoulders Same Hopes

By Gary Jordan | Published on June 3, 2026

The USMNT coach, Mauricio Pochettino, has announced his squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

With the tournament just days away, the anticipation is building. Co-hosts USA will face Australia, Paraguay and Turkey in Group D, and the squad includes many players who experienced their first taste of the global showpiece four years ago in Qatar. The standout names are AC Milan attacking star Christian Pulisic, who scored a goal and had two assists in his first World Cup in Qatar, alongside Weston McKennie, the versatile Juventus man. These two will no doubt be the potential headline makers, but they will not be a success on their own, so the other 24 players will all have to play their part. Even if they do not see any game time, they will be valuable to squad harmony.

Other players of note are Gio Reyna, the hugely talented attacking midfielder. His ability to change games will be exactly what Pochettino is looking for. Matt Freese and Matt Turner are still competing for the goalkeepers' spot, with both being strong enough to hold that position, but maybe the edge right now is with Freese, due to his contribution in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign.

The defence seems strong. Maybe one of the best going into a tournament for a long time. Fresh off another successful season with Crystal Palace in England's top division, Chris Richards anchors the back line, he is though, nursing an injury but should be ready for the June 12 opening game. Full-backs Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson will be an exciting watch on the flanks, but have great understudies in youngsters Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman.

McKennie will be the key man in central midfield, and Tyler Adams will also assist with the workload, while going forward, the likes of Pulisic, Reyna and mainstay Timothy Weah offer enough creative output that should see them get through what is a tricky group phase trio of opponents. Up top, Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright are the men charged with getting the goals.

Pochettino is trying to put aside the talk of him being out of contract when the tournament ends and a possible return to club football after the World Cup. Just days before the first of two last warm-up games, a 3-2 win over Senegal, with a match against Germany to be played this coming weekend, June 6, in Chicago, his agent had started talks with AC Milan over their recently vacant manager role. Staying tight-lipped over any talks himself, he denied direct contact but wouldn't say if his representatives had touched base with the Italian club. Instead, he concentrated on the here and now. "We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup," he said. "These were very difficult decisions, and we are thankful to all the players who were part of this journey. This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud."

There is some quiet optimism coming into this World Cup amongst the squad, its staff, and the media. Of course, the latter will always be hard to please, but this is a group that, on its 12th appearance at the biggest event in sports, could well emulate its best performance of a quarter-final spot in 2002. Major League Soccer was largely founded in its current form on the back of a successful hosting of this event in 1994; the MLS was set up two years later. A platform for players to learn their trade and showcase their talent. The squad has eight players currently plying their trade in the MLS, and of the 26 players, another 13 are either MLS homegrown products or players who spent time in an MLS academy.

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