Last week, we got some premature leaks about the USMNT roster. On Tuesday, we finally had confirmation of the full 26-man roster that the United States will be bringing to the 2026 World Cup.
If you want a more detailed analysis of the roster, you can refer to my article from last Saturday. But I’ll break down the key points below.
Roster Analysis
With all these defenders, especially the wingbacks, it’s a sign that manager Mauricio Pochettino is favoring a five-man back line, or at least the option to convert to one. Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson are athletic, attack-first wing-backs who fit on the right and left flanks, respectively. Tim Ream, a trusted veteran, can have his speed concerns offset by the use of Mark McKenzie.
What happens in front of the back line is more of a question. With Tanner Tessmann left off the team, questions abound about who will play in the middle of Pochettino’s formation. He only added confusion with his statements on Tuesday.
Look, I’m not a football manager, unless I’m on my PlayStation. But it certainly feels odd to include Gio Reyna, a man never known for his defense, on the list of potential defensive midfield options. Tyler Adams, their top defensive midfielder, is arguably the best player on the USMNT. He should be playing every minute he can handle. Sebastian Berhalter is more comfortable as a defensive midfielder. Weston McKennie is best operating in a box-to-box role, but could certainly fill in there if needed. Cristian Roldan has played closer to the back line many times in his career. It makes you wonder why Reyna and Malik Tillman, natural attacking players, are even being brought up here. Those are, at best, your fifth and sixth options for the role. Even if Pochettino wants to use two defensive midfielders, it’s an odd statement. And it’s not the only odd statement he made.
The attacking group is fascinating as well. With no Diego Luna on the roster, Folarin Balogun is mortally locked into the top striker role. He has two solid backups in Haji Wright and Ricardo Pepi, with the latter able to play on the outside in a pinch. Tillman, more of an attacking midfielder, can fill in for Brenden Aaronson as the central attacking midfielder or Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah on the outside. It’s a group that can do a lot of mixing and matching as needed.
There’s still time for alterations to the roster. Chris Richards’ injury status is notable here, as he’s not 100% certain to be healthy in time. Until the June 1 deadline to lock the roster, there may be drama. But, for now, we know the group defending their home turf.
