Sep 9, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; US Men's National Team goalkeeper Matt Freese (1) reacts during the second half against Japan at Lower.com Field.
Jun 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; United States of America midfielder Tyler Adams (4) dribbles the ball during the first half against Haiti during a group stage match of the 2025 Gold Cup at AT&T Stadium.
Sep 9, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; US Men's National Team forward Christian Pulisic (10) controls the ball during the first half against Japan at Lower.com Field.

Whether it's ready or not, the U.S. men's national team is rapidly closing in on a home World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino has overseen an uneven 2025, which was exemplified in the recently completed September window. A limp performance in a 2-0 loss to South Korea was quickly followed by a much-improved display in a 2-0 win over Japan.

Pochettino called in an experimental roster for this month's camp, but the coach has said the experiments will end soon.

"[This] is a camp that I think is going to be the last camp to have the possibility for us to see players, new faces," Pochettino said after naming his September roster.

The October roster, then, should be instructive. Before we move on to that squad, however, it's worth taking stock of where the World Cup roster stands right now with nine months left until kickoff.

FIFA expanded the roster size from 23 to 26 for the 2022 World Cup. The governing body has not yet announced whether that change will carry on through 2026, but for our purposes we'll assume that it will.

With that in mind, here are the 26 players we see Pochettino taking to the World Cup next summer.

Goalkeepers: Matt Freese, Matt Turner, Zack Steffen

In the mix: Patrick Schulte, Ethan Horvath, Chris Brady, Diego Kochen, Roman Celentano, Jonathan Klinsmann

Freese has burst onto the scene after only earning his first cap in June, becoming the USMNT's clear No. 1 after a strong Gold Cup followed by a September window that saw his main competitors — namely Turner, Steffen and Schulte — not even called in.

Turner appears to have the best chance to overtake Freese after the longtime U.S. starter moved back to MLS, where he is finally earning regular minutes again with the New England Revolution.

Behind him, Steffen and Schulte look to be battling for the No. 3 role — though goalkeeper is a position very much in flux for the USMNT. Surprises could emerge.

Defenders: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Joe Scally

In the mix: Miles Robinson, Kristoffer Lund, Tristan Blackmon, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Caleb Wiley, Nathan Harriel, Walker Zimmerman, Noahkai Banks, Auston Trusty, Marlon Fossey, John Tolkin, DeJuan Jones

The hierarchy in defense appears to be sorting itself out in recent months. Richards and Ream are the starters at center back. The former has solidified himself as an unquestioned starter and leader, while the latter is in pole position to improbably start next summer at age 38.

Dest and Robinson are still the starters on either flank, while Freeman and Arfsten — who both earned their first caps in 2025 — have emerged as clear backups at fullback, and potentially even candidates to start.

The intrigue for now comes beyond those six, with Pochettino's recent shift to a 3-4-2-1 system a major factor.

The backup center back spots are very much for grabs. McKenzie has a very slight edge due to his strong play in Europe, but Banks has the potential to surge onto the roster — and perhaps even challenge for a starting role — if he plays big minutes at Augsburg.

The move to a back three could be hugely beneficial to Scally, a former fixture who has been left out in recent rosters. Scally's lack of attacking chops hampers his chances as a fullback in a back four, but he has played right center back in a back three at the club level and could sneak onto the roster as an option at that spot.

Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna, Malik Tillman, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso, Gio Reyna

In the mix: Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, Aidan Morris, James Sands, Cristian Roldan, Jack McGlynn, Luca de la Torre, Sean Zawadzki, Paxten Aaronson

Midfield may be the toughest position to read in terms of Pochettino's thought process. The coach brought seven midfielders to September camp, six of which were from MLS. Meanwhile, names like McKennie, Cardoso, Musah and Reyna were omitted.

Pochettino has a glut of options to choose from, but it seems hard to imagine the Argentine ignoring McKennie regardless of his minutes with Juventus. If Cardoso and Reyna can find regular playing time with Atlético Madrid and Borussia Mönchengladbach, it's difficult to see them omitted as well.

Musah's grip on a roster spot is tenuous, but if he can make the most of a recent loan to Atalanta then his dynamism and versatility should keep him on the right side of the roster bubble.

Pochettino has appeared to take a liking to Berhalter's tenacity, giving the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder a slight advantage over his competitors for now. Luna is also on the roster for similar reasons.

Adams is a shoo-in if healthy, despite some uneven performances for the USMNT of late. Tillman can also be considered a lock after a breakout summer with the USMNT was followed by a high-profile move to Bayer Leverkusen.

But the midfield picture could change quickly. Morris, Tessmann and Sands have all started the season well in Europe and could work their way onto the roster. McGlynn, De la Torre and Roldan have also put themselves in the mix with their performances in MLS and with the national team of late.

Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Alex Zendejas, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright

In the mix: Josh Sargent, Brenden Aaronson, Brian White, Damion Downs, Quinn Sullivan

Pulisic, Weah and Balogun are the starters across the front three until proven otherwise. Pulisic and Weah were already known, but Balogun emphatically stated his case this month while Sargent again failed to take advantage of his chance.

Zendejas did take advantage of his chance, particularly with his outstanding goal against Japan, forcing Pochettino to say of the Club América star: “He’s in the race for the roster for the World Cup.”

Pepi seems like a lock if he's healthy and returns to anything resembling his prolific form with PSV from last year. We are giving Agyemang a slight advantage over Sargent as the No. 3 striker for now. Pochettino clearly likes the Derby County forward's physical profile, starting him in every Gold Cup game this summer. Agyemang will have to return to fitness and prove himself in the Championship, though, to solidify a roster spot.

Though Wright was left off the September roster, his excellent form with Coventry City and ability to play both as a striker and on the wings could make the difference in terms of securing a roster spot. Having experience scoring in a World Cup knockout game doesn't hurt, either.

USMNT projected World Cup roster

Goalkeepers (3): Matt Freese, Matt Turner, Zack Steffen

Defenders (8): Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Joe Scally

Midfielders (8): Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna, Malik Tillman, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso, Gio Reyna

Forwards (7): Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Alex Zendejas, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Patrick Agyemang, Haji Wright

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: 26 for 2026: Projecting the USMNT World Cup roster

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

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