The United States men’s national team’s 26-man roster for the FIFA World Cup has somehow been released on Saturday, with a few notable inclusions and omissions for the big summer tournament.
The Guardian, which authenticated the roster through various sources, was able to get its hands on the roster before the official reveal head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s picks on Tuesday. However, it should be noted that it is not the official roster, as all participating teams must submit them by June 1.
A few of the additions to the team are Gio Reyna, Alejandro Zendejas, and Sebastian Berhalter.
Reyna, 23, only played a handful of games in the German Bundesliga over the just concluded season after making the move to Borussia Monchengladbach. However, he came off the bench in 15 games and four starts that included some time out due to injury.
Zendejas had a fantastic season in Mexico’s Liga MX as he racked up 12 goals and seven assists. He played sparringly for the U.S., but his club performances have warranted enough for Pochettino to add the winger to the team.
Midfield is one of the most competitive positions, but Berhalter seems to have fought his way into the group after his performance with the Vancouver Whitecaps that earned him callups to the national team.
While the trio have made the cut, that has left others out for the next cycle. Those missing out are Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann.
Luna, who burst on the scene in 2025, seemed to have made an impressions with Pochettino. Despite being ruled out of the March friendlies due to recovering from injury, the 22-year-old came back to form for Real Salt Lake through April.
After wrapping up a strong season in France Ligue 1, Tessmann would have been considered a favorite on the roster. He did go out of action with Lyon due to muscle strain, but it is unclear whether his omission from the U.S. is injury-related.
The rest of the roster leaves no surprises. Only four midfielders are added to the team, with Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Cristian Roldan joining Berhalter.
A total of 10 defenders have been picked for the team. The most notable of the group is center-back Chris Richards. The 26-year-old is a cause of concern as he has suffered torn ligaments in his ankle that has ruled him out of Crystal Palace’s Premier League game against Arsenal and the Europa Conference League final.
Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright will take up duties of goal scoring as the trio will enter the World Cup after playing strongly at club level.
The U.S. have two games before the tournament against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6.
USMNT 2026 World Cup Roster
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Attacking midfielders/wingers: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America)
Strikers: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
