Meet the USMNT: The 26 Players Chasing a World Cup on Home Soil
From a 38-year-old captain to a Harvard-educated goalkeeper, here is Mauricio Pochettino's full 26-man United States squad for the 2026 World Cup — position by position, with the stories behind every name.
The biggest tournament in American soccer history kicks off for the hosts against Paraguay in Inglewood — and these are the 26 men carrying it. Mauricio Pochettino's squad blends an established European core with an MLS contingent, mixes 2022 veterans with World Cup debutants, and is led, somewhat improbably, by a 38-year-old captain. Here is the full roster, position by position.
Goalkeepers
Matt Turner (31, New England Revolution) is the senior man between the posts, back in MLS after his European spell and the most experienced of the three keepers with over 50 caps. Matt Freese (27, NYCFC) brings one of the squad's best back-stories — a Harvard graduate who chose professional soccer over the Ivy League career path. Chris Brady (22, Chicago Fire), with a single cap, becomes the first Fire homegrown player ever to make a World Cup squad.
Defenders
The headline is at the back: Tim Ream (38, Charlotte FC) captains the side, the elder statesman of American soccer with 82 caps and the chance to become the oldest American ever to play at a World Cup. Around him, Chris Richards (26, Crystal Palace) — fit again after his May ankle scare — anchors the centre of defence, with Antonee Robinson (28, Fulham), arguably the squad's most reliable performer, owning the left flank.
Sergiño Dest (25, PSV Eindhoven), the first American ever to play for Barcelona, provides attacking thrust from full-back. Joe Scally (23, Borussia Mönchengladbach) arrives off a season in which he played 32 of 34 Bundesliga matches. Miles Robinson (29, FC Cincinnati) and Auston Trusty (27, Celtic) add centre-back depth, Mark McKenzie (27, Toulouse) offers cover on the ball, and Max Arfsten (25, Columbus Crew) covers the left. The wild card is Alex Freeman (21, Villarreal) — son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman — the youngest player in the squad and one of its fastest risers.
Midfielders
Tyler Adams (27, Bournemouth), the destroyer who captained the side in Qatar, remains the heartbeat — and the first American to win a Premier League Player of the Month award. Weston McKennie (27, Juventus) is the engine alongside him, the most-capped midfielder in the group. Sebastian Berhalter (25, Vancouver Whitecaps) carries a familiar surname — his father Gregg coached this team's previous era — while Cristian Roldan (31, Seattle Sounders) is the glue player every tournament squad needs.
Forwards and attackers
Christian Pulisic (27, AC Milan) is, as ever, the talisman — 86 caps at 27 and the face of the home World Cup. The in-form runner is Malik Tillman (24, Bayer Leverkusen), whose surge has forced Pochettino into genuine selection debates. Timothy Weah (26, Marseille), son of Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, brings pace on the right; Gio Reyna (23, Borussia Mönchengladbach) remains the squad's purest creative talent.
Up top, Pochettino has options with contrasting profiles: Folarin Balogun (24, AS Monaco), the club's player of the season; Ricardo Pepi (23, PSV Eindhoven), the El Paso striker once courted by Mexico; Haji Wright (28, Coventry City), whose 17-goal season set a record for a U.S.-born player in the EFL; Brenden Aaronson (25, Leeds United), who got married days before reporting to camp; and Alejandro Zendejas (28, Club América), just the fifth player ever capped by both the United States and Mexico.
The shape of the squad
| Goalkeepers | Turner, Freese, Brady |
| Defenders | Ream (c), Richards, A. Robinson, Dest, Scally, M. Robinson, Trusty, McKenzie, Arfsten, Freeman |
| Midfielders | Adams, McKennie, Berhalter, Roldan |
| Forwards | Pulisic, Tillman, Weah, Reyna, Balogun, Pepi, Wright, Aaronson, Zendejas |
| Captain | Tim Ream (38, 82 caps) |
| Oldest / youngest | Ream (38) / Freeman (21) |
| Group D | Paraguay (Jun 12), Australia, Türkiye |
The threads running through the roster are hard to miss. Four players are sons of famous sporting fathers — Reyna, Weah, Berhalter and Freeman. Several arrived through dual-national recruiting battles, from Dest and Tillman to Zendejas. And the Europe-MLS balance that defined the last cycle has tilted into something closer to parity, with nine players based in North America.
What unites them is the assignment: escape Group D — Paraguay first, then Australia and Türkiye — and turn a turbulent 2026 into the deepest American run since 2002. On home soil, in front of sold-out stadiums, there will never be a better chance.
Sources: ESPN — Meet the USMNT: the 26 players striving to win a World Cup on home soil · ESPN — Tim Ream named USMNT captain
