USMNT 2026 World Cup roster Big Board 2.0: The Nations League fallout

LOS ANGELES — After two dispiriting, “embarrassing,” sterile defeats here at SoFi Stadium in the CONCACAF Nations League finals, Mauricio Pochettino said Sunday that his U.S. men’s national team roster is “open.”

He said it and he meant it, clearly, after a mix of USMNT mainstays and deputies flopped against Panama and Canada, amplifying concerns that they’ll do the same at a landmark World Cup on home soil next summer.

Their “flat,” timid, uninspired displays left Pochettino, just six months into his stint as U.S. head coach, with a devilishly difficult decision: Will he stick with his stars? Or overhaul his squad to provoke necessary discomfort and/or search for potential replacements?

Pochettino will ponder that choice over the next two months, as he prepares for the Gold Cup, his last official competition before the big one. He’ll also ponder all the “information” he gleaned from a short week of training and games here in Southern California.

The following — the second edition of our 2026 World Cup Big Board — is a rundown of all that “information,” and of where the USMNT roster stands coming out of March.

World Cup roster locks*

*We’re still more than a year out from the World Cup. So, the very concept of a “lock” still comes with caveats. Injuries, off-field troubles and a variety of other issues can derail careers. That said, the following players will be on the squad if healthy.

1. Christian Pulisic, forward, Milan

It wasn’t his best window, however, it didn’t change his standing with the national team whatsoever.

2. Antonee Robinson, defender, Fulham (+1)

As predicted, his absence was felt. The USMNT’s lack of verticality against Panama reinforced just how unique and essential “Jedi” is.

3. Tyler Adams, midfielder, AFC Bournemouth (+2)

One of the few U.S. players who played with pride and zeal against Panama. He covered teammates’ asses, scurrying around the field to erase mistakes. No, he wasn’t great on the ball, but that’s never been his forte. He showed, at least in glimpses, why he’ll be an unquestioned starter under Pochettino as long as he’s healthy.

4. Weston McKennie, midfielder, Juventus (-2)

McKennie wasn’t good in either game. He rarely is when lights aren’t bright (or, in this case, when stadiums are empty). But, of course, you’d still back him to rise to the World Cup occasion.

5. Tim Weah, forward, Juventus (-1)

Weah is best when he’s direct. He’s more direct when he’s on the right because his dominant foot pushes him toward the byline. Pochettino’s repeated use of him on the left — apparently, in part, due to tests for right- or left-eye dominance — is weird.

6. Yunus Musah, midfielder, Juventus

One of our Big Board goals is to never un-"lock” a player — by keeping this top class a relatively exclusive club. Musah, however, tested our stubbornness with a rough performance against Panama. To be fair to the versatile 21-year-old, Pochettino set him up to fail — by playing him wide right in a game that required chance creation from that position.

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports illustration)

World Cup roster likelies

7. Matt Turner, goalkeeper, Crystal Palace

At his sharpest, Turner saves that Cecilio Waterman shot in the 94th minute of the semifinal. In his current state, he didn’t … but he still started both games. (And even if there were another keeper breathing down his neck, he’d make the World Cup roster as a backup — as long as he doesn’t decline precipitously.)

8. Folarin Balogun, forward, Monaco

One of several players whose stock didn't take a hit (and probably rose) in absentia.

9. Sergiño Dest, defender, PSV Eindhoven

Dest’s ball progression is sorely missed in buildup play. His return to full fitness can’t come soon enough — and should come in time for the Gold Cup.

10. Chris Richards, defender, Crystal Palace

Richards was solid against Panama before taking a blow to the head and exiting late in the second half — about 10 minutes before the Waterman goal, uncoincidentally.

11. Joe Scally, defender, Borussia Mönchengladbach (+1)

Scally looked awkward and uncomfortable in a left center back role against Panama. Three days later, after some questionable effort on Canada’s goal, he was yanked at halftime. None of that changed the prevailing opinion that he’s a reliable (and adaptable) defender.

Right side of the bubble

12. Johnny Cardoso, midfielder, Real Betis (+1)

Cardoso rises, ever so slightly, by default — though it’s unclear how, exactly, either game would’ve been different with him in the lineup.

13. Ricardo Pepi, forward, PSV Eindhoven (+1)

Pochettino name-checked Pepi and Balogun, in that order, when asked Saturday about the USMNT’s lack of goalscoring threat. Pepi, of course, is recovering from a serious injury, and will contend for a striker spot that Pochettino called “open.”

14. Malik Tillman, midfield, PSV Eindhoven (+2)

Tillman slides up our Big Board because the U.S. lacked creativity without him … and because Pochettino didn’t immediately turn to Gio Reyna to fill the creative void.

15. Gio Reyna, midfielder, Borussia Dortmund (-4)

Pochettino’s rationale for not playing Reyna more than 21 minutes — delivered multiple times, at multiple press conferences, in both English and Spanish — was strange. Sure, “he's not playing too much in his club,” as Pochettino said; but he’s actually playing more than he was at this time last year, when he walked into the national team, logged 154 minutes in a semifinal and final, and essentially won the U.S. a Nations League title.

INGLEWOOD, CA - MARCH 23: Gio Reyna #7 of the United States looking for the ball during a Concacaf Nations League game between Canada and USMNT at SoFi Stadium at on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images) — Gio Reyna still has a lot to prove. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Reyna started two of Borussia Dortmund’s past four Bundesliga games (both wins). So, the real explanation must be that, having observed Reyna from afar and now up close, Pochettino doesn’t rate him. The head coach hinted that Reyna wasn’t “ready to play in the way that we expect from him”; and that he’s “not maybe [at] his best.”

“I think he's [an] important player, [one] that was [an] important player in the past,” Pochettino said Saturday. “He's a player that we need to recover and put in the same level to the rest of the players to have the possibility to compete for one place in the World Cup.”

That, folks, is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

16. Josh Sargent, forward, Norwich City (-1)

International soccer has been cruel to Sargent. After hitting the post against Panama, and having a goal disallowed because Tim Weah was offside, his six-year wait to get back on a USMNT scoresheet goes on. With Patrick Agyemang getting the start against Canada, and Brian White coming off the bench, the only possible conclusion from the March window is that Sargent squandered his chance to impress the boss.

17. Haji Wright, forward, Coventry City (+4)

Another player who could have changed the Panama game. U.S. fans would’ve loved to see him on the end of the two chances that instead fell to Agyemang.

18. Tim Ream, defender, Charlotte FC (+1)

Ream was arguably at fault on the Panama goal, but much better than the two center backs who played in his stead Sunday. It’s also notable that he’s still starting with the first stringers.

The World Cup roster bubble

The following isn’t necessarily a roster projection. We’ve included a cut line — between Nos. 26 and 27, assuming World Cup rosters will feature 26 players — as if it were. But the position-by-position analysis below is more relevant.

19. Tanner Tessmann, midfielder, Lyon (+3)

Tessmann’s performances were forgettable. (Not terrible, just not memorable.) More noteworthy was the mere fact that he started against Panama and appeared off the bench against Canada. Pochettino is, at the very least, intrigued by his talent.

20. Mark McKenzie, defender, Toulouse (-2)

Weak in a crucial duel against Panama, indecisive on Jonathan David’s winner three days later. It wasn’t a great window for McKenzie.

21. Cameron Carter-Vickers, defender, Celtic (-4)

Slipping further and further into “never replicates his club form with the national team” territory.

22. Auston Trusty, defender, Celtic (+3)

McKenzie and Carter-Vickers didn’t seize their opportunities, which makes Trusty more likely to get one in the near future. (Trusty had to pull out of March camp with a minor calf injury.)

23. Patrick Schulte, goalkeeper, Columbus Crew (-4)

If he can’t get a game, even a third-place game, ahead of this version of Matt Turner, he’s not secure as the second-stringer.

24. Zack Steffen, goalkeeper, Colorado Rapids (+2)

Steffen didn’t dress for the Canada game due to illness, per a team spokesman.

25. Diego Luna, forward, Real Salt Lake (+7)

The only true winner of the window, and not just by virtue of his assist. Pochettino adores him.

“Left winger, right winger, offensive midfielder, defensive midfielder … you don't need to put him [in a specific position],” the head coach raved, unprompted, after Sunday’s loss to Canada. “The desire and the hunger that he showed is what we want. … And that is the example, for me, that we need to take.”

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Diego Luna #14 of the United States celebrates during the first half against Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League third place match at SoFi Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF) — Diego Luna provided a much-needed spark for the USMNT. (Photo by Shaun Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

26. Brenden Aaronson, midfielder, Leeds United (-3)

If Pochettino were naming a World Cup roster tomorrow, we now feel pretty confident he’d pick Luna over Aaronson.

27. Aidan Morris, midfielder, Middlesborough (-3)

There might just not be room for Morris in a crowded U.S. midfield.

28. Kevin Paredes, midfielder, Wolfsburg

This USMNT clearly needs wingers (especially if Pochettino isn’t going to play Pulisic as one).

29. Alex Zendejas, midfielder Club América

In Mexico, where Zendejas stars for current Liga MX champion Club América — and where the CONCACAF Nations League crown now resides — many are wondering why he wasn’t called up by the U.S.

30. Patrick Agyemang, forward, Charlotte FC (+1)

Got multiple chances, missed two against Panama, took one against Canada. He doesn’t look capable of displacing Sargent or Pepi anytime soon, but he didn’t look overmatched either.

31. Jack McGlynn, midfielder, Houston Dynamo FC (+3)

As Pochettino said, McGlynn is “different” — and that’s a good thing. He was the first man off the bench when Poch needed a solution to Panama’s compact 5-4-1. McGlynn couldn’t pick it apart, but he did seem to up the USMNT’s pace of play. And, like with Tessmann, his mere presence on the field, in a semifinal, alongside the A squad, was notable.

32. Marlon Fossey, defender, Standard Liège (-5)

Replaced Scally at halftime of the Canada game, didn’t do much of note.

33. Gianluca Busio, midfielder, Venezia (-3)

34. Miles Robinson, defender, FC Cincinnati (-1)

35. Max Arfsten, defender, Columbus Crew (+)

He didn’t play well, but he did play. That’s something, and suggests that Arfsten is at least on Pochettino’s radar for a reserve left back role.

Position-by-position breakdown

Goalkeepers

Locks and likelies: Matt Turner
Bubble: Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen
Long shots: Diego Kochen, Matt Freese, Drake Callender, Gaga Slonina, Ethan Horvath, Chris Brady

The only tiny takeaway from March — and specifically from the fact that neither MLS keeper saw the field — is that perhaps the gap between Schulte/Steffen and the rest of the pool isn’t as wide as we thought.

Fullbacks

Locks and likelies: Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Joe Scally
Bubble: Marlon Fossey, Max Arfsten
Long shots: John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley, DeJuan Jones, Kristoffer Lund, Shaq Moore, Bryan Reynolds, George Bello
Wild cards: Richy Ledezma

Scally’s struggles on the left shift the roster probabilities ever so slightly — because the more Pochettino sees Scally as a backup right back, rather than backup fullback who can play on either side, the more likely a second pure left back can make the 26 behind Antonee Robinson.

Center backs

Locks and likelies: Chris Richards
Bubble: Tim Ream, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Miles Robinson
Long shots: Noahkai Banks, Walker Zimmerman, Maximilian Dietz, George Campbell, Jackson Ragen, Matai Akinmboni
Wild cards: Anrie Chase

This could gradually morph into a competition between Carter-Vickers, McKenzie and Trusty for two spots (behind Richards and Ream).

Central midfielders

Locks and likelies: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah
Bubble: Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessman, Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn
Long shots: Timothy Tillman, Benjamin Cremaschi, Lennard Maloney, James Sands, Luca de la Torre, Emeka Eneli, Santiago Castañeda, Keaton Parks

The big wild card in the center of the park is whether Musah ever actually plays here.

Wingers/attacking midfielders

Locks and likelies: Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna
Bubble: Malik Tillman, Diego Luna, Brenden Aaronson, Kevin Paredes, Alex Zendejas
Long shots: Paxten Aaronson, Brian Gutierrez, Griffin Yow, Jordan Morris, Cole Campbell, Djordje Mihailovic, Quinn Sullivan, Taylor Booth, Caden Clark, Rokas Pukstas, Cavan Sullivan
Wild cards: Luca Koleosho, Fidel Barajas

Luna was the big mover of March.

“Diego was good. I liked him a lot,” Tyler Adams said Sunday. “The one thing I'll say about Diego, you can see his quality, but he has personality.”

Strikers

Locks and likelies: Folarin Balogun
Bubble: Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, Haji Wright, Patrick Agyemang
Long shots: Daryl Dike, Brian White, Brandon Vazquez, Cade Cowell, Damion Downs, Jesús Ferreira

We won’t really get answers to the “open” No. 9 question until everyone returns to full health.

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