Of the many players Mauricio Pochettino has called into the U.S. men's national team setup, only a portion have gone on to establish themselves in the squad. With four years still separating the sport from its 2030 World Cup, each international window offers Pochettino an opportunity to identify and assemble the players best suited to competing at that tournament.
Players featured in the guide are limited to those who held a roster spot at some point during the twelve months stretching back to October 2025. Having stepped away from the game through retirement, Tim Ream — who previously wore the captain's armband — no longer features in the squad. Potential figures into the ranking formula alongside current performance, meaning players such as Brooklyn Raines, Neil Pierre, and Mathis Albert — each considered to have room to develop further — can factor into where a team or individual lands on the list.
Among the goalkeepers named to the roster, Brian Schwake of Nashville SC, Diego Kochen of Lyngby, Chris Brady of the Chicago Fire, Matt Freese of NYCFC, Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew, Roman Celentano of FC Cincinnati, Jonathan Klinsmann of Cesena, and Matt Turner of the New England Revolution each earned a place between the posts.
Freese occupied the goalkeeper position for the United States men's national team when the 2026 World Cup took place. A taxing match against Belgium brought his time at the top of the national team's positional hierarchy to a close. Four other players had since worked their way past him in the positional order, despite his 45-minute appearance against Peru earlier that autumn.
Tryout time in camp gave both Brady and Kochen a platform to perform, and it was Kochen whose work there drew the more favourable notice. Ninety minutes of action passed without Mexico finding the net, with Kochen on the pitch throughout as the team completed a 3–0 victory. At 20 years old, he became the first goalkeeper in USMNT history to make a starting appearance at that age.
Following the international window, Schwake positioned himself as the leading candidate for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot under Pochettino. Across the fall international window, he stood as the lone goalkeeper to earn two starts in goal for the USMNT, a stretch that followed a steady run of form at Nashville SC throughout the season.
Six players fill the fullback slots: Alex Freeman of Villarreal, Antonee Robinson out of Fulham, Peyton Miller from the New England Revolution, Joe Scally based at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Francis Westfield representing the Philadelphia Union, and John Tollkin attached to Holstein Kiel. Questions about depth and reliability at the fullback positions in the USMNT have quieted in recent months, with players in those roles producing performances that appear to have eased earlier anxieties.
On the left flank, Robinson brings both steadiness and accumulated experience to his position, while Freeman takes charge of the opposite side. His performances at Orlando City caught Pochettino's attention and secured Freeman a place in the squad, where he went on to establish himself in the starting line-up. His performances held up at Villarreal through the autumn friendly fixtures, carrying over the level he had shown before the transfer.
Scally faces the same kind of roster competition in his bid to move ahead of Freeman that Miller encounters in his pursuit of playing time over Robinson. At 18, Miller found himself on Premier League scouts' radar following his debut appearance in a senior international camp.
Seven centre-backs feature in the pool — Chris Richards of Crystal Palace, Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers both stationed at Celtic, Mark McKenzie with Toulouse, George Campbell at West Bromwich Albion, Neil Pierre through Philadelphia Union, and Miles Robinson representing FC Cincinnati. Richards has drawn attention as one of Crystal Palace's more consistent performers, with some observers viewing him as a meaningful contributor to the USMNT's defensive shape both during matches and in the broader team environment.
Having logged time both with the USMNT and at European club level, Trusty brings a depth of background that positions him as a dependable partner for Richards in central defense. Adaptability at left back represents another option available to him.
At 18, Pierre earned his first national call-up during the fall window, and a broad cross-section of observers now views him as the likeliest candidate to fill Ream's position over the longer term. Aerial ability and an eye for goal are already part of his toolkit, though analysts and coaches generally view him as a player who still needs time to develop before he can reliably challenge Trusty, Mark McKenzie, or George Campbell for a starting position.
Among those named to fill the defensive and central midfield positions were Tyler Adams of Bournemouth, Weston McKennie of Juventus, Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris both stationed at Middlesbrough, Johnny Cardoso from Atlético Madrid, Brooklyn Raines of the New England Revolution, Yunus Musah representing AC Milan, Tanner Tessmann at Lyon, Timothy Tillman with LAFC, James Sands of NYCFC, and Cristian Roldan out of Seattle Sounders.
Across four preparatory matches, Pochettino rotated through various tactical shapes while keeping a double pivot in midfield throughout. While the captaincy has settled on Tyler Adams as the anchor of the double pivot, the identity of whoever lines up alongside him in central midfield remains unresolved heading into camp.
McKennie brought World Cup experience and a proven track record into the equation, yet his time away during the fall opened the door for teammates to make their own cases for roster spots. Berhalter put forward a case for inclusion in the starting lineup, building on the form he displayed during the 2025 Gold Cup.
Across the two international windows spanning September and October, Raines earned starting berths in four of the USMNT's victories, contributing both at the back and in distribution out of defense. Viewed by some as among the more versatile players available in the pool, Cardoso now faces the task of re-establishing himself within Pochettino's setup after an ankle injury kept him out of the 2026 World Cup.
Five players fill the attacking midfield spots on the roster: Malik Tillman, currently with Bayer Leverkusen; Gio Reyna, based at Strasbourg; Brenden Aaronson, operating out of Leeds United; Adri Mehmeti, attached to Red Bull New York; and Diego Luna, stationed with Real Salt Lake. Two free kicks converted during the knockout rounds of the summer tournament made a compelling case for Tillman's place in the No. 10 role.
Across four autumn-window appearances under Pochettino, the 23-year-old Reyna held a starting berth throughout, his playmaking threading fresh dimensions into the team's attacking play. Aaronson's performances at club level have yet to translate consistently when he pulls on the national team shirt. With 17-year-old Adri Mehmeti now part of the squad, the playing time available to him stands to narrow.
Nine players fill the winger positions across the pool, drawn from clubs on both sides of the Atlantic: Cavan Sullivan of Philadelphia Union, Christian Pulisic of AC Milan, Sergiño Dest of PSV Eindhoven, Mathis Albert of Borussia Dortmund, Max Arfsten of Middlesbrough, Tim Weah of Marseille, Cole Campbell of SV Elversberg, Zavier Gozo of Crystal Palace, and Alex Zendejas of Club América.
On just his third outing for the national team, Sullivan put the ball in the net and, in doing so, became the youngest player in the programme's recorded history to score at international level. Pulisic, now 28, has found his footing at left wing less certain since Sullivan's arrival pushed the position into fresh competition within the national team setup. When Pochettino opts to deploy both Sullivan and Pulisic together, a berth on the right flank remains available through Sullivan's versatility there.
All three players — Mathis Albert, Cole Campbell, and Zavier Gozo — are projected to fill roster spots lower in the depth chart for the time being. Since his red card during the 2024 Copa América, Weah has been unable to return to the form and standing he held before that tournament.
Among the attacking options named to the roster, Folarin Balogun of Monaco, Ricardo Pepi of PSV Eindhoven, and Haji Wright of Coventry City join fellow forwards Julian Hall of Red Bull New York, Patrick Agyemang of Derby County, Justin Ellis of Orlando City, and Damion Downs of St. Louis City. At the summer tournament, Balogun put in performances that underlined why Pochettino has kept him as the first-choice striker.
With Balogun unavailable through the autumn window, Hall — just 18 years old — netted three times across four outings and carried himself with notable steadiness at international level. Pepi pulled out of camp nursing an injury, though he is expected to factor into selection when fit. Reports suggest that Patrick Agyemang and Justin Ellis — the latter having recently turned 19 and stepped up from Orlando City's reserve setup, where he scored twice for the USMNT — have each attracted attention from Pochettino as he assesses his options.
