Just a few days remain until USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino names his next USMNT roster ahead of friendlies against Peru (September 26 in Orlando), Chile (September 29 in St. Louis), Mexico (October 3 in Glendale), and Canada (October 6 in St. Paul).
Ahead of the release and my own roster projection (see below), let's make a few conditions clear, as stipulated in a recent ESPN piece.
Firstly, let's expect him to balance youth and experience. Even though he wants to "start from zero", this isn't a rebuild.
Secondly, expect some shock exclusions. Pochettino hinted at this when mentioning that "when we talk about habits, it's about talking about everything" (see my discussion about Milan forward/midfielder Christian Pulisic and Monaco forward Folarin Balogun) and that those who recently completed transfers (see my point about Middlesbrough and Sebastian Berhalter) might not be involved.
Thirdly, expect Pochettino to stay true to his word with regard to including four goalkeepers. That means that 22 outfield players are expected to be included in the USMNT roster, only increasing the stakes for those involved in World Cup action.
Let's get into the projected roster.
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Drake Callender (Minnesota United), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
I'm projecting the goalkeeper room based on my third condition (see above) and Pochettino's own words. Specifically, I'm opting to include the three goalkeepers from the 2026 World Cup (Chris Brady, Matt Freese, and Matt Turner), while adding Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callender to the mix.
My decision to include Turner is obvious enough. He's arguably the top full-time keeper, if not one of them, in MLS at this moment. Prior to this weekend's MLS action, he's given up just 30 goals through 24 starts (equal to a 1.25 goals-per-game pace). He has five clean sheets to his name (two of which came after the World Cup), and he's fourth in the league in terms of saves.
Though Freese was partially responsible for the USMNT's World Cup elimination in the last 16 at the hands of Belgium, he was still the goalkeeper of choice during that World Cup. It's also worth noting that outside of the Belgium game, Freese gave up just one goal across three appearances at the 2026 World Cup. His overall performance at the World Cup should be enough to justify keeping his place, but this is a less confident pick than that of Turner.
Some of the same goes for Brady. Sure, he has six clean sheets, the most of the three World Cup-bound keepers. But he's giving up a goal every two saves in MLS play (on average); even with the Chicago Fire doing enough offensively to secure results, that isn't necessarily a great measure.
Brady will find his way into the lineup, but he'll likely be the fourth-string option behind Callender. Beyond Turner and Freese, it isn't exactly a great collection of MLS-based, USMNT-ready keepers. But Callender has had his moments in the past, and he also has some degree of international experience. He also has just as many clean sheets this season as Turner. One could put anybody in the GK3/4 slot, but my pick is Callender.
Defenders: Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps), George Campbell (West Brom), Sergino Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Auston Trusty (Celtic) Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Tim Weah (Juventus), Caleb Wiley (Preston North End)
It's hard to see how Pochettino doesn't include Sergino Dest.
He's only failed to record a goal contribution once in his first five appearances of the season; through the four contests in which he has recorded a goal contribution, he's scored three goals while recording two assists. He also draws a lot of fouls; through four Eredivisie appearances, he's forced 14 fouls while conceding just three.
Besides Dest, a handful of the defenders who were selected for the USMNT's World Cup roster should maintain their place in the lineup. Some of the more confident picks in this regard are Antonee Robinson and Auston Trusty, who were both on Pochettino's World Cup roster. In terms of newcomers/returnees, I'm going to go with George Campbell, Caleb Wiley, and Tristan Blackmon.
Campbell's inclusion might surprise USMNT fans, but his West Brom side is off to a strong start in Championship action. They're also unbeaten in their last four matches, and they haven't given up a single goal in matches against Watford and Derby County, both of which Campbell started.
If we're going with the theme of goal-scoring defenders, then Wiley's inclusion would help Pochettino to build two wings capable of helping in the attack; Dest would take the right side of the pitch alongside Tim Weah (more on him below) in this scenario. While Wiley has struggled with injuries and whatever Chelsea's depth situation is, he recorded a goal in Preston's match against Bristol City; he is also capable of getting forward and utilizing his speed in different situations.
A quick note on Weah: he was included in the World Cup roster as a forward, but he is capable of playing on the defensive side of the pitch. To reinforce this point, Weah has been used as a right-back by Marseille to start the Ligue 1 campaign. He could very well find himself in the forward role for this international window, but one could justify including him in either group.
Let's hop back across the English Channel. Wiley did miss Preston's Championship match against Lincoln City due to recovery from an injury and soreness. However, now-ex-Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom did stress that it wasn't a serious injury and that he should be back on Monday. As a result, I wouldn't panic about that situation just yet, but it is one worth keeping an eye on.
I'm also going with a relatively new but experienced addition in Blackmon. He has a few USMNT appearances under his belt, but didn't end up making the World Cup roster. That said, his Vancouver Whitecaps have given up a rough-but-still-impressive 17 goals across 15 post-World Cup games. The Whitecaps have given up just 33 goals all season, 21 of which came in MLS play.
The above lineup not only combines younger/less-experienced players, but it also considers the fact that the defense needs to get younger. In this scenario, all but one defender would be under the age of 30; the departure of Miles Robinson (who is 29) and Tim Ream (who is 38) would help to reduce the average age significantly. Though Blackmon is 30, his inclusion might be necessary to ensure some experience on the roster, and it comes at the cost of two older options.
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Giovanni Reyna (Strasbourg), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
While Pochettino previously stated that he might not select USMNT players that just completed transfers (see the second condition), there will be one exception to the rule: Sebastian Berhalter. Why do I think there will be an exception? Because Pochettino also wants to go for a balance of youth and experience, and Berhalter kind of fits the bill on both. Oh, and he just recorded a brace in Championship play.
On the topic of Middlesbrough, Aidan Morris was arguably seen as one of the players snubbed from the 2026 World Cup roster. But with Cristian Roldan having seen little playing time with the Seattle Sounders, it's fair to wonder if Morris can take his place.
Pochettino also discussed a need to ensure better habits and dedication among Americans called up to action. I included the quote later on, but he is talking about both Pulisic and Balogun.
He reinforces this by saying "Before it was difficult to make the roster for the World Cup one year before, because the mindset was different and say, 'Oh, if I play, I have not holidays, I cannot arrive fresh for the World Cup", Pochettino is basically trying to make clear that there are no more excuses and that you have to play for your club and for the international matches you are called up for.
With that said, let's discuss Pulisic's case. He once missed the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup and only recently ended a stint on the AC Milan bench, which came as a result of a leg injury that forced manager Ruben Amorim to make the wise decision to keep him out of full-time action. That said, Pulisic did return to play in the second half of Milan's game against Lazio, recording an assist on one of the club's two goals in the contest.
While Pulisic plays mainly as a forward, he can also play in an attacking midfield capacity. If I were Pochettino, I would include him but keep him in a midfield role to ensure that he gets a return to action that doesn't jeopardize his health.
Yunus Musah is essentially my "last player in" for this roster. While his league form to start the year isn't as strong as other midfield contenders, he has found his stride once more under Amorim's guidance. His ability to get those bursts of speed going and his ability to get the ball forward were on display throughout the opening phase of this Serie A season.
On the defensive side of the midfield, Tyler Adams should remain a part of the USMNT heading into this international window. Previously dubbed "The Mindreader", Adams is more than capable of anchoring the back end of the midfield. With this projected midfield leaning more towards the offensive side of the game, Adams' inclusion will be important to ensure balance between an attacking mindset and preventing the USMNT from leaking goals.
To round out the midfield, I'm keeping Giovanni Reyna and Malik Tillman from the 2026 World Cup roster. While Reyna only has one goal from four appearances so far this season, he is nonetheless making himself a key part of a Strasbourg side that just held league-leading Monaco to a draw.
As for Tillman, we all saw what he was capable of achieving at the World Cup. Two free-kick goals in two knockout-round games cemented him as part of the USMNT's future. He hasn't had the greatest start to the new Bundesliga campaign for Bayer Leverkusen. But he did record an assist after coming on as a substitute against FC Augsburg. That means the goal contributions are still there, and a slow start shouldn't necessarily justify an exclusion, considering his performance at the World Cup.
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Justin Ellis (Orlando City SC), Ricardo Pepi (PSV) Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps)
The only two forwards whose spots are guaranteed for this window are Ricardo Pepi and Brenden Aaronson. For the former, it's a very simple case. Like Dest, Pepi has started the season in good form for PSV. He's scored in three of his first five Eredivisie matches of the season while also adding 17 shots, six of which were on target.
Though Aaronson doesn't have the goalscoring pedigree that Pepi can maintain, the situation the USMNT's forward group finds itself in (more on that later) justifies his place in the roster for the upcoming window. He also scored in Leeds United's 6-3 loss to Chelsea, though his goal gave the Whites a 2-0 lead 48 minutes into the match.
Beyond Aaronson and Pepi, it's anyone's guess as to who will fill those final few forward slots. That said, Haji Wright will not be involved as he is still recovering from a quad injury; the 12-week recovery timeline that was previously projected would keep him off the pitch until at least mid-November. The recovery also puts him up against the clock when it comes to the November international window, which is set to run from November 9 to November 17.
At the same time, Folarin Balogun's situation has kept him out of action. If we're going off the "no domestic action, no international selection" theory, then there's, at worst, a 50-50 chance that Balogun isn't selected.
While Pulisic would get the benefit of the doubt even with his decision to miss the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup in mind, the same would not go for Balogun, whose saga is only getting messier. A late arrival for a flight to Merseyside, no post-World Cup training, and more proof of a knee issue all emerged in the past few days, and all are working against Balogun, who is yet to feature for Monaco.
Balogun did return to training recently, but his absence from action is still going to be a significant hurdle to overcome in the hopes of returning to the USMNT lineup. With the above in mind, it's not unfair to assume that Pochettino would call Balogun and say something along the lines of, "I understand that you've been the victim of a bad situation, and I understand that you're working on coming back from a knee issue. But I have to send a message going forward."
Alongside that prediction. I'm also assuming that Alejandro Zendejas, who has only just recovered from knee surgery, will be kept out to ensure that he is fully fit going forward. In that case, I'm opting to include two young MLS stars in their place: Cavan Sullivan and Justin Ellis.
Sullivan's inclusion is easy enough to justify. He's arguably been the driving force for Philadelphia Union's post-World Cup resurgence, which has seen them go nine games unbeaten in MLS play while surging to the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. In terms of statistics, he's recorded four goals and seven assists across all competitions since the World Cup. Sullivan's performance has also created significant media momentum around him and whether he could actually make the USMNT roster. As for Ellis, since the end of the World Cup, he has recorded a goal and seven assists to help Orlando City make their own move up the Eastern Conference standings.
Brian White has been one of the top forwards for the Vancouver Whitecaps for well over five years now, and that hasn't changed too much with the arrival of a certain Thomas Müller. He's scored at least 15 goals in each of the last three seasons, and he's currently on pace to crack 20 for the first time in his career. He also scored twice in last season's MLS Cup Playoffs, which saw the Whitecaps finally slay their playoff demons in LAFC while making it to the MLS Cup Final.
But even with that success, he's yet to make the USMNT roster. That's about to change. With his form remaining constant and with other forwards essentially playing themselves out of USMNT contention, White should have an easy route into national team action for the first time in a year.
For the fun of it, here's a projected starting XI
This XI is based on the 3-5-2 the USMNT used in their most recent contest, their World Cup last-16 match against Belgium. The left side of the screen corresponds to the right side of the pitch.
Turner
Dest - Richards - Robinson
Pulisic - Morris - Adams - Berhalter - Reyna
Aaronson - White - Sullivan
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