Projecting the USMNT’s 2026 World Cup depth chart ahead of the tournament

Excitement ahead of the World Cup kicking off is really starting to ramp up. The United States will kick off their campaign on home soil against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on 12 June, also facing Australia and Türkiye in Group D. Ahead of this, Mauricio Pochettino will name his final 26 man squad on 26 May, so who will make the cut? Including out of FIFA window camps and the Gold Cup, more than 70 players have been called up by the USMNT under Pochettino, so who will make the cut?

Well, we're going to examine the current state of the pool, looking at which players are locks, which players are likely to make it and who could miss out. Pochettino has deployed both a back four and back three in recent matches, first switching to the latter for September's 2-0 win over Japan in Columbus, so versatility and adaptability will be qualities he is looking for. So, firstly, who will 100% be on the plane?

 The core World Cup spine is becoming clear

Despite playing 52 matches since exiting the World Cup in Qatar, as well as being led by five different head coaches, including interims, the core group of this squad remains the same. By our count, fitness permitting, there are eight guaranteed starters in the U.S. team, many of whom were vital figures four years ago too.

United States' guaranteed World Cup starters

In Qatar, Antonee Robinson and Tyler Adams played every minute of every game, while Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic were also among the first names on the team sheet. Chris Richards missed that tournament due to injury, but has since established himself as the undisputed number one centre-back. This continuity can only be helpful for a team that had no major tournament expirence last time round and it showed, but now most players do boast this, especially when Copa América is added in.

Elsewhere, Folarin Balogun switched his international allegiance to the U.S. six months after the World Cup, marking his first camp by scoring in the CONCACAF Nations League Final victory over Canada at Allegiant Stadium. He is a game-changing addition, after a seemingly random rotating cast of players were used at centre-forward in 2022.

Lastly, Matt Turner's turbulent club career has cost him the gloves. NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese has started 14 of 16 internationals since his debut in Connecticut, so is very much Pochettino's first pick. However, this leaves three spots in the team, as well as plenty more on the roster up for grabs.

 Position-by-position depth chart

Goalkeepers

• Starter: Matt Freese.

• Deputy: Matt Turner.

• Depth options: Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen, Diego Kochen & Chris Brady.

Right-backs

• Starter: Sergiño Dest.

• Deputy: Alex Freeman.

• Depth options: Joe Scally, John Tolkin & Nathan Harriel.

Centre-backs

• Starter: Chris Richards.

• In contention to start: Tim Ream & Auston Trusty.

• Depth options: Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman, Cameron Carter-Vickers & Noahkai Banks.

Left-backs

• Starter: Antonee Robinson.

• Deputy: Max Arfsten.

• Depth options: Kristoffer Lund & Caleb Wiley.

Central midfield

• Starters: Tyler Adams & Weston McKennie.

• Deputy: Cristian Roldán, Johnny Cardoso & Sebastian Berhalter.

• Depth options: Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris & Yunus Musah.

Number 10/wingers

• Starter: Christian Pulisic.

In contention to start: Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, Tim Weah & Diego Luna.

• Depth options: Álex Zendejas, Jack McGlynn & Đorđe Mihailović.

Centre-forwards

• Starter: Folarin Balogun.

• Deputy: Ricardo Pepi & Haji Wright.

• Depth options: Josh Sargent, Damion Downs & Brian White.

The biggest battles ahead of 2026

As documented by the USMNT depth chart, some positions have a clearly hierarchy, such as goalkeeper, the two full-back spots and centre-forward. However, other places are very much for grabs, most notably the centre-back alongside Chris Richards and the attacking midfielder or winger places next to Christian Pulisic.

At the back, there have been lingering concerns all throughout this cycle if 38 year old Tim Ream can still contribute at the highest level. Well, the Charlotte FC defender has endured a difficult start to the MLS season, and really struggled during the recent 5-2 demolition at the hands of Belgium. So, could Auston Trusty, who has hardly been rock-solid at Celtic during this campaign, become the starter? His left-footedness compliments Richards well, while Trusty's weaknesses, namely defending in open space, won't be exposed as much as they are in Scotland.

Elsewhere, sadly, everyone knows that Tyler Adams is injury-prone, while Pochettino seemingly does not trust Weston McKennie to play in a deeper position. Thus, that leave one place alongside Adams up for grabs, potentially two if the captain is not good to go at any point.

Well, Cristian Roldán's displays against Australia and Uruguay last November may have propelled him to the front of the queue, albeit he was not as good in March. Johnny Cardoso's tenacity and work-rate makes him well suited to facing tougher opponents in the knockout stages, while Sebastian Berhalter's set-piece delivery could earn him a starting berth. In summery, numerous players could be a midfield starter at this stage.

Lastly, Folarin Balogun will be starting centre-forward, but the number two spot on the depth chart could go a number of ways. Patrick Agyemang heartbreakingly suffered a long-term injury on Easter weekend, so it seems likely that Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright will the strikers in reserve.

Versatility could decide final spots

Any head coach who has selected a squad for the World Cup, or any major tournament for that matter, has cited versatility as a key attribute they're looking for in fringe players. Even though squads have now been expanded to 26, players who can do a job in multiple positions are invaluable.

Sergiño Dest, for example, is not only first-choice at right-back but probably second-choice on the left too. Meantime, there are few players in the world more versatile than Weston McKennie. He has played pretty much every outfield position for Juventus this season. A microcosm of this, for the Bianconeri's two-legged Champions League tie against Galatasaray in February, he was a centre-forward in İstanbul and then a left-back in Turin eight nights later.

Further forward, Tim Weah could be deployed at right-back or in attack, while Haji Wright can be the centre-forward or a winger. In many cases, this will be key to getting these players on the plane.

Young players who could still break through

Few international fanbases get hyped about a young player coming through quite as much as USMNT supporters. Perhaps this is the Freddy Adu-ification of how supporters view things. If any uncapped youngsters is going to make the breakthrough this summer it's most-likely to be Noahkai Banks. Born in Honolulu, the teenager is undecided whether to represent the U.S. or Germany, so turned down a call-up in March, but would surely be on the roster if he wants to be.

Elsewhere, Diego Luna became a Pochettino favourite in 2025, starring at the Gold Cup, including scoring both against Guatemala in the semi-final in St. Louis. Since then however, his important has dipped, albeit the 22 year old is still expected to be in the squad.

Lastly, teenagers such as Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti have been starring at Red Bull New York this season, while Cavan Sullivan's talents at Philadelphia Union are widely known, albeit it is likely to come too early for any of them to gatecrash this summer's squad.

Projecting the best USMNT World Cup XI

Right now, and this could change during the remainder of the European club season, or indeed in the pre-tournament friendlies against Senegal in Charlotte and Germany in Chicago, but this is the USMNT XI we'd expected to see on 12 June in California.

Predicted USMNT World Cup XI (4-2-3-1): Freese; Dest, Richards, Trusty, A Robinson; Adams, Berhalter, Tillman, McKennie, Pulisic; Balogun.

Of course, that XI would look somewhat different if Pochettino were to go for a back three. He primarily does this when the opposition also play a back three, which Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguay do not. Türkiye also operate out of a 4-2-3-1, but second opponents Australia always use a back three/five under Tony Popović, so we could see the U.S. switching from game-to-game.

A back three shape would see an extra centre-back, possibly Tim Ream or Joe Scally drafted in, with Malik Tillman potentially making way. Were Pochettino feeling adventurous, McKennie could drop back, which would make potential room for Gio Reyna. Even though he has played just 522 minutes for Borussia Mönchengladbach this season, he remains USA's best creator, if he can be available.

As already noted, were the United States to get far enough to come up against a top-class team, Johnny Cardoso's destroyer style could see him selected. For matches that the U.S. will dominate in terms of possession, the clash with Australia very much comes to mind, he is not the right fit.

Off the bench, Patrick Agyemang was proving to be an excellent plan B option, making him a big miss, but Ricardo Pepi could be well suited to that role. He has scored off the bench against Mexico, Uzbekistan, Oman, Trinidad & Tobago and Panama, as well as bagging three Champions League goals as a substitute for Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven this season. The U.S. are hoping to be at this World Cup for the long haul, targeting a first quarter-final since 2002, so they're going to need more than just 11 players to make a deep run.

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