With the USMNT’s 2026 World Cup roster set for an official release Tuesday, Herculez Gomez has publicly criticized a report that players were informed via email—calling it “diabolical if true” and demanding the team show more respect.
The roster doesn’t get announced until Tuesday, but the hurt—and the anger—arrived Monday.
Herculez Gomez. a former USMNT player with 24 caps who made three appearances at the 2010 World Cup. reacted sharply after an insider report suggested the team handled World Cup cuts through email. The information being discussed has come from The Athletic’s Tom Bogert. who reported the USMNT sent 55 emails: 26 players were told they made the 2026 World Cup team. and 29 were informed they did not.
Gomez, a forward born in Los Angeles and raised in Las Vegas, did not mince words. He tweeted Monday that. “According to this report. players were informed via email that their World Cup dreams were over. ” adding that it was “diabolical if true.” He followed that with a direct demand for basic respect: “Face your players and give them the respect they deserve. Even those who made the team are owed more than just an email. #USMNT.”.
Behind the timing, the situation is already turning into something harsher than a standard cut-day surprise. The full roster has reportedly been leaked online. and although the official USMNT 2026 World Cup roster release is scheduled for 3 pm ET on Tuesday. May 26. there is talk of only one outlet truly reporting it in the hours ahead of the official announcement. Even so. a few names have circulated in ways that appear to carry confirmation. including that Real Salt Lake teammates Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna did not make the final squad.
The leak and the cuts have also sparked attention around composition and role balance. The allegedly leaked roster reportedly includes 10 defenders and only four central or defensive midfielders. One specific decision has also stood out in this early conversation: Alejandro Zendejas is said to have made the team over Tanner Tessmann.
There’s a simple. painful contrast running through these details: players are reportedly being told their World Cup fate through a message. and at the same time the list itself is showing up online before the team’s official announcement. That combination is exactly what Gomez took aim at when he asked why the process couldn’t be faced directly—especially for the players who. by the same account. were told they made it.
Until 3 pm ET on Tuesday. May 26. when the official USMNT 2026 World Cup roster will be announced on FOX. the public-facing numbers—55 emails. 26 called in. 29 cut. and the early chatter of leaked names—remain the center of a growing debate about how the USMNT is handling one of the biggest moments in American soccer. For Gomez, it isn’t just about who is in or out. It’s about how quickly the human impact of the decision can disappear behind a method that feels cold.
USMNT 2026 World Cup roster Herculez Gomez email cuts Tom Bogert Zavier Gozo Diego Luna Alejandro Zendejas Tanner Tessmann FOX May 26