Pochettino names – Mauricio Pochettino named a 26-man USA World Cup squad with Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie among the headline selections, but Real Salt Lake forward Diego Luna’s absence sparked immediate backlash. At Pier 17 in Manhattan, USMNT players wer
With the 2026 World Cup just weeks away, the United States roster reveal played out like a show—and for some fans, a heartbreak.
Hundreds gathered in the sunshine at Pier 17 in Manhattan’s Seaport neighborhood as the federation turned the squad announcement into an event. Members of the USMNT were brought onto a stage one by one. holding up kits with their name and number as supporters cheered through the afternoon. The mood stayed light. with an appearance from “Drip Too Hard” rapper Gunna and the kind of warm-weather buzz that only comes before a home tournament.
But even as the introductions rolled on, one name sat offstage: Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna.
Luna’s omission—despite a strong Gold Cup and his rise as one of the most promising young players in the US—became the clearest point of tension during the broadcast live on Fox. Early in the show. a fan held up a sign reading “Poch We Want Diego Luna. ” a direct reference to the most surprising snub from the roster.
After the 26 names were officially unveiled. Pochettino faced the anger head-on in his own way. talking about belief and about what it means to miss out when you’re living the dream as a player. “When I was a player, I missed two World Cups, 1994 and 1998,” he said. “But I kept working and in 2002, I made the roster and I played in the World Cup. It’s all about belief. It’s true that it’s very disappointing for the people that are not here. I didn’t sleep for two weeks because we care about the people and we care about our players.
“But that is soccer and we need to move on… now we need to be focused and to perform and to create good memories.”
The roster itself was already known before the ceremony. after reporters from The Guardian obtained and released the 26 names Pochettino would take to the World Cup. With much of the squad expected to match the betting and buzz—Christian Pulisic of AC Milan. Weston McKennie of Juventus. Antonee “Jedi” Robinson of Fulham. and Tyler Adams of Bournemouth among those widely expected to be included—the spotlight kept snapping toward what wasn’t there. Defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann was also absent from the stage, with Luna the headline omission.
When asked by reporters why he did not take Tessmann, Pochettino declined to engage and refused to single out players missing from the squad. He declined to talk about the players that are not in the roster, calling it disrespectful to do so to players who are not here.
In the midfield, the structure of the selection is stark. Pochettino’s midfield group contains just four players—three of whom are already part of the roster in Qatar. Two of them. Tyler Adams and McKennie. are considered among the best midfielders in the US pool and are likely to start. The other two are Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Berhalter, each with considerable MLS experience.
Roldan is returning to the World Cup stage, while Berhalter comes in for his World Cup debut. Sebastian is also the son of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, who was sacked after the United States crashed out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stages.
If Berhalter’s inclusion carried storylines, so did the way Pochettino shaped the attack. One of the more striking calls came for Gio Reyna, his second World Cup. Reyna’s inclusion jolted fans because his lack of use at the 2022 World Cup helped kick off a massive scandal involving his parents. Danielle and Claudio Reyna. and former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter. That complaint process led to an investigation into the coach’s conduct.
In 2026, Reyna’s professional path has also not followed the easy route back. A series of injuries and poor performances for Borussia Dortmund. plus a loan spell to Nottingham Forest. helped steer him to Monchengladbach last summer. This season. in 20 appearances across all competitions. he managed a single goal and a single assist across 577 total minutes of game time.
Reyna is not the only player on the roster who complicates the discussion. Luna, who plays in a similar position, has also dealt with an injury in 2026. Yet he was still expected to be included after his strong performance last summer for the United States at the 2025 Gold Cup. where he produced four goals and one assist across nine MLS games.
Luna’s profile in the lead-up only sharpened disappointment. In recent months. he had been featured in World Cup advertisements for both Nike and Fox Sports. America’s World Cup broadcaster. A USSF spokesperson told The Guardian that Pochettino “had nothing to do with the players selected to appear in those advertisements. ” adding that some of those were produced months ago.
Here is the full 26-man USA World Cup roster as announced:
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders (4): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)
Strikers (3): Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Half of the selected players are making their World Cup roster debuts. Among them are defenders making their first World Cup appearance: Chris Richards of Crystal Palace and Miles Robinson of FC Cincinnati. Both would likely have been on the 2022 roster if not for injuries.
For Richards, the selection follows reports of a foot injury toward the tail end of Crystal Palace’s club season. He will likely be healthy in time for the World Cup.
The other debutants are strikers Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi. Pepi. who plays for PSV. was passed over at the last World Cup in favor of Jesus Ferreira. who has not featured for the USMNT since the 2023 Gold Cup. Balogun’s path is different: the Monaco striker obtained a one-time switch to play for the USMNT in May 2023 after previously representing England at youth level.
The choice set the tone for what comes next: a squad assembled with some familiar pillars, plus new faces and high-profile returnees, even as the loudest question hanging over the day remains who was left out.
The United States will now travel to their newly opened training facility in Atlanta before playing friendlies against Senegal in Charlotte and Germany in Chicago. After that, they head to Los Angeles to begin their World Cup group stage campaign against Paraguay.
USA World Cup roster Mauricio Pochettino Diego Luna USMNT Christian Pulisic Tyler Adams Weston McKennie Gio Reyna Sebastian Berhalter Folarin Balogun Ricardo Pepi Fox Pier 17