Winners, Losers and Snubs from the Final 2026 USMNT World Cup Roster
It's finally here.
The United States men's national team's roster for this summer's World Cup was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon. With Mauricio Pochettino's 26-man squad now official, there will be plenty of celebration from those who made the cut. But for those who didn't? Well, at least their manager empathizes with them.
"It's going to be painful," Pochettino said after the United States' last set of matches. "In that process, always you create links, no, emotional links, but it's going to be difficult to pick 26 from 35, 40 players."
Painful or no, Pochettino successfully whittled the field down to just these 26 players:
Who are the biggest winners from the USMNT's World Cup roster? And who are the biggest losers and snubs? Let's dive in.
Winner: Gio Reyna
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Despite playing just 520 minutes in the Bundesliga this season for Borussia Mรถnchengladbach, Gio Reyna made the cut for the USMNT.ย
To some, Reyna's inclusion comes off as undeserved. To others, Pochettino among them, Reyna's tantalizing on-ball ability was too valuable to exclude, even accounting for the drama he helped spark at the 2022 World Cup, his physical limitations, and his injury history.
The argument for Reyna is clear: when he plays for the national team, he's typically one of the most impactful players on the field. Even just recently, he notched a goal and an assist in the November window against Paraguay and Uruguay. One of those teams, Paraguay, will be in the USMNT's group this summer and the other will also be at the World Cup.
While Reyna's frequent injury-induced absences make it impossible for his club team or his country to rely on his availability, Pochettino simply doesn't have to count on Reyna this summer. In a 26-player roster, there's plenty of room to carry a super-sub. At the 2022 World Cup, four outfield players never saw the field for the United States. So, then, if Reyna doesn't suit up? It's not a problem. But wouldn't you like to have the potential of a guy coming off the bench who can do this:
Pochettino sure would. That's why Reyna is going to his second World Cup.
Loser: Balance in the Roster
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Throughout his time in charge of the United States, Pochettino hasn't been afraid of making bold decisions. Take his public back-and-forth with Christian Pulisic over the summer of 2025 and his decision to leave Weston McKennie out back in the fall as just two examples.
When it comes to the USMNT's World Cup roster, Pochettino surprised again. The biggest shock came in the form of an imbalanced roster. The Argentine selected just four central midfielders for this summer's tournamentโand McKennie has been used almost exclusively as an attacker during the coach's national team tenure.
With only McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, and Cristian Roldan in the midfield depth chart, the U.S. is unexpectedly thin in that part of the field.
Instead of bringing more midfield options to protect against, say, an Adams injury (which is a front-of-mind possibility given the Bournemouth man's injury history), Pochettino opted to bring 10 defenders. If you view Tim Weah as an outside back, a role he played for the U.S. in March and plays regularly at club level, then you can bump that number up to 11.
Perhaps Pochettino has designs for Malik Tillman or another wildcard option to see time in central midfield. Regardless, the United States is light on obvious options in front of the backline. That is a concern.
Winner: Alex Zendejas
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As far as unexpected inclusions are concerned, Alex Zendejas' name may have been the most out-of-left-field selection on the USMNT's World Cup squad. The 28-year-old forward appeared just six times for Pochettino since the Argentine took charge in the fall of 2024, playing only 139 minutes along the way.ย
And yet? Zendejas made the cut.ย
Based on flashes with the national team and his regular performances for Liga MX giant Club America, though, it's easy to see why Pochettino made it a point to bring along Zendejas. In the latest Liga MX campaign, Zendejas finished second in the Club America squad in goal contributions with 14, only trailing Uruguayan international Brian Rodriguez.
With a useful mixture of goal threat, vision, and passing range, Zendejas is a natural fit to play as one of Pochettino's dual attacking midfielders in his preferred 3-2-5 possession shape. Plus, with experience in front of large crowds in big games at club level, Zendejas isn't likely to be overawed at the World Cup this summer. That's what Pochettino is banking on, anyway.
Snubbed: Diego Luna
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There is no more lasting image of Pochettino's time in charge of the national team than Diego Luna continuing to play for the U.S. after having his nose bloodied in a clash with Costa Rica in January 2025.
When asked about Luna's injury, Pochettino praised the Real Salt Lake playmaker's toughness.
Luna, with his grit and flashes of on-ball playmaking, became synonymous with Pochettino's efforts to remake the USMNT's locker room culture.
After taking over from Gregg Berhalter, the former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager saw a need to reset expectations and remind his playersโeven his most important onesโthat no one's roster spot was safe.
For the World Cup, though, it turns out Luna's spot was the one in danger.
The 22-year-old, even in the midst of the best spell of his career yet at club level, was left off Pochettino's World Cup squad. There were hints that the coach was dissatisfied with Luna's effort near the start of the MLS season. Perhaps that was enough for the Argentine to leave him out of the squad in favor of Zendejas or Brenden Aaronson.
Once the picture of Pochettino's revitalized national team, Luna ended up on the outside looking in at the worst possible time.
Snubbed: Tanner Tessmann
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Of all the names left off of the United States' World Cup squad, no omission was more surprising than Tanner Tessmann.
The Lyon midfielder, who started for the USMNT against Belgium in March and played the entire second half against Portugal, looked like the front-runner to start next to Adams in Pochettino's preferred double pivot.
Instead, Tessmann was left out altogether.
Of course, it's hard to argue that the 24-year-old left an indelible mark on the national team during this World Cup cycle. But given the limited options in his No. 8 position, Tessmann looked like a go-to option.
Plus, accounting for the quality distribution and box-crashing Tessmann has shown, he would have brought value to the table this summer. In his absence, Sebastian Berhalter and Weston McKennie are among the few players in the squad with real experience in that box-to-box central midfield role.
Now, it's worth noting that Tessmann suffered a muscle injury earlier this month. Still, The Athletic reported that he was expected to be fully available for this summer's tournament. We're left with questions, then. The USMNT is left too light in central midfield.
And Tessmann is left with more time off than he bargained for.
