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NEW YORK — As Mauricio Pochettino unveiled the official 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on May 26, many of the usual suspects were on the list to lead the United States into the summer tournament.
Headlined by Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, the final list of players came with few surprises overall.
Yet the few eyebrow-raising selections Pochettino revealed at Pier 17 in New York City may have a seismic impact on just how far the USMNT can go at the upcoming World Cup.
The U.S. men have the opportunity to elevate soccer in the United States this summer. A strong performance at the World Cup — say, a run to the semifinals or even a quarterfinal appearance — could usher the sport into a new era in the country. U.S. Soccer has long harbored hopes of breaking into the upper echelon of world football, shattering the glass ceiling and becoming a top-12 nation globally.
MORE: Inside the UNMNT World Cup roster
In order to do that, a positive performance at the World Cup is necessary. Falling flat this summer, after the enormous recent investment from the U.S. Soccer Federation — from the massive contract to lure Pochettino to coach the team to building a multibillion-dollar training facility in Atlanta — would be a failure of monumental proportions to capitalize on such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After reviewing the final USMNT roster set to represent the United States, it all seems to hinge on a few major decisions.
A quick glance at the 26-man squad betrays one glaring weakness: the midfield. What was considered perhaps the team’s greatest strength has suddenly become its most vulnerable area.
Behind Bournemouth star Tyler Adams, who has helped lead the Cherries to Europa League qualification and has developed into an unshakable anchor in the middle of the park, there is dangerously little cover.
This all hinges on a pair of omissions from Pochettino in selecting the final roster. The Argentine left out Lyon starter Tanner Tessmann and Middlesbrough standout Aidan Morris, both of whom are coming off strong club seasons and would have contributed significantly to the U.S. midfield if included.
Pochettino refused to speak on their absence at the USMNT roster reveal, calling it "disrespectful" to the players who have been called in, but he did speak on the selected group.
"We have Tyler [Adams], we have Cristian Roldan, we have also Sebastian Berhalter that can play in that position," Pochettino explained to the media after the official roster was revealed to the public. "We have players like [Malik] Tillman, like [Weston] McKennie, like also Gio Reyna. And then Sergino Dest in his team can play there, also Alex Freeman. If you go back when we were playing against Jamaica, we were using Antonee Robinson like a midfielder.
"I think [we have] plenty of possibilities to play. What we wanted to provide the team was the possibility to have the best player possible, the right player, that are the best players that we believe can make the roster and have this flexibility with different players not to provide the opponent the the possibility to see how we are going to play in that situation."
Tessmann’s absence is especially striking, having established himself as a regular No. 8 for the U.S. and expected to partner Adams at the base of midfield, providing a foil to the Bournemouth star as a ball distributor and field general. While the 24-year-old picked up a muscle injury toward the end of the club season, reports indicated it was considered minor and would not affect his availability for the World Cup.
Instead, the second and potentially third midfield spots will come down to MLS standouts Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Berhalter. While there are reasons for optimism about their ability to perform, it leaves the position perilously thin.
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Roldan, 31 years old coming into the tournament, has been exceptional for the Seattle Sounders for the last three years, carving out a regular spot in the U.S. squad despite the protests of those who believe MLS players should be phased out. He was exceptional at the base of Seattle's midfield against PSG, Botafogo, and Atletico Madrid as the Sounders finished bottom of the competition's most difficult group. Yet he also profiles as a similar player to Adams and pairing them together presents stylistic problems.
Most likely, Adams will start next to Berhalter as a double-pivot within Pochettino's 3-4-2-1 system, which brings with it some issues of its own. The son of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter — ironically, the man Pochettino replaced after the 2024 World Cup — Sebastian has blossomed into an MLS All-Star with the Vancouver Whitecaps over the last two years. Yet the 25-year-old is at his best in a more free-flowing No. 8/No. 10 hybrid role that sees him given leeway to get forward, and he struggles in a more rigid role that involves more defensive responsibilities, such as was the case against South Korea in March.
Pochettino could also move Weston McKennie back to the base of midfield, but his unique, Pochettino-created role at the No. 10 has been successful, and moving him back presents similar issues that of Berhalter, but even more so.
Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, and Malik Tillman are also capable of playing the No. 8 if needed, but none of those players are natural at that position, and would be considered little more than emergency options. Pochettino even mentioned non-midfielders like Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, and Joe Scally who can step into midfield from their wide positions to handle the load.
The players themselves, as you can imagine, relish the opportunity to take on new challenges.
"When you look throughout the whole squad there's a lot of boys who bring different aspects and can play different positions," Robinson said while speaking at the USMNT roster reveal. "You can only bring so many players on the roster.
"I wish we could have brought 50 guys and had everyone, but we can't, and the guys we got here can all bring a different ability in the game, and I feel confident in them. Anyone who's going to have to step in and do different jobs in different roles if the coach puts that on us, then great, bring the challenge on."
Aaronson, a natural pressing winger, echoed that sentiment.
"I'm a player that has played in so many positions throughout my national team career, and I think that makes me the player that I am," Aaronson said. "I'm willing to do whatever I can for that team because this is the World Cup. I just want to go out there and do the best I can always and help this team."
Thus, Pochettino has created a significant problem for himself when piecing together this team. While these are solvable problems with the squad at full-strength, yellow card suspensions and injuries are inevitable throughout a grueling, month-long tournament such as the World Cup and will exacerbate these issues ten-fold should they befall the squad.
In all likelihood, the ankle injury suffered by defender Chris Richards towards the end of the club season left Pochettino with a difficult decision to make. Likely aiming to deploy three central defenders at the World Cup, he opted to bring additional cover in Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson, totaling a whopping 10 defenders on his 26-man roster. That likely came at the expense of at least one midfielder, bolstering one position at the detriment to another.
The USMNT's World Cup hopes now come down to whether Pochettino can fit all those available pieces together effectively. It's not dramatic to say the future of soccer in the United States may very well hinge on that risk.
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