Pre-match: 2026 World Cup Roster

That said we might take Cardoso and Tessman at first, if we can replace them with alternates later on. .

 

Sean Zawadski anyone?

 

The timeline for recovery of both Tessmann and Johnny hasn't been revealed. So who knows?

Neither has a broken tibia. All we know about Tanner is that he has a muscle strain. We don't even know which muscle. Should be a couple weeks of rest as recovery. We're still a month from a game.

I'm totally with the poster above. If Poch wants Tessmann, he can name him to the squad and test him in the camp/friendlies. If he can't go, then that's why you have an alternate training with the team.

 

That's a dangerous game to play. FIFA has to approve of such switches, and they are unlikely to accept it if a player is able to play at all. If one of them ends up at 70% come the first match then they're going to be in even if you wished to bring someone else at 100%.

 

He's not far off, especially if there are other CB concerns (along with the CM questions) for Poch. Regardless of his minutes, Poch has called him several times. I feel confident he's higher up on Poch's depth chart than minutes played would suggest.

 

yeah but FIFA is corrupt so will give host nation special rules/approvals.

 

“To add an alternate to the roster in place of a player who is not demonstrably unable to play for reasons of injury or illness, the federation must submit a Request to Replace (Form 5809) along with the required Transactional Lubricant Deposit (Brown Bag US $250k) prior to the established deadline, unless the federation in question is a host nation, in which case Brown Bag US $150k should instead be used.”

 

I'm sure POch and staff are in communication with the Lyon and Atletico medical teams.

They know the situation with the two players.

We still have weeks to go before squad announcement.

Our fancy dog and pony show to announce the squad may actually not be the official squad registration with FIFA. There's that..................................

• May 11, 2026 – Preliminary squad deadline
  All 48 participating nations must submit a provisional list of 35–55 players, including at least four goalkeepers. This list is for internal use only and will not be published by FIFA. It serves as the official pool of eligible players for the tournament, meaning any injury replacement before the World Cup must come from this list.
  
  
• May 25, 2026 – Club release deadline
  Clubs must release players for international duty by this date, starting the “rest, mandatory release and preparation period” after the last official club match on May 24. Exceptions apply to players in continental finals (e.g., UEFA Champions League, UEFA Conference League, CONCACAF Champions Cup) with FIFA approval.
  
• 
  
• May 25 – June 1, 2026 – Final squad submission window
  National teams can submit their final rosters between these dates. Each team can register 23–26 players, including at least three goalkeepers. The expanded 26‑player format from Qatar 2022 remains in place to manage workload and injuries.
  
  
• June 2, 2026 – Official squad announcement
  FIFA will officially confirm and publish all 48 final squads on this date. While teams may announce their squads earlier, they are only considered official after FIFA’s approval

 

Could you have meant to say that he might sneak in due to a career high from one academy to join McKennie, Richards, Tessmann and Pepi?

 

Diego Luna scored again last night.

After starting the season slowly due to a knee problem, he now has 4 goals and an assist in his last 6 games.

He's in form now, and we know Poch loves his intangibles. He's likely on the plane.

Moon Man makes it a one point game 👀 pic.twitter.com/1T1r7Ccn5T

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) May 10, 2026

 

Also another goal for Sebastian Berhalter for Vancouver. Sebastian now has 4 goals and 4 assists on the season. He seems on the bubble, but is he??????

Sebastian Berhalter equalizer! 👊

San Jose-Vancouver tied 1-1 heading into the final 15 minutes. pic.twitter.com/vdvhX2fp9L

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 10, 2026

 

In the same game, Preston Judd scored again last night.

He now has scored 8 goals in 12 appearances during the 2026 MLS regular season for the San Jose Earthquakes who are at the top of the league overall.

I know they won’t look at him but they should.

The whole world loves a goalscorer!

 

Seb should be a lock at this point, given his scoring record with the National Team. The only question would be his role. Luna is also a lock.

 

I have Berhalter as my last man.

I do love the idea of Berhalter and Reyna being on the roster together. That would be poetic in some weird soccer universe way.

 

Also in the realm of intriguing possibilities: the manager with the fancy Euro credentials who replaced the unfancy American G. Berhalter in the wake of a scandal involving his not giving Reyna “enough” playing time at the World Cup could cut Reyna at this World Cup in order to give S. Berhalter a spot.

 

I don’t think he’s on the bubble at all. I think he’s someone Pochettino values and is likely to go.

 

Great to see Dest back and starting.. such an important player for the US.

Jedi too.

Has hurt the last couple of years with those two missing so many national team games.

 

My sense is these approvals are not particularly difficult. Especially if there’s any sort of injury at all.

 

That U17 team also included Adams, LDLT, and Trusty and Adams is going for sure barring injury and Trusty has a decent chance. Brandon Vasquez also but he’s another with zero chance like LDLT. McKennie was also around that U17 cycle but not part of the final roster.

 

A lot of us said that the last roster was basically the World Cup roster with the exception of some injured players (and a small bit of uncertainty about the 3rd GK). And the main question remaining was which 2-4 players on that roster would lose out when Dest, Adams, Luna, and Wright returned to full health and fitness.

Cardoso and Agyemang's injuries seem to have answered that question in the case of Adams and Wright, especially if the rumors of Cardoso being sidelined for 6+ weeks are true.

Luna over Reyna is looking increasingly likely to me, given Luna's recent form, and Reyna's inability to build on the momentum generated from his November USMNT performances. (But who knows, if Reyna's goal this weekend earns him a start in Monchengladbach's final match, and he puts in an impressive performance there, he might make that decision, or the decision about who Luna replaces, a lot harder.)

Dest is the one I'm least certain about. You could sacrifice a defender from our last roster -- like Miles or Scally. But since Poch has tended to play Dest in a more advanced role, you might also evaluate him against our more attacking options like Aaronson or Luna. And since we also have a lot of CMs right now, one of the non-Adams holding midfielders might be the player sacrificed there.

I don't really see a path for Zendejas at this point. His exclusion from the last roster was simply coach's decision, and I don't think there have been enough injuries or enough bench players in poor club form to change that decision at this point.

 

Pulisic has lower back and/or glute tightness according to coach, apparently held out today precautionary despite big match

 

Tessmann’s injury from what’s been reported doesn’t seem to threaten his roster chances whereas for Cardoso it very much does. But that’s also because he was already borderline.

 

It'll be more poetic if Berhalter makes it and Reyna doesn't.

 

Weah is listed as 'out until late May' with 'muscle discomfort'. He missed Marseille's match today.

Reyna vs Luna? In 4231, they wouldn't play the same position. Luna is essentially Pulisic's primary backup.

 

If Reyna goes I don’t think it’s as anyone’s backup but more as a wildcard on the last roster spot or two.