Pre-match: 2026 World Cup Roster

These are my written in pen guys:

ST:
Balogun
Pepi

AM:
Wes
Malik

W:
Pulisic
Weah
Aaronson

DM/CM:
Adams
Tessmann

FB:
Jedi
Dest
Freeman
Scally

CB:
Richards
Ream
McKenzie


These are my pack your bags picks:

ST:
Wright

AM:
Gio

DM/CM:
Morris

GK:
Turner
Freese


This is where I’m leaning:

DM/CM:
Musah

CB:
Banks

GK:
Brady


2ish spots up for grabs:

ST/W/AM:
Hall
Gozo
Albert
Luna
Sargent

DM/CM:
Roldan
Berhalter

FB/WB:
Culbreath
Arfsten
Lund

CB:
Robinson
Trusty

 

Personally, I don't see Gozo as a wingback. He appears to me to be way too skilled around the goal to waste as a true wingback. He strikes me a winger in a 433.

Dude looked like he was varsity playing against JV in the second half against Houston. Seemed like he was physically toying with them at times. I'll be tuning in to watch him again tomorrow.

He seems to be breaking out bigly right now, likely just a few months too late though?? We will see.

 

In no way shape or form are Balogun/Pepi more physical than Haji.

 

Because Poch is the current coach. It's under his tactics the team currently plays. What happened under Gregg has no relevance to the upcoming WC.

 

He's been highly successful at RB, RWB, and RAM. Like Davies, after moving abroad, Gozo could end up playing defense.

 

Yeah I know that's where he plays. Davies could be a good comp, didn't think of him.

Gozo, just seems to me like he could be a true goal scorer. He would still need to do it at the next level though. No guarantees.

 

In Poch's 3-4-3, Gozo is a RWB.

To my amateur eyes, those wingbacks are an overwhelmingly attacking position in modern soccer. Often more advanced on the field than the midfielders.

If we're going to bring in a young guy at the last second, it makes sense to put him in the position that he's playing so well at in club soccer. Not overcomplicate matters.

The problem is that Dest of PSV plays that position. Weah of Marseille plays that position. Heck, Weston McKennie of Juventus has played that position (although we'll probably use elsewhere). Then we have Freeman and maybe Scally on the roster as more defensive right sided players.

I totally get it. We fans are tweaking and making substitutions and swaps until the last possible millisecond. I don't see Poch doing that.

I said THE GUYS ARE THE GUYS in October. I haven't been wrong. Poch hasn't capped a previously uncapped player in almost a calendar year.

My projection is that Gozo is an alternate. Brought into the upcoming friendly camp in case somebody like Weah can't go. Tim isn't a beacon of health. I can see a list of alternates as McGlynn, Gozo, Trusty, Zendejas, and a 4th keeper. Something like that.

 

@EruditeHobo as well

I don’t disagree.

The reality is that Gozo a) has real talent and b) is exactly the kind of profile — fast, young, wide attacker — that often can make an impact at the WC without a lot of experience. Yes, you lack cohesion and experience, but in that position, the effects are minimized.

OTOH, this team has available to play RW or RWB McKennie, Dest, Weah and Freeman, even before you look at an Aaronson or Reyna. Sure, a couple of those guys are likely starting elsewhere … but still, it’s not exactly a position of need.

And if you bring Gozo on for Dest at 75 minutes, he changes the style of the game and brings fresh legs, but it’s not some massive upgrade over Dest or bringing on Weah.

 

Like with a lot of our young guys, I feel like his next move needs to be smart. I do wish more of our players would look to someone like Haaland, who deliberately paced his progression patiently, knowing he could keep moving but always putting himself in places where he’d play.

 

When are players arriving to camp? With that announcement coming only 5 days before Senegal I imagine a fair number of players are already gonna be on the plane or in The US when the roster is actually announced?

Will guys like Tillman and Scally/Gio (if they make it) trickle in early with Bundesliga ending today? I know when COVID weirdness caused Johnny Cardoso to arrive to camp days before everyone else, Berhalter just straight up had a one man training session but I'm not sure if that's Poch's style. I wonder if we'll get a leak on those 2 bubble players sooner

 

In a 343, Gozo can play either rwb or rf. He was a right forward in the match against Houston. Poch mostly runs a 4231(hybrid, lopsided, or whatever) though.

In terms of the names I've seen mentioned as comp in the right side of the attack---
McKennie: untouchable, but might be played elsewhere.
Weah: was used at RB in the last, disastrous, window. Has 1 goal in 8 caps under Poch. Got moved to RB/RWB at club level
Aaronson: had a good season at Leeds. But 1G1A in 13 caps under Poch
Dest: offers serious sauce as an attacker. But he's not the natural scorer that Gozo is. Also, imo, Dest should be backup LB behind Jedi.
Arfsten: Poch's son-in-law. The Crew moved him to the right side of the attack. He's been balling out: 2G2A in 5 matches. He's one of the top per-90 dribblers in MLS--just behind Gozo. He has 1G5A in 18 caps, mostly at lwb/lb, under Poch.
Zendejas: His numbers LigaMx have been elite, though. 1 game in 2 games worth of minutes under Poch who doesn't seem to rate him too highly.

 

Gotta go with Gozo! If nothing else, he brings hope to our fans who have been suffering since Landon with mediocrity, inconsistency, and a boring attack that often leads to a better counterattack.

Gozo may turn out to be our "Shoeless GO from Hannibal MO!" ("Damn Yankees" reference)

 

I was going to say something similar and I still doubt it but outside, dribbly, pacy winger is the easiest spot for a young kid and the easiest to integrate. So it's mainly on how highly Poch values him and if any other players have dropped in his valuation. The Yedlin example is the closest as he came on late and his pure speed caused problems. Wingers break out very young and like others have said they're almost too stupid and inexperienced to not be super confident. I won't be finding myself being upset at the last 3-4 players on the team as I will trust the coaching staff to have gamed this even more than us nuts.

 

A somewhat similar situation occurred back in 1950. The usmnt, did not have much of an attack, so they picked up some guy they heard about, from a nyc semi-pro league. It worked out. Joe Gaetjens.

 

I agree with this. If you take someone despite their inexperience with international soccer and unfamiliarity with his teammates because that player has rare abilities, that choice has a much better chance of succeeding if those abilities don’t depend much on experience and familiarity: size, strength, speed, endurance, etc. So calling for Gozo makes some sense to me (not that his abilities are limited to those traits, but they do include them). Calling for McGlynn (especially given McGlynn’s competition) makes less sense. Some of the other suggestions also don’t make much sense to me for the same reason. I think fans are overestimating some players’ talents or at least the players’ readiness to turn talent into production.

I mean, not to jinx Cavan Sullivan, but there’s a decent chance he could be a core player for the USMNT in 2030. He may be that talented. But, as far as I can tell, the stuff he does best depends significantly on processing the game at a high level. But that ability is most useful when the players who have it know their teammates, their teams’ systems, and have so many reps against relevant competition that they’ve developed a reliable feel for the game. And I don’t think there are any uncapped or lightly capped players in the USMNT pool who fit that bill.

So if we want Pochettino to pick a surprise player to play a joker role, that player probably needs to have remarkable physical gifts or dead ball skills better than Berhalter’s (and run of play skills equally useful as Berhalter’s). Gozo might qualify. Not sure who else does.

 

Culbreath not getting a look earlier is a shame. He’s been non-committal in interviews, and he could definitely be of use for you lot.

 

I’m hearing from a few people that Noahkai Banks 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇪🇸 might be in the World Cup roster for the #USMNT
not sure if true but it’ll be big if he is!!!

Also, apparently someone from USSF has kept in contact with a few dual Nats abroad, Okoh amongst them. pic.twitter.com/F2EAfyGQeT

— Edgar (@ConcacafEdgar) May 16, 2026

FWIW

 

I “might” be in the roster

 

I don’t think Luna’s that close to off the plane. I think he’s a lock.

 

people are saying

 

Poch is more likely deciding between Gozo or Reyna...not the other strikers.

I'd take Gozo.

 

Someone above in this thread had Banks on the roster too.

I don't know if Poch seems like the kind of guy that will try again to call uncapped player that just turned down a call. I'm not sure why he would care about the long-term health of the pool.

Banks also looked like he got his first minutes today since getting yanked at halftime two months ago. Not sure how he played by considering it was 2-0 when he came on, and they lost 4-0, probably not too well.

 

Not sure of validity of it, but Im generally in favor of those moves only, and only if it visibly makes us better. Not someone like Okoh who is borderline. He could be good for us next cycle maybe, but Banks is the only one I would sit back and say "yeah........this guy helps us here now and makes us better". Those are the ones you pull the strings for

 

Not really. His position, rb/rwb, is well covered.

 

Bringing along a young player to get a feel for the WC:

20 year-old Claudio Reyna in 1994 was picked but did not play due to injury.

18 year-old Michael Bradley in 2006 practiced with usmnt before WC, but was not picked.