Good luck reading the tea leaves on this one. 19-year-old Noahkai Banks on Instagram: "People say many things. Some are true. Some are lies. Sometimes, if you say a lie long enough, people believe it's the truth." 👀🤔 pic.twitter.com/2tCEj2esyO— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) March 16, 2026
My guess is that he hasn't made a final decision, and he isn't having an easy time of it. Which isn't at all surprising for a 19 year-old German-American defender starting at Augsburg (his childhood club) in the 1st Bundesliga.
Bring on Trusty! Need to have someone on reserve if Ream falls apart. Other options: Tessman as CB, and Lenard Maloney (has also played CB). Or Miazga.
Richards, McKenzie, Tessmann for the 2 CB slots in the 4 -man backline. Zimmerman, Miles, Blackmon, or Ream can be the 4th CB.
He was pretty clear in his comments about dual-nationals and commitment, though................... That could have been directed at Banks a year ago for all we know. It reminds us of when Arena said of Giuseppe Rossi: We’re not chasing around 18-year-old players that can’t get games for their club team and tell me they want to play for Italy. [Not the can't get games, but the "tell me they want to play for Italy" part.] If Noahkai Banks hasn't decided who he wants to represent, then so be it. He needed to be in this camp in order to go to the World Cup, so that's out the window. We need guys who are committed. It doesn't mean we won't welcome him under a new coach after the World Cup. If he chooses to play for us, then that's great.
I think there are plenty of fans and players that will not welcome him again if he turned this camp down due to wanting to play for Germany.
If he never actually accepts a Germany callup, and says the right things post-WC, then I think most posters will be fine. Yes, there will be a vocal minority. We've had wafflers before that ended up choosing the USMNT. We just forget it. I actually think that most of the time the USMNT protects the player. Its kept behind closed doors. So we'll call up guys but never use them in cap-tying events until they've made a final decision. I'm convinced that was the case with Yunus Musah in the summer of 2021. He'd playing in friendlies with the USMNT, and was on the roster for the 2021 Nations League. Much to our surprise Berhalter then didn't actually use him in those games. Nobody got it. Used him in the Costa Rica friendly after those games. He was subsequently also left out of the Gold Cup in 2021 (partly due to an ankle injury). He wasn't cap-tied for virtually a full year after his first cap in a friendly. ................but Berhalter never came out and said "we're not using Musah yet in cap-tying games this summer because he's not ready to fully commit." In this case we have a player being honest and saying he's not ready to make a decision. Fine. Should we crush him for that? Meh. I'm not.
Honestly Balos a perfect comparison. Broke out before a World Cup at a position of need, wasn't ready to commit, held out for England, those calls didnt come , he committed
The difference is Balogun had only been with England. He needed a one-time switch to play for the US. [Musah too.] Banks has only ever been with the US. He needs a one-time switch to play for Germany. A one-time switch is a one-time switch. Can't go back (or at least it's very unlikely). The game demands a kid choose a direction at a pretty young age. Banks is still a teenager. Its a big decision, so they should take the time they need. Yes, the home World Cup with the US is a big carrot. That's likely a once-in-a-career thing. But Banks hasn't lived in the US for a very long time. He probably doesn't view it as a "home" World Cup. He's thinking bigger picture than that. Its a career.
Not waffling on this. If he doesn't come to this camp then he HAS made his decision. He wants to play for Germany. Which if fine. But then I am on to players who chose the US not second choice fall back.
A massive March awaits.Mauricio Pochettino has selected his 27-man roster for upcoming matches against Belgium and Portugal!#NeverChaseReality | @ATT pic.twitter.com/7dBd73E2oL— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) March 17, 2026
That's about what we expected.................................... A couple of battles on the fringes will be of interest. Particularly in central midfield. Johnny and Reyna get a shot.
surprised they listed Weah as a forward but so many interchangeable pieces. I believe Tyler is injured. not sure on Haji but I thought he just scored. He's the one that surprises me if he's healthy.
Musah and Zendejas biggest healthy exclusions for me. You assume Luna is held out due to recent injury.
Haji is the biggest snub if Adams is injured. Did he also pick up a knock? If not then sure seems big Pat is ahead of him.
I'm not really surprised by Zendejas and Musah being left off. ........................if its a soccer decision, I would be surprised by Haji being left off. But I personally only have three center forwards on my roster. Not all 4. If that's the case maybe Poch thinks Agyemang just provides a totally different profile off the bench. Maybe Coventry requested that he not get called up due to their promotion fight??????
I don’t know how he feels but the reports are he’s still undecided and doesn’t want to decide on the basis of the World Cup. He may very well prefer Germany but he may also still just be undecided. Which rules him out for the World Cup but I’d very much welcome him in the future if he decides for the US.