For a fun exercise, predict who will be your 26 players for the 2026 World Cup. 23 + 3 alternates. Let’s see how this changes over the next few years. Remember that you are predicting your roster as of June 1, 2026 not the best roster based on the present date of your post. As of October 25, 2023…. GOALKEEPERS #1 Matt Turner (31) - As of now, I predict that Turner holds onto his starting job, and he should feel secure in this role so long as he keeps going strong for the USMNT and he keeps playing well at Nottingham Forest. #2 Gabriel Slonina (22) - The future for American goalkeepers and actually the only other goalkeeper playing abroad….that’s actually playing. I predict he knocks off Horvath and Steffen for good who have had very disappointing careers. #3 Chris Brady (22) - Another youngster? Yep. There’s no reason to have a lot of faith in Horvath or Steffen, and no reason to believe that Brady can’t surpass Callender in 2-3 years time. He might even surpass Slonina if he keeps going strong. Honorable Mention: Drake Callender(28), Roman Celentano(25), Patrick Schulte(25), Ethan Horvath(30), Zack Steffen(31), Diego Kochen(20) …On this bunch, well, let’s just hope that Kochen surprises us because mediocrity is the best we’re going to get from everyone else. Honestly, I’m probably highest on Celentano or Callender, as I’ve pretty much given up on Horvath and Steffen. RIGHT BACKS #1 Sergino Dest (25) - He’s locked in as #1. #2 Joe Scally (23) - He’s locked in at #2. One of these two would have to fall off or another player will have to skyrocket to knock off either Dest or Scally. Thank God both are super young. And let’s hope that these two continue to grow and be rock solid choices for this World Cup and maybe even the next one or two. Honorable Mention: Marlon Fossey(27), DeAndre Yedlin(32), Bryan Reynolds(24), Reggie Cannon(27) …We jinxed ourselves when we thought we had a lot of depth at right back. Because right now, I’d say that maybe Fossey looks like a good option, and the rest are just likely to be poor options. Unless Reynolds progresses to be a lot better than he is right now, but where he is right now, isn’t going to help us in 2026. CENTER BACKS #1 Chris Richards (26) - IF he can stay healthy, IF he can find consistent playing time, then Richards should be our first choice center back. #2 Miles Robinson (29) - Another player who has still struggled to return to form after injury. Nevertheless, we should be able to be optimistic that he can reach that level again, and should be more experienced. We’re going to need that Miles, because center back looks to be our weakest position going into 2026. #3 Cameron Carter-Vickers (28) - How long do we believe he’ll stay at Celtic? He seems to have outgrown the club, and we should be able to believe that he could be a solid PL player in a couple years. #4 Auston Trusty (27) - I almost selected Zimmerman or McKenzie, who should offer some competition, but we should be able to have faith in Trusty, who finally seems to be locking down his starting job for Sheffield United. Only bad news is that Sheffield Utd looks doomed for relegation. Will another PL club pick him up? It’ll be worth monitoring. But for now, I’ll take the bet on him. Honorable Mention: Walker Zimmerman (33), Tim Ream (38), Mark McKenzie (27), Jalen Neal (22), Josh Wynder (21), John Brooks (33) …Ream is just going to be too old. Love him. But old is old. And 38 is too damn old. Even Zimmerman might be too old by then. And we need more out of McKenzie. Meanwhile, Neal and Wynder have too long of a way to go to be considered legitimate contenders for 2026. LEFT BACKS #1 Jedi Robinson (28) - He’s got his position locked down. #2 John Tolkin (23) - Maybe I’m just a believer. But I believe he can surpass Kristoffer Lund, who has some promise. Honorable Mention: Kristoffer Lund (24), DeJuan Jones (28), Caleb Wiley (21), George Bello (24), Jonathan Gomez (22), Nathaniel Brown (22) …Who would have thought left back would look to be a lot deeper than right back? That said, we still need to confirm who is the #2. And I’m still not 100% sold on Lund yet. MIDFIELDERS #1 Weston McKennie (27) - Already has his plane ticket. #2 Yunus Musah (23) - Looks to be a starter now, especially since I don’t trust Adams to be healthy. #3 Luca de la Torre (28) - Maybe, kind of a “boring” pick as he was the guy that I think a lot of people would hope that someone else might be able to surpass him by then. But here’s the thing. Experience still counts. And versatility counts (he could fill in at winger or as an 8/10 too). Someone like Johnny is going to have to really take that next step to knock off Luca at this point, and I’m still betting on Luca. #4 Tyler Adams (27) - If he’s healthy, he’s going. He just has to get healthy first. Expanded roster or not, I just don’t see us leaving him off if he’s fit, and hopefully he’ll be fit by then. Hopefully. Honorable Mention: Johnny Cardoso (24), James Sands (25), Gianluca Busio (24), Tanner Tessmann (24), Rokas Puktsas (21), Jack McGlynn (22), Obed Vargas (21), Pedro Soma (19), Noel Buck*(21), Kelyn Acosta (30) …I came so close to including Johnny. But we’ll have to wait and see. Even still, I’ve got my eye on guys like Rokas and Soma who could be nice surprises by then. ATTACKERS #1 Christian Pulisic (27) - Ticket is already booked. #2 Gio Reyna (23) - I hope his injury problems are behind him. If so, he’s going. And he should be a starter. #3 Tim Weah (26) - Ticket is already purchased. Looks to be our starting RW. #4 Kevin Paredes (23) - If his career continues to progress, and if he can stay healthy, he should emerge as a legitimate player in the next couple years. #5 Luca Koleosho (21) - A bit of wishful thinking, but I think Gregg can get this deal done. That’s what Gregg excels in. And it would look to be a hell of a pick up, as Koleosho looks like the real deal. And he would be a dangerous option off the bench. #6 Malik Tillman (24) - Poor Brenden, but where Brenden looks to be regressing, Malik looks to be progressing. And I could see Malik steal his ticket, if he’s able to continue to progress. He’s got the athleticism and the skill to do so too. Honorable Mention: Brenden Aaronson (25), Paxten Aaronson (22), Taylor Booth (25), Cade Cowell (22), Ben Cremaschi (21), Djordje Mihailovic (27), Brian Gutierrez (22), Diego Luna (22), Agustin Anello (24), Ted Ku-DiPietro(24) ….There’s some talent here, and poor Brenden is looking like he’s in danger of being left off if he doesn’t get out of this current slump. Meanwhile, his brother needs to actually start playing too. And we need to see more from the other youngsters. FORWARDS #1 Folarin Balogun (24)- Keep scoring and he’ll be there. But forward is all about the hot hand, by the way. #2 Ricardo Pepi (23) - He should have been on the roster in 2022, nevertheless, he should be on the roster in 2026 so long as he keeps scoring and keeps progressing. But he’s still got some challengers on his heels. Honorable Mention: Brandon Vazquez (27), Jesus Ferreira (25), Josh Sargent (26), Haji Wright (28), Daryl Dike (25), Jordan Pefok (30), Duncan McGuire (25), Brian White (30), Keyrol Figueroa (19), Rodrigo Neri (21), Matthew Hoppe (25) ….Forward is all about the hot hand. Form will be the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to selection time. THE +3: 24-26 (Versatility helps) #24 DeJuan Jones (28) - Being able to play both left and right back helps his chances to make the roster. Plus, his athleticism helps him too. I see him as the player we say, we selected who? But it should make sense considering his versatility. #25 Lennard Maloney (26) - Like Jones, versatility helps (he can play DM or CB). And because we would be willing to take a risk on Adams, which I’m praying he’ll put his injury proneness behind him by then, nevertheless, we are going to want the extra cover. #26 Jesus Ferreira (25) - And again, versatility helps. The fact that Ferreira could fill in at wing, attacking mid, or as a third center forward, might push him over the edge to get a slot. That said, I would not select Ferreira as my back up if the rosters were 23. I would select Vazquez or Sargent over him at CF. I would take B. Aaronson and others over him at wing. Simply put, he gets in only as a specialty player on an expanded roster. And only if he actually improves as a player and in good form. He’s still young enough to do that. FINAL ROSTER GK: Turner, Slonina, Brady (Celentano) RB: Dest, Scally (Fossey) CB: Richards, Carter-Vickers (Zimmermann) CB: Miles, Trusty (McKenzie) LB: Jedi, Tolkin (Lund) MF: McKennie, De la Torre (Johnny) MF: Musah, Adams (Maloney > Rokas) RM: Weah, Koleosho (Booth) AM: Reyna, Tillman (B. Aaronson) LM: Pulisic (CPT), Paredes (P. Aaronson) FW: Balogun, Pepi (Sargent) +3: Jones, Maloney, Ferreira
gk turner gk slonina gk rb dest rb scally cb richards cb miles cb trusty cb lb jedi lb tolkin cm adams cm mckennie cm musah cm reyna cm cm/w rw weah rw paredes st pepi st balo lw pulisic lw cowell gk- horvath, steffen cb- ccv, mckenzie cm- tesserman, cardoso cm/w- aaronson, tillman "third" keeper is wide open (and its not like slonina is set in stone himself), i just think its more likely one of the vets settles than brady or kochen get there. i dont think a 3 little bears model is great, i prefer a clear 1, 2, experienced third. ream and zim are non-starters for me. i can see trusty growing into that zim role- and best case at a starter level. similarly mckenzie passing ccv would be preferable due to ball playing and pseudo-left-footedness- richards and trusty, miles and mckenzie. i like balance. my cm is a little defense/"holding"-heavy but barring musah developing solidly into deepest lying mid this is where i am. i dont buy tillman as anything other than a primarily attacking mid at this point (and dont anticipate that changing in two years), while aaronsons pressing, work rate and jack of all trades..iness keeps him relevant for me. i see the best version of our cm being adams, mckennie and reyna with musah as the backup/rotational "6/8" and aaronson the "8/10". and build out from there. if tillman does develop enough then great, but thats not the case yet. the dream scenario, imo, is paredes developing into a weah clone and our "third" winger, while cowell is strictly a specialist. its a house of cards though- i fully recognize that. and not just guys developing roughly how we anticipate (thats the case for anyones team), but if adams is out 5 other selections change. if reyna is out 5 other selections chance. even if paredes or trusty dont develop i couldnt just plug in the next man up. but hey, predicting a roster this far out is a fools errand anyways. why not eliminate all margin for error as well, right?
Hell, talking on a soccer forum is a fool’s errand. It’s just for fun anyways. And it gives us a glimpse at the product we’re moving towards during this cycle.
My 23 (starters in bold): GKs: Turner, Slonina, Kochen RBs: Dest, Scally CBs: Trusty, Richards, CCV, M. Robinson LBs: A. Robinson, Lund CMs: Musah, McKennie, Adams, Johnny AMs: Reyna, Tillman RWs: Weah, Booth STs: Balogun, Sargent LWs: Pulisic, Koleosho +3 if allowed: Maloney (CM/CB), de la Torre (CM), Pepi (ST)
Striker: Balogun, McGuire, Wide Attack: Pulisic, Parades, Weah, Kamungo CAM(8/10): Reyna, Tillman CM/DM: Adams, McKennie, Musah, Johnny Fullback: Jedi, Baker-Whiting, Dest, Reynolds Centerback: Miles, Richards, Trusty, Maloney Goalkeepers: Turner, Callender, Slonina, Plus 3: de la Torre, Sargent, Luna Pending Papers: Koleosho, L. Acosta Pushing Hard: Pepi, Tolkin, CCV, Scally, Busio, Dorsey, A.Morris, Brady,
Balogun Pepi CP Koleosho Weah Paredes Reyna Tillman Mckennie Musah Adams Johnny Jedi Lund Dest Reynolds Miles Richards Zim McKenzie Turner Slonina Brady Jesus, Scally, B Aaronson I will edit to add that I’ll be pretty surprised if the following players are not there (assuming they’re healthy). Balogun Pepi CP Weah Reyna Mckennie Musah Adams Jedi Dest Miles Richards Turner that’s 13, with 2/10 remaining spots being backup keepers. among the 8 remaining spots (assuming we are playing a 433 or something similar like 4231) we need: 2 backup wingers 2 more midfielders And an entire backup back line. I do think at least 1-2 05 or later guys who aren’t in the picture now will step up, but I don’t think there will be that many. The World Cup is just about 2.5 years away, but I think any guy who wants to make the roster will likely need to be earning caps by the spring of 25, or the fall of 25 at the latest. We don’t have great depth, but guys like Paredes and Tillman, and even guys like McKenzie and LDLT are good enough that I can’t think a guy with Scally’s resume in the fall of 2022 (a little more than a year as a decent starter for a decent Bundesliga team and like 2-3 USMNT caps) would be able to force their way in. Any young guy who makes it with a flimsy usmnt resume will need to be standing out in a top 5 league, like a young CP or Reyna.
Here is my prev post from Dec 8 2022 (almost a year ago) In terms of profiles I’d make a few minor changes ST(2): Balogun, Pepi WG(4): Pulisic, Weah, 2 wingers CM(4): Reyna, Musah, McKennie, 1 attacking mid to backup Reyna DM(2): Adams, 1 Adams type(will probably see GGG lean towards a distributor type if there exists one) FB(4): A. Robinson, Scally, Dest, 1 LB who has better technical ability than Antonee CB(4): Richards, at least 1 other starter who has good recovery speed, wins headers, and can play out of the back, 2 backups who at least have the former 2 characteristics GK(3): Turner, 1 backup, 1 experienced "third keeper" And if its 26 add 1 target forward, 1 more tough energetic Musah/McKennie type, and any other talented guy with unique attributes that we might need in a certain situations Filling it in, bolded are the holdovers, in parenthesis are the players' birth years. ST(2): Balogun(01), Pepi(03) WG(4): Pulisic(98), Weah(00), B. Aaronson(00), Koleosho(04) CM(4): Reyna(02), M. Tillman(01), Musah(02), McKennie(98) DM(2): Adams(99), Johnny(01) FB(4): Tolkin(02), A. Robinson(97), Scally(02), Dest(00) CB(4): Richards(00), M. Robinson(97), Carter-Vickers(97), McKenzie(99) GK(3): Turner(95), Slonina(04), Horvath(95) And if its 26 add Sargent(00), Paredes(03), and Cremaschi(05) Just missed: Wright(98), Gutierrez(03), P. Aaronson(03), Booth(01), Pukstas(04), A. Morris(01), Wiley(04), Baker-Whiting(05), Sands(00), Trusty(98), Zimmerman(93), Celentano(00) - Now that Gregg coming back is official I think it's pretty likely he stays until the World Cup so I projected according to that. Helps Johnny and McKenzie's stock IMO (was really tempted to put A. Morris and Trusty ahead of them). The two wing spots behind Pulisic and Weah, Johnny, McKenzie, and Slonina were the hardest choices for me. I was really tempted to go Paredes over B. Aaronson but I still think Brenden’s workrate makes a decent floor. Still not the biggest Johnny believer but he was fine vs Ghana and Gregg has rated him highly for a while. McKenzie made it over Trusty because Gregg clearly believe(d)s in him enough even with his shakiness to keep giving him chances. I almost went Celentano over Slonina since Celentano is a better keeper right now, and with Horvath’s extensive experience being a backup for so long he should be a fine third goalkeeper I went with him instead of just picking both. - For where unknown/"out of nowhere" candidates can play I would guess one takes a winger/attacking mid spot. Don't see an unknown getting to quickly become a CB or DM, LB maybe but the options we have to choose from right now look pretty good so you'd feel that at least one will take the spot by the reins (Tolkin, Wiley, Lund, JoGo). - The only players I expect to still be in MLS by then from my exhaustive list are A. Morris, Zimmerman, and Celentano. If either of the 05s are still in MLS they're almost surely out of contention. - The fact that it's so close to what I would say is our current best 23/26 other than ~4/6 players makes this a little less fun for me, I gotta find a prospect to get fixated on and start hyping them up and shoving them in my projections (I did have Soma and Tsakiris last time!)
Here's my October 2023 take: GK: - Matt Turner: likely a lock starter. - Zack Steffen: I think he's underrated by the fan base, despite WCQ struggles. I predict he'll get back on the squad. - Gaga Slonina: projecting continued development here. DEF: - Sergiño Dest: as much a lock starter as anyone on the squad if healthy. - Chris Richards: has the highest ceiling of all our CBs still. - Cameron Carter-Vickers: a bit of a default pick, but he's playing at the highest level of any of our CBs with his club. - Antonee Robinson: a lock if healthy. - Joe Scally: I expect his development will continue, and his versatility on a WC roster is valuable. - Miles Robinson: hoping he can regain his 2021 form. If he does, he'll be a starter next to Richards. - Auston Trusty: picking him for now unless another guy like McKenzie, Neal or an old vet (Brooks, Zimmerman, Miazga, EPB) takes his spot. - Caleb Wiley: a wild card pick, but I narrowly chose him ahead of Lund & Reggie Cannon. MID: - Tyler Adams: if healthy, a lock starter and the captain of the squad. - Weston McKennie: if Reyna continues to emerge, it will be interesting to see Wes & Yunus battle it out for a starting #8 spot. - Gio Reyna: I have him starting as a #10 / central attacking midfielder. - Yunus Musah: My money's on Wes to beat him out for a starting spot, but we're blessed to havef a player of his quality to bring off the bench. He'll start at least 1 group stage game. - Johnny Cardoso: I haven't seen enough of him yet to be convinced, but seems to have the most promise among backup DMs. - Malik Tillman: He has been producing at the club level so seems a logical candidate to back up Reyna. WING: - Christian Pulisic: lock starter. - Tim Weah: he has become a lock starter for this squad. I still want to see more G/A production, but love his game. - Brenden Aaronson: he's been in a slump at the club level, but I'm guessing he finds his level at the right club and rounds back into form. - Kevin Paredes: projecting him as a young up and comer. ST: - Folarin Balogun: seems the likeliest candidate to start up top. - Ricardo Pepi: he has been good for the USMNT and at the club level, and is still so young. Alternates: - Josh Sargent - James Sands - Reggie Cannon One note - I'd actually love to see us bring a 3rd striker on the roster, even if it means dropping a backup defender. My take is that in a tournament, you need the insurance of a 3rd striker in case one guy goes down to injury (READ: Jozy Altidore 2014; Josh Sargent 2022) or if you're in a match where you're behind a goal and chasing the game where throwing a 2nd fresh striker on the field in a 4-4-2 / 3-5-2 is needed.
Updated…. GK Matt Turner GK Gabriel Slonina GK Diego Kochen RB Sergino Dest RB Joe Scally CB Chris Richards CB Miles Robinson CB Cameron Carter-Vickers CB Mark McKenzie LB Jedi Robinson LB Kevin Paredes MF Weston McKennie MF Yunus Musah MF Tyler Adams MF Johnny Cardoso AT Gio Reyna AT Luca de la Torre WG Christian Pulisic WG Tim Weah WG Haji Wright WG Cavan Sullivan (for fun) FW Folarin Balogun FW Ricardo Pepi Alternates: GK Ethan Horvath GK Patrick Schulte FB DeJuan Jones FB Marlon Fossey FB Caleb Wiley FB John Tolkin FB Kristoffer Lund FB George Bello FB Jonathan Gomez CB Auston Trusty CB Walker Zimmerman CB Max Dietz MF Lennard Maloney MF Aidan Morris MF James Sands MF Tanner Tessman MF Gianluca Busio MF Jack McGlynn MF Rokas Puktsas MF Kellyn Acosta AT Brian Gutierrez AT Malik Tillman AT Brenden Aaronson AT Paxten Aaronson AT Benji Cremaschi WG Cade Cowell WG Taylor Booth WG Esmir Bajraktarevic WG Griffin Yow WG Diego Luna WG Luca Koleosho (dual) FW Josh Sargent FW Brandon Vazquez FW Jesus Ferreira FW Jordan Pefok FW Damion Downs FW Duncan McGuire FW Kahveh Zahiroslalem
-----------------------------------Pepi/Balogun --------McKennie/Wright---Reyna/LAcosta----Pulisic/Sargent --------------------Johnny/Adams----------Musah/Tillman -----Jedi/Paredes----------------------------------------------Dest/Weah--- -------------------Richards/CCV-------Robinson/Maloney--- ---------------------------Slonina/Turner/Kochen
i didnt realize this was a bumped/existing thread when i clicked, but here i am. very little change in six months: gk turner gk slonina gk horvath turner needs to move to a bottom half, yet not relegation fodder bund side at best if hes going to stay in the team. well, hes going to stay in the team but that has to happen if we dont want to be completely screwed. slonina is ahead of schulte/brady situationally if nothing else though once we determine who our designated mls starter (for gold cups, domestic camps, etc) thats going to go a long way. at this point our starter will be one of those four, imo- if its turner i want experience at the third spot which is still horvath, if one of the kids can win the spot we could carry another with turner as that experience. rb dest rb scally no change, and short of weah/mckennie being converted i dont see any out there. theres also no reason to move one of those guys back in sight. cb richards cb m robinson cb ccv cb trusty mckenzie is close and it doesnt look like trusty is going to get in, so call one of them in and the other an alt. ream or zim (or brooks) will indicate we are in very bad shape. none of the kids are going to get close in two years. lb a robinson lb lund lund seems carved in stone here. i think hes fine, i prefer tolkin, but barring the "something changing" of all somethings changing- replacing the manager- its gonna be lund. dm adams cm mckennie cm musah cm cardoso cm de la torre am reyna am tillman i think a having to decide on one of luca or johnny is a very real possibility, but im going to punt here and say we carry all 7 with the understanding that they wont all necessarily play centrally. im essentially replacing aaronson with tillman as a designated 4th "wing"/cm. im not close to writing off aaronson yet, but for the sake of this exercise im erring on the side of what i think gregg will do. rw weah lw pulisic lw paredes time for a fourth winger is feeling tighter and tighter. booth cant stay fit, none of the tweeners (paxten, luna) are even close imo. i still think cowell is awfully interesting as a very narrowly defined specialist, but i think wright/sarge make that even more unlikely. if gregg theres zero chance. id say its 25% we carry both aaronson and tillman, 75% its 3 strikers including one of wright/sargent. st pepi st balogun this is more scary than tricky for me. i think pepi should be as solidly locked in as anyone other than puli/wes/reyna/adams, but i think its more likely gregg drops him again, cause he very clearly is set on starting balo. i think pepi is the guy, period. like anyone else theres always the possibility of injury, finding himself in a bad club situation, natural disaster, etc. but hes the guy. in the same way people are finally getting their heads around reyna being above any standard, logical arguments pepi is the guy. start a 1 calendar year clock and ill reconsider or recertify. that said, what if it turns out balo is closer to an 8 goal scorer than a 20 goal scorer? in addition to a really bad fit in greggs system (while #1 in his heart- you figure that out)? considering the possibility (and i know im going close to worst case scenario here) that he only works with reyna thats just not enough. this might be the only place we have a more than possible, but likely chance of someone on the outside breaking in. we are into the cycle now, that "some kid weve never heard of" window closes quick, yall. its arguable if it even exists for berhalter. i think everyone agree sarge and/or wright are nipping at balo/pepis heels, but i think vazquez could be (as close as we get to) that guy coming from out of nowhere. if we carry 3 of those guys- which seems pretty likely to me- two of them need to be pepi/sarge/vaquez. i would agree that wright has the best case as st/wing cover but the first consideration has to be fit in how we play. if gregg is dead set on balo- which i think he is- i think wright is out of consideration. we need the type of player gregg cant even see his system demands, and we cant count on reyna justifying anyones inclusion. maloney, vazquez and maaaybe one of putskas, paxten or booth are the only non-very well known names i think we should really be talking about right now. laugh all you want, but if bruce were in charge we could include guys like cavan and cowell but hes not. gregg is. and that sucks.
Fun fact: If Cavan Sullivan actually became a legit option to make the World Cup roster in 2026, he would become the youngest ever player to appear in a World Cup.
I feel like even if he’s really good it’s unlikely. He won’t be playing professionally till January 2026. That mean he has to go to Belgium at 16 break into the first team immediately (and they may be in the first division by then) and do well enough on time to be called up for the March 2026 window. And he’d basically have that window and the pre World Cup camp to make it. Just not enough time. The youth player who might have an outside chance is Berchimas since he’s already started playing professionally (albeit not much so far).
My 23 GK: Turner, Slonina, Brady LB: Jedi, Parades RB: Dest, Reynolds CB: Richards, Robinson, CCV, McKenzie DM: Adams, Cardoso CM: McKennie, Musah AM: Reyna, Tillman WF: Pulisic, Weah, Koleosho, Esmir FW: Balogun, Pepi
With Sarge and Haji both able to play wide, and Pepi and Balo (and perhaps Vasquez) looking neck and neck, the contest for those CF spots will be a fun one. Hope we have more winger depth by then.
Winger right definitely feels like the place right now where someone has the best chance of sneaking onto the roster as I feel like there’s no certainty behind Pulisic and Weah. Whereas Cardoso emerging and Reyna being more of a midfielder has solidified that position a lot more.
Formation: 4123 Strikers: Sargent, Pepi, McGuire, Aaronson(1) Alt: Vazquez J.Morris, Wide Forward: Pulisic, Balogun, Wright, Zendejas Alt: Paredes(1), Esmir, C.Sullivan, Aaronson(2), Cowell, Luna CM: Adams, Reyna, Tillman, McKennie, Musah, Cardoso Alt: Tessmann, Maloney(2), DLT, Bassett, Busio, A.Morris, McGlynn, Edelman FB: Jedi, Scally, Weah, Dest, Paredes(2) Alt: Tolkin, Wiley, Harriel, Gomez, Reynolds CB: Richards, Robinson, Maloney(2), McKenzie Alt: Trusty, Carter-Vickers, GK: Turner, Schulte, Slonina Alt: Horvath, Brady, Kochen, Beavers, Calender, Keeper and CB need the most development.
Updated…. GK: Gabriel Slonina, Matt Turner, Ethan Horvath (Celentano) RB: Sergino Dest, Joe Scally (Fossey) CB: Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie (Zimmerman) CB: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Miles Robinson, Auston Trusty (Dietz) LB: Jedi Robinson, Kevin Paredes (Tolkin) MF: Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso (Maloney) MF: Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Tanner Tessmann (Busio) RM: Tim Weah, B. Aaronson (Booth) AM: Gio Reyna, Luca de la Torre (M. Tillman) LM: Christian Pulisic, Haji Wright (P. Aaronson) FW: Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent (Vazquez) Dropped out: Johnson, Ream Need to do more: Callender, Brady, Schulte, Kochen, Harriel, Jones, Moore, Reynolds, T. Hall, Dettoni, Banks, Murray, Wynder, Neal, Akinbomni, Cobb, Wiley, Brown, Lund, Gomez, Bello, Sands, Bassett, Puktsas, A. Morris, Acosta, T. Tillman, McGlynn, Edelman, Luna, Cowell, Clark, Yow, Zendejas, Sabbi, C. Sullivan, Q. Sullivan, Cremaschi, Campbell, Gutierrez, Figueroa, Ferreira, McGuire, Pefok, Downs, Kahveh, J. Hall Dual-national: Esmir, Buck, Koleosho
A projection that’s a bit speculative (and the goalkeeper position is one I can really see going in any direction in particular) GK: Turner, Slonina, Freese LB: Jedi, Wiley RB: Dest, Scally CB: Richards, Robinson, CCV, McKenzie DM: Adams, Cardoso CM: McKennie, Musah, Tessmann AM: Reyna, Tillman WF: Pulisic, Weah, Kolesheo, Wright, Parades FW: Balogun, Pepi, Sargent Goalie really can go in any direction though I think Turner is one of the three even if he loses his starting spot. I see Aaronson and LDLT as most vulnerable from the current team to losing their spot. I have Ream out for now but it wouldn’t surprise me if he made it. I’d really like Neal to force his way in though. Cremaschi is another one I was thinking about in center mid but Tessmann can play both the 8 and 6 and seems like he’s on the verge of a bigger move in Serie A. Similarly Parades can play in multiple spots. My really speculative picks would have been Cavan Sullivan or Berchimas, but I’m not ready to project either now. I picked Wiley behind Jedi because I feel like he’s got the highest ceiling of the backup left back options.
I think we can should take the Copa roster as the baseline and then think about possible changes to that. And then I think it's getting to the point that for a guy to force his way into the team, he needs to be playing for a good Euro team (i.e., a team in the top 5 leagues or a team perennially in Europe outside the top 5...Celtic, PSV, Genk, etc.). There are obviously a few exceptions to that on the Copa roster with a handful of guys from MLS, the Championship, and Serie B, but generally, you have to be playing for a good Euro team to make an A team roster. So, the question is which guys are most likely putting themselves in position to be playing for a good Euro team by 2026 and play positions where there is some uncertainty on the roster? Paredes--already is playing in the Bundesliga and winger depth behind Pulisic and Weah is uncertain Slonina--if he's heading to Strasbourg, and if he can grab the starting spot, he seems a lock for at least a backup role, as GK is a mess for us right now Tessmann--headed back to Serie A with someone. As @gomichigan24 pointed out, CM is solid for us, but De la Torre's spot seems vulnerable, and Tessmann has the athleticism to hang at higher levels that De la Torre lacks. I know Busio is headed back to Serie A, but I don't think he has the athleticism. Other than that, I'm not sure which other guys have a clear shot of pushing their way onto the roster. CB is wide open for someone to push out an incumbent, but we don't seem to have any young guys on the cusp of that. I feel like someone like Neal would really need a Euro move this summer to put himself in a position to to make it. And that seems to hold for guys in MLS or at lesser Euro teams now...if they want a shot at the WC roster, get to a good Euro team this summer so that they have a season to acclimate and then are hopefully playing regularly and playing well by the 2025-2026 season.
I feel like someone like Neal doesn’t necessarily need a Euro move, but he’d need a leap where he’s close to the best center back in MLS which he isn’t at current.
When has been being the best CB in MLS made for a USMNT level player? It has been argued on here and then ended in failure. Gonzalez Long, Zimmerman. When are people going to learn?