Next year, the United States will co-host the world’s most significant soccer tournament.
Including Canada and Mexico, the 2026 World Cup will take place all throughout North America. This is the opportunity the continent has been pining for dating back to 1994 — when the U.S. last hosted what remains the most economically lucrative World Cup in the history of the competition.
While there’s still plenty of time to iron out the possible 26-man roster, it’s still fun to go ahead and preemptively predict what it may look like.
With that in mind, here’s a projected roster you could see from the boys in Stars and Stripes.
GK (3): Matt Turner, Patrick Schulte, Diego Kochen
This position is still somewhat unsettled. Turner has long been entrenched in the starting spot despite not playing much club football of late. Schulte is an up-and-comer who does play regularly in MLS. He could be on the move across the pond sooner than later. Kochen is the starlet within the U.S. system. Despite turning 19 in March without first-team action under his belt, there’s a world where he could emerge as someone ‘along for the ride’ to soak up the experience.
DEF (8): Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Noahkai Banks, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream
Robinson is one of the steadiest players in the pool. Assuming Dest is fully recovered from a knee injury, those should be the starting tandem at fullback. Scally has proven his mettle in the Bundesliga well.
At center back, Richards and McKenzie seem like locks. Ream likely won’t play — though his veteran leadership in the dressing room will be welcomed. CCV has been accruing CL experience with Celtic. He’s also a major threat aerially. Banks is the most intriguing player of the bunch. At only 18, he’s already getting first-team minutes with Augsburg. His ceiling is higher than any center back in the pool, and there’s a possibility he’s starting for the USMNT next June as a 19-year-old.
MF (8): Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Paxten Aaronson, Lennard Maloney, Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Gianluca Busio
This is the deepest position grouping within the squad. One could make a case for the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Diego Luna, and Tanner Tessmann to get a look here.
The positional versatility is also worth noting. McKennie and Adams can toggle between being defensive midfielders and fullbacks. Maloney can play center-back in a pinch. Tillman and Aaronson can play elevated on the wings — as can Reyna. Busio is also technical enough to play as an elevated central midfielder pulling the strings.
FW (7): Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Yunus Musah, Josh Sargent
Musah would normally be with the midfield group. Having said that, under Mauricio Pochettino, he’s been featured as a winger. He’s another with the ability to start at various places on the pitch. Weah is in the same category whether functioning as a winger, a No. 9, or as an overlapping fullback.
Of course, the straw that stirs this drink is Pulisic. The success or lack thereof of this team will be heavily determined by how well he performs. It’s anyone’s guess as to who will start at the No. 9 spot. Pepi probably should be the choice if all things are even (health-wise) between the three candidates. Sargent and Balogun each bring unique traits to the table that can be used versus certain opponents. Wright’s combination of size, pace, and technical ability makes him a comfortable inclusion over someone like Alejandro Zendejas or even a more speculative choice such as Cole Campbell and/or Kevin Paredes.
