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The U.S. men's national team roster for the upcoming fall friendlies against Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Canada will be without many of the star players who featured in the 2026 World Cup, as Mauricio Pochettino chooses a younger group to begin the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Most notably, the USMNT's latest 28-man roster is without Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Weston McKennie — three cornerstones of the team's identity and foundation. The experienced veterans won't be present to guide the likes of 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan and the 11 others seeking their first senior national team caps in this camp.
"This is the beginning of a fresh start for everyone, and we are excited in these first matches to bring a group of experienced players along with some young talents who have great potential," Pochettino said.
"It will be important that they all understand our culture, our way of working, and of course the principles of how we want to play. Most importantly, they must show the commitment to representing the country in the way our fans deserve."
While the new call-ups may not match the caliber of the veteran core that carried the team at the 2026 World Cup, each of Pulisic, McKennie, and Balogun was omitted for a specific reason, whether recovering from injuries or managing off-field situations during the early weeks of their European seasons.
Why Pulisic and McKennie Were Left Off USMNT Roster
Regarding Pulisic and McKennie, Pochettino felt the veterans required additional time to regain full fitness, as both have endured difficult starts to the new club season.
The 27-year-old Pulisic suffered fractures in two bones in his right leg during the USMNT's round of 16 defeat to Belgium at the World Cup and was an unused substitute in Milan's first three Serie A matches under new manager Ruben Amorim, before coming on for 31 minutes in a 2–2 comeback draw against Lazio last weekend.
McKennie, meanwhile, has featured just once in Juventus' opening four matches of the campaign.
"After the World Cup, we started to change to see and to analyze all the potential players for this camp ... The players that are going to be involved in these four games, for different circumstances, are the best players that we want to see, and they want to play, we want to work, and that's it," Pochettino said following his roster announcement.
"Our work is to try to call the players that we believe are the best for this roster, for when we analyze all the circumstances ... I think now is a completely different approach than it was in the past. The World Cup is in four years. We need to work with different objectives and goals, and for different reasons. That roster is the best roster that we can design for this camp."
While the Argentine manager did not directly address Pulisic's lack of commitment, he alluded to it during a media call last week, taking aim at those who have requested vacations during USMNT competitive windows.
"If I [don't have a vacation], I cannot arrive fresh for the World Cup," Pochettino said, echoing Pulisic's reasoning for missing the 2025 Gold Cup, before an injury-plagued World Cup the following year. "You know now that is bulls--- no? It's to change this type of idea [and] to build the mindset with the coaches, with the people in the organization and in the clubs, and of course with the players in the way we will plan."
Pochettino Reached Out to Balogun
In the buildup to the World Cup, Pochettino made clear he did not believe in contacting players outside of international windows — a sharp contrast to the more hands-on style adopted by many other international managers, including Canada's Jesse Marsch. The American manager, however, appears to have set aside his own rule ahead of this roster announcement.
Pochettino admitted to speaking with star striker Balogun before deciding against calling him up, discussing the forward's failed transfer to Everton in the Premier League and the minor knee injury he sustained early in the season. As a result of both factors, he has yet to log a single minute in Monaco's first four matches of 2026-27, last appearing on the pitch in early July at the World Cup.
"I was in touch with him," Pochettino said. "After his situation... Yes, we had some conversations about how he is, how he is now, how he feels, that he needs to move on, and it was a very nice conversation, and now he's focusing on trying to recover a little bit from a small issue in one of his legs."
In Balogun's absence, the USMNT will rely on a combination of PSV's Ricardo Pepi, Orlando City's Justin Ellis, and Red Bull New York's Julian Hall to lead the attack in the friendlies. The team will look to collect four victories and identify which of the young forwards can serve as a backup to Balogun in more competitive matches, starting with November's Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.