ไทย
English
中國人
The 26 players chosen to represent the U.S. men's national team at this summer's World Cup were announced on Tuesday at a live event held in New York City. The entire group assembled on stage as rapper and singer Gunna performed for the crowd of American supporters — a spectacle that star midfielder Tyler Adams described as quintessentially "America."
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino was naturally on hand, having worked toward roster selection day since assuming the USMNT role in September 2024, testing more than 80 players across various formations over the previous year and a half.
Pochettino admitted to enduring many sleepless nights over the past two weeks, getting only "three, four hours every night" while deliberating over his final squad. Even so, the Argentine coach still made some surprising inclusions and exclusions, decisions he quickly moved to defend following the announcement.
To the astonishment of many, Pochettino named just four true central or defensive midfielders. By contrast, he included five center backs and five fullbacks, creating a noticeable imbalance in the squad. The broad exclusion of central midfielders meant several players considered near-certainties for the position were left out, including Tanner Tessmann, Diego Luna, and Aidan Morris — omissions that drew considerable scrutiny. Additionally, Pochettino faced criticism for how he communicated the bad news to those cut, opting to send emails rather than making personal phone calls.
World Cup Previews
All 48 Teams
Bespoke Illustrations
Pochettino Refuses to Discuss Omitted Players, Defends Emails
Lyon's Tessmann had been a consistent call-up under Pochettino since joining the setup in 2024, even logging meaningful minutes in the most recent March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal. Real Salt Lake's Luna was a fixture in the USMNT's 2025 setup, so familiar a face that he had already appeared in multiple U.S. Soccer kit promotions and World Cup commercial campaigns. Middlesbrough's Morris had similarly been a regular under Pochettino, featuring in the March international window and even earning a start against Portugal.
Pochettino declined to explain the reasoning behind those three notable omissions.
"We cannot talk about the players that are not in the roster because it is very disrespectful to the players that made the roster," Pochettino said at the press conference when pressed specifically about Tessmann's exclusion. "...For me, that is very disrespectful.
"That was my decision to pick that 26 and now we need to respect that. If one player should be included, then which player is out of the squad? I am going to be focusing on the players that are here [and] I don't want to discuss anything [else] because it's not my job, and I think you have to respect that."
Pochettino became noticeably defensive when asked whether any of the omitted players had contacted him to discuss the decision. The 54-year-old used the moment to also address the backlash surrounding his choice to notify players via email rather than with a direct phone call.
"I was a player, and when I didn't make the roster, I didn't want the coach of the national team to call me," he said. "I didn't want to ask, 'What is the reason I am not in the roster?' What are they doing to say? Are they going to lie?"
Pochettino was left out of Argentina's 1994 and 1998 World Cup squads as a player, not making his tournament debut until the 2002 edition.
"There were 55 players in the [U.S.] provisional roster," he added in defense of the email approach. "I need to call now the rest of the players? I should call in March. I should call in January camp. It's not the way...Because if I call, it's about myself...Come on, that's bulls---."
Pochettino Dismisses Midfield Concerns
"It's important to see the roster trying to provide the right balance, and of course, I think it's important to have bodies enough in our center back [position]," Pochettino said when questioned about the relatively low number of central midfielders compared to defenders.
"That is why we have five [center backs]. We decided to include the number of five because we wanted to be sure we didn't have any risks."
The four central midfielders named are Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Sebastian Berhalter, and Cristian Roldan. The five center backs are Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, and Auston Trusty.
While Pochettino did not go into further detail about the elevated need for center backs, it likely reflects his interest in experimenting with a back-three formation featuring exclusively center backs — requiring three starters in that role rather than the conventional two.
The coach then suggested that several of his rostered fullbacks and attacking midfielders could comfortably fill central or defensive midfield roles when needed. He specifically pointed to attacking midfielders Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna, along with fullbacks Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, and Antonee Robinson.
"Plenty of possibility to play what we want," he said. "...This roster provides us the possibility to play with a back-four, back-three, play with one holding midfielder or play with no holding midfielder, maybe having a more offensive player in front of the back-three."