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The highly anticipated unveiling of the U.S. men's national team's 26-man World Cup roster on home turf has been overshadowed by reports claiming to have obtained Mauricio Pochettino's final selections three days ahead of the official announcement.
USMNT icons from both the men's and women's game are set to convene at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in Manhattan to reveal the 26 players tasked with fulfilling Pochettino's ambitious goal of reaching the semifinals. The one-hour event at the picturesque New York City concert venue is scheduled to be televised nationwide in a bid to build excitement ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Whatever suspense surrounded the ceremony has been deflated by a report from The Guardian publishing the complete roster. The Athletic subsequently confirmed the squad in a follow-up report. The scoop dropped a day after it emerged that Real Salt Lake City midfielder Diego Luna had been left off a list that included the rarely-seen Gio Reyna.
USMNT 2026 World Cup Roster According to Leaks
Goalkeepers
Defenders
Defensive/Central Midfielders
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
Strikers
Biggest Calls From Pochettino
The most notable inclusion on this alleged roster—which U.S. Soccer has neither confirmed nor denied—is undoubtedly Alex Zendejas. The Mexico-born winger was absent from Pochettino's most recent squads, missing out last March despite a strong showing during his prior international appearance.
Zendejas, an agile left-footed attacker who has drawn flattering comparisons to Lionel Messi, was the USMNT's brightest performer in a 2–0 win over Japan at MetLife Stadium in September. "I think we are so pleased," Pochettino enthused that evening. "With this type of performance, he's in the race for the roster for the World Cup."
A hamstring problem kept Zendejas, who grew up in Texas, from joining the squad in October or November, yet he was fit when he was left out of March's fixtures. Pochettino did caution, however, that "the combination and the dynamic of the group can change depending [on] the selection," a shift widely expected to work in Zendejas' favor. Tanner Tessmann, on the other hand, appears to have fallen out of favor with the manager.
Tessmann, a more defensively oriented midfielder compared to Zendejas, has been a consistent presence for French fourth-tier side Lyon this season while also regularly appearing at the international level. The 24-year-old featured in some capacity across each of USMNT's last six matches, and his route into the starting lineup—let alone the squad—seemed further cleared by a season-ending injury to Johnny Cardoso.
Despite all that, it appears Tessmann has ultimately missed the cut.