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The U.S. men's national team has finalized its World Cup roster, and all 26 selected players are already hitting their stride.
On Sunday, the Stars and Stripes took to the field for the first time since Tuesday's roster announcement, securing an impressive victory over 14th-ranked Senegal in Charlotte. The 3–2 win—during which the 16th-ranked U.S. side also found the net twice more before being flagged for offside—was full of attacking intent and proved vital for building momentum heading into the tournament just under two weeks away.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino continues to tinker with his starting eleven and made wholesale changes at halftime, with 22 players seeing action throughout the international friendly. Some individuals made stronger impressions than others, however.
Here's our stock up, stock down breakdown for the USMNT this week, the second-to-last before the squad kicks off their World Cup campaign.
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USMNT Stock Up
Christian Pulisic
Pulisic needed fewer than seven minutes on the pitch to remind everyone why he remains the key man. The 27-year-old attacking star stepped onto the Bank of America Stadium turf carrying enormous expectations—not only the ongoing burden of being the face of the U.S. program despite his reserved personality, but also the weight of widespread skepticism from critics across the country.
"Captain America" had wrapped up his club season at AC Milan enduring the worst scoring drought of his career. He went 19 Serie A matches without a goal stretching back to 2025, adding just two assists during that stretch. For the national team, the goal drought had lasted even longer, going all the way back to November 2024.
It came as little surprise that pundits and supporters began questioning his capacity to lead the U.S. to glory on home soil this summer; yet those doubts were swiftly put to rest when Pulisic burst down the left side and delivered a perfectly weighted cross to wingback Sergiño Dest inside the penalty area, who had no difficulty slotting it past Senegal's goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
To demonstrate that his brilliance was no fluke, Pulisic added his own goal just 13 minutes later, deftly rounding Diaw to finish. He was taken off at the break, but had already done more than enough to silence his detractors.
"It's just great to score again. Hopefully people can stop talking about it," Pulisic said plainly after the final whistle.
Sebastian Berhalter
Berhalter received a somewhat surprising call to start on Sunday, having been widely expected to serve as a substitute behind Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, and Tyler Adams in central midfield this summer. Whether Pochettino was simply testing his options or not, Berhalter seized the chance, displaying his quality in box-to-box play. He registered five defensive contributions and four tackles, while also completing five incisive passes into the final third.
The 25-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder logged 76 minutes—the most of any U.S. player—as the majority of the squad rotated at halftime.
Most notably, Pochettino was full of praise for Berhalter after the match.
"He can play two games in a row. He's a monster," Pochettino told reporters. "He's a monster, in the way of how professional he is. I think he deserved to be in the roster and today, [I'm] happy too with his performance."
"He's not 100%, he's 200% professional, committed," Pochettino added. "In a non-official game, an official game, with friends, in training—he's always giving his best, always his 200% ... For a coach, it's always a pleasure to have a profile like [Berhalter]."
USMNT Stock Down
Haji Wright
The 28-year-old forward was one of only three fit U.S. players who did not feature on Sunday. The Coventry City striker has plenty to offer Pochettino in the No. 9 role, having netted 17 goals this season to help his club earn Premier League promotion for the first time since the 2000–01 campaign; however, the battle for the starting striker berth is fierce, as was demonstrated emphatically on Sunday.
Despite Folarin Balogun being widely tipped as the frontline starter this summer, Ricardo Pepi earned the nod against Senegal and showed he cannot be so easily dismissed. The 23-year-old PSV Eindhoven forward linked up brilliantly with Pulisic throughout the opening half, even providing the assist for his 20th-minute strike. His movement was also central to the U.S. executing an effective high press from the opening whistle and keeping Senegal on the back foot.
Balogun wasn't about to surrender his place in the starting lineup without a fight, however, and when he came on for Pepi in the second half, his quality quickly eclipsed his predecessor's showing. The Monaco striker was relentless in his pursuit of goal. The 24-year-old repeatedly carved through Senegal's defense, and after two efforts were ruled offside, he finally broke through with the match-winner in the 63rd minute—a sweeping finish across goal from a Timothy Weah cross.
Taken together, the outstanding performances of both Pepi and Balogun on Sunday push Wright further toward the periphery. He will need to make the most of any playing time he receives against Germany this weekend in order to force his way back into contention.
Miles Robinson
Miles Robinson was among the players on the fringes of Pochettino's squad, with his injury history putting his place in the final World Cup roster in doubt. He was nonetheless included, partly due to Pochettino's decision to name five center backs in the squad.
The FC Cincinnati defender was given the chance to justify Pochettino's faith when he came on for Mark McKenzie in the second half. The 29-year-old showed composure in possession along with his trademark pace and athleticism, but those qualities were soon overshadowed by one costly mistake that Pochettino may find difficult to ignore.
A sloppy first touch allowed Senegalese star Sadio Mané to easily dispossess Robinson in the 52nd minute deep in the final third and advance toward goal. U.S. goalkeeper Chris Brady misjudged his timing off his line, and Robinson used his pace in a desperate attempt to recover, sprinting back toward goal. It proved futile, however, as Mané calmly converted for his second goal of the match.
The USMNT's defensive line will undoubtedly face opponents of Mané's caliber this summer, and Pochettino will now have serious reservations about whether Robinson is equipped to handle that level of challenge.