USMNT Stars Shine Bright: Ranking the Top 5 Players Who Dominated This Week's World Cup 2026 Journey
The 2026 World Cup approaches rapidly for the U.S. men's national team, with less than six months remaining before their tournament begins in Los Angeles, California.
Although they're aware of facing Australia, Paraguay, and either Slovakia, Kosovo, Türkiye or Romania in group play, the squad composition remains highly uncertain, particularly as Mauricio Pochettino observes excellent performances from potential World Cup candidates across Europe.
Different from previous years, the USMNT will skip their January training camp for direct player evaluation, making their upcoming March fixtures crucial for determining the final squad composition.
Here, Sports Illustrated evaluates the week's top five standout performances from international play.
5. Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco)
Probably the frontrunner to lead the USMNT's opening World Cup fixture, Folarin Balogun maintained his impressive seasonal form across Ligue 1 and Champions League competition.
The 24-year-old netted the decisive strike in Monaco's 1–0 triumph over Galatasaray—marking his seventh goal this campaign and third in European competition—before having another effort disallowed for offside during the weekend loss to Tim Weah's Marseille.
Despite that match not going according to plan for Balogun, he delivered a solid performance leading Monaco's attack, successfully completing four dribbles and registering three goal attempts.
4. Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Malik Tillman continues adapting well at Bayer Leverkusen following his major summer transfer and contributed to the club's 2–0 Rhine Derby victory against local rivals FC Köln.
The versatile attacking midfielder registered two shots and generated two scoring opportunities while partnering with Jonas Hoffman, plus contributed five defensive actions.
Operating within Leverkusen's 3-5-1-1 system, he has demonstrated his capability to distribute centrally while also supporting overlapping runs from wing-backs, a skill that could prove valuable to Pochettino given his recent adoption of a three-man defensive setup.
3. Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven)
Another week concluded with Ricardo Pepi adding to his goal tally once again. The 22-year-old American found the net during UEFA Champions League play against Atlético Madrid midweek, then converted a precisely placed penalty against Heracles Almelo in weekend Eredivisie action.
Pepi has now scored across four consecutive matches in all competitions, becoming the first American to achieve this feat for an Eredivisie team since Aron Jóhannsson's run with AZ in 2013-14.
The former FC Dallas prospect has accumulated nine goals across all competitions this season and aims to finish 2025 strongly, building momentum for the 2026 World Cup year.
2. Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Weston McKennie maintained his impressive Juventus form this season, finding the net in a 2–0 midweek Champions League victory against Pafos, then completing the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 Serie A triumph over Bologna.
While he hasn't scored in Serie A play and couldn't capitalize on additional space following Bologna's red card on Sunday, he has demonstrated clinical finishing ability in crucial European matches on soccer's grandest stage.
Simultaneously, his development as a well-rounded wide midfielder is noteworthy, and the 27-year-old appears increasingly settled as Juventus progresses under midseason coaching change to Luciano Spalletti.
1. Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
Antonee Robinson delivered an outstanding performance in his first Premier League start this season with Fulham on Saturday, returning to action after knee surgery before the 2025–26 season began.
Robinson, 28, played the complete 90 minutes in a 3–2 victory over Burnley, elevating his team to 13th in the Premier League standings while enhancing his USMNT prospects as Pochettino evaluates options for three and five-defender formations.
He proved highly effective throughout the match, delivering eight passes into the attacking third while recording six ball recoveries, four tackles and two interceptions.