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The clock is ticking. Just 12 days remain before U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino announces his final World Cup selection, revealing the 26 players who will carry the Stars and Stripes banner on home turf this summer.
The U.S. is scheduled to unveil its official 2026 FIFA World Cup squad on May 26 in New York City, marking the team's first-ever live World Cup roster announcement. That group will then face Senegal and Germany in warm-up friendlies at the end of the month, before heading west to Los Angeles to kick off World Cup action in Group D against Paraguay on June 12.
Pochettino and his coaching staff have already determined who they believe gives the U.S. the best chance at international glory, with USMNT first assistant coach Jesús Pérez confirming on Monday that "the provisional roster has been decided already." Even so, players still in the mix are leaving nothing on the table in the final days to make a memorable impression.
Here's our stock up, stock down breakdown for the USMNT this week.
USMNT Stock Up
Sebastian Berhalter
Vancouver Whitecaps standout midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, despite being a consistent force in MLS throughout the season, technically remains on the periphery of Pochettino's core group. His desire to earn a World Cup spot, however, has been relentless, and it would now be a genuine shock if Pochettino leaves him off the list.
Over the weekend, Berhalter netted a late, composed trivela to salvage a crucial 1–1 draw against the MLS-leading San Jose Earthquakes, cementing himself as not only the backbone of Vancouver's current transition, but also the driving force behind their attacking identity.
"He has tremendous belief, and he's also very positive in his play," Vancouver manager Jesper Sørensen said of Berhalter and his World Cup prospects. "That's why he ends up in situations where he can be decisive and score goals — that run he made for the goal isn't one you'd typically expect from a No. 6 position."
The 25-year-old then delivered a brace on Wednesday night, both strikes precisely struck from range, to seal a 3–2 comeback victory over FC Dallas away from home, lifting his tally to six goals and seven assists on the season. He is by far the most productive attacking contributor for the Canadian club.
His chances of earning a roster spot also improved after Atlético Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso was ruled out for the U.S. on Monday (more on that below).
BERHALTER BRACE FOR THE WHITECAPS ON WEDNESDAY! ⚽️⚽️pic.twitter.com/JQKmCUcEEN
Diego Luna
The spotlight was firmly on Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna over the weekend, as Pérez made a scouting trip to assess the World Cup hopeful during his side's clash with FC Dallas. Though Dallas departed Toyota Stadium with a 3–1 victory, Luna did enough to catch the first assistant's eye, orchestrating the Claret and Cobalt's buildup throughout the night and firing in an 84th-minute stunner to get his team on the scoreboard.
The 22-year-old now has four goals and two assists across nine league appearances, a productive stretch despite missing the early portion of the 2026 season — and the USMNT's March international window — due to a knee injury.
"We know him well, and he obviously needed rhythm, minutes and to rebuild his confidence," Pérez told MLS 360 this week. "I think he's doing well. His team is doing well. Hopefully he can keep that going.
"Obviously, it is Mauricio's final call to pick the roster, but everyone knows that [Luna's] been part of our core group."
Luna has earned 18 caps with the USMNT, including appearances in the 2024 Concacaf Nations League and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
USMNT Stock Down
Johnny Cardoso
Atlético Madrid confirmed on Monday that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will miss the remainder of the La Liga season and the World Cup, announcing that the USMNT hopeful will require surgery following a high-grade ankle sprain sustained in training last week, leaving the 24-year-old sidelined indefinitely.
This is a crushing setback for both the U.S. and Atlético Madrid, the latter of whom relied heavily on him during their deep Champions League run. He featured in the second leg of the semifinals, logging over 30 minutes in the gut-wrenching 1–0 defeat to Arsenal, which ended their European campaign 2–1 on aggregate.
Cardoso distinguished himself as the USMNT player who advanced furthest in Champions League competition this season. He has accumulated 23 senior caps since his debut in 2020, though without a goal or assist, and has endured several injury interruptions along the way. His most recent appearance came in the 5–2 March defeat to Belgium, where he played 45 minutes before sustaining a separate injury — leg discomfort — and returning to Spain for treatment, causing him to miss the subsequent friendly against Portugal.
With Cardoso now out of the picture, Berhalter and Seattle Sounders' Cristian Roldan emerge as the most likely candidates to fill the depth role in central midfield. Roldan would bring 45 caps of international experience to the table, along with the invaluable perspective gained from being part of the 2022 World Cup squad.
Matt Turner
Matt Turner's momentum has stalled. The USMNT's starting goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup had been mounting a strong case for a return to that role, looking to unseat Matt Freese, who is currently the frontrunner for the starting spot this summer — but that campaign took a serious hit this week.
The 31-year-old recorded a total of 28 saves throughout April's five matches, performances that proved vital to the New England Revolution's climb up the standings, as they now occupy third place in the Eastern Conference. The month's highlight was Turner's outstanding nine-save performance against Inter Miami, keeping Argentine icon Lionel Messi at bay and earning a 1–1 draw.
His form has since dipped this month, and things took a sharp turn for the worse on Wednesday night in the Revolution's 3–0 loss to Nashville SC, in which Turner managed just a single save. He committed a glaring error in the 40th minute, misplacing a pass to his center back that gifted Nashville's Warren Madrigal an easy finish. It was precisely the kind of mistake that could erase Pochettino's memory of Turner's recent strong showings, highlighting his vulnerability with the ball at his feet — a weakness the world-class sides at the World Cup would undoubtedly exploit this summer.