With the 2026 World Cup just weeks away, the occasion United States’ roster reveal proved to be a spectacle as the members of the team were introduced one-by-one to throngs of supporters.
Hundreds of fans gathered in the sunshine at Pier 17 in Manhattan’s Seaport neighborhood as the federation put on a party just days before the world’s grandest sporting spectacle arrived on American shores.
One at a time, each member of the roster was introduced on stage – holding aloft kits with their name and number on it to resounding cheers.
The spirits never dimmed as supporters of the USMNT enjoyed the sublime weather and entertainment – which included an appearance from ‘Drip Too Hard’ rapper Gunna.
Among the biggest snubs from the roster was Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna – who performed admirably at the Gold Cup and has turned into one of the most promising young players the US has to offer.
Backlash to Luna’s absence was seen in the broadcast live on Fox. Early in the show, a fan held up a sign reading ‘Poch We Want Diego Luna’ – a reference to the most surprising snub from the roster.
Speaking on the broadcast after the roster was officially revealed, Pochettino addressed the issues with building the squad and referenced his own struggles while playing for Argentina.
US soccer fans filed in to Pier 17 in New York City to learn the names on the World Cup roster
Fans clad in red, white and blue packed the sunny rooftop to greet their hopeful heroes
Then, stars were announced one-by-one as they greeted the crowd with their new kits
‘When I was a player, I missed two World Cups, 1994 and 1998,’ Pochettino said.
‘But I kept working and in 2002, I made the roster and I played in the World Cup. It’s all about belief. It’s true that it’s very disappointing for the people that are not here, I didn’t sleep for two weeks because we care about the people and we care about our players.
‘But that is soccer and we need to move on… now we need to be focused and to perform and to create good memories.’
The roster was already known. Reporters from The Guardian obtained and released the 26 names Mauricio Pochettino would take into battle, leading to speculation and scrutiny.
A majority of the 26 names were expected to make the team – among them, AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, Fulham fullback Antonee ‘Jedi’ Robinson and Bournemouth holding midfielder Tyler Adams.
But snubs like defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann and Luna were noted absences from the stage.
Rather than take Tessmann, Pochettino’s midfield is made up of just four players – three of whom made the roster in Qatar.
Two of those, the aforementioned Adams and McKennie, are considered the best midfielders in the United States’ pool and will likely start at the World Cup.
The other two are midfielders with considerable MLS experience – Cristian Roldan, who returns to the World Cup stage, and World Cup debutant Sebastian Berhalter.
Sebastian is the son of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, who was sacked after the United States crashed out of the 2024 Copa America in the group stages.
Christian Pulisic waves to the crowd as he is announced to the USMNT World Cup roster
Among the most interesting call-ups, Pochettino tapped Gio Reyna for his second World Cup
Gio’s lack of use at the 2022 World Cup kicked off a massive scandal between his parents, Danielle and Claudio Reyna (L) and former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter (R)
What makes Berhalter’s inclusion all the more interesting is that Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder Gio Reyna is also on the roster as one of the more surprising inclusions.
Reyna was at the center of one of the biggest scandals in American soccer history when his parents – former USMNT midfielder Claudio Reyna and his mother, Danielle – filed a complaint against Gregg Berhalter following the 2022 World Cup that led to an investigation into the coach’s conduct.
Reyna’s inclusion in the roster in 2026 comes as a shock considering what has happened to his career since 2022. A series of injuries and poor performances at the club level for Borussia Dortmund – as well as on a loan spell to Nottingham Forest – led to him joining Monchengladbach last summer.
In 20 appearances in all competitions this season, Reyna only managed a single goal and a single assist across 577 total minutes of game time.
The odd man out for Reyna’s inclusion is Luna, who plays in a similar position. However, Luna has also been dealing with an injury in 2026.
Despite this, he was still expected to be included in Pochettino’s roster considering his strong performance last summer for the United States at the 2025 Gold Cup – as well as the four goals and one assist he’s had in nine MLS games.
In recent months, Luna had been featured in World Cup advertisements for both Nike and America’s World Cup broadcaster, Fox Sports.
A USSF spokesperson told The Guardian that Pochettino ‘had nothing to do with the players selected to appear in those advertisements, some of which were produced months ago.’
Meanwhile, Diego Luna (R) has starred in World Cup ads and was expected to be called up to Pochettino’s roster after he played a starring role in the USA’s Gold Cup run last summer
Miles Robinson (L) and Folarin Balogun (R) are making their USMNT World Cup debuts
The United States men’s national team roster for the 2026 World Cup poses for a photo
Of the 26 players selected, half of them are making their debut on a World Cup roster.
Half of the defensive callups will be making their World Cup debuts. This includes Crystal Palace center back Chris Richards and FC Cincinnati center back Miles Robinson – both of whom would likely have made the 2022 roster were it not for injuries.
Richards’ selection comes after reports of an injury to his foot towards the tail end of Crystal Palace’s club season. However, he will likely be healthy in time for the World Cup.
The other two notable debutants for the US at the World Cup are strikers Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi.
Pepi, who plays for Dutch side PSV, was passed over at the last World Cup in favor of Jesus Ferreira – who has not featured for the USMNT since the 2023 Gold Cup.
As for Balogun, the Monaco striker obtained a one-time switch to play for the USMNT in May 2023 – having previously represented England at the youth level.
The United States now travels to their newly opened training facility in Atlanta before playing friendlies against Senegal in Charlotte and Germany in Chicago.
They then travel to Los Angeles where the US will open their World Cup group stage campaign against Paraguay.
