Winter is Coming for the USMNT: Pochettino’s Roster Analysis
The United States men’s soccer team, known as USMNT, is facing a crucial period. The recent November international window, where the team led by Mauricio Pochettino showed an impressive performance, has marked the beginning of a season full of expectations and challenges. The resounding 5-1 victory over Uruguay was a highlight, and despite injuries, players like Sebastian Berhalter and Alex Freeman seized the opportunity to prove their worth and earn a place on the World Cup roster. The next challenge for the USMNT will be the four-month wait until the next international gathering in March. During this time, the players will focus on their clubs, while Pochettino and his coaching staff will monitor the players’ performance and physical condition, mainly traveling through Europe. The goal is to identify those players who are on the rise and those who might be losing ground. Internal competition is fierce and hard work is fundamental. The momentum generated by the USMNT in the latest call-ups has been remarkable, leaving behind the concerns of the past. However, injuries could slow down this progress, so the coaching staff must pay attention to the players’ performance. The break between international windows is the perfect time to present a detailed analysis of the USMNT’s situation, including a possible list of 26 players and those who could surprise.Goalkeepers (3)
Matt Freese | 27 years old | New York City FC Freese, who has been a starter in 12 consecutive matches, still holds the position of number one goalkeeper. However, the mistake he made against Uruguay has sown doubts, although his participation in the playoffs with NYCFC, where he made important saves, could extend his season. Under Pochettino’s direction, nothing is guaranteed.Matt Turner | 31 years old | New England Revolution (on loan from Lyon) Turner, who expressed his confidence in returning in October, was not called up in November. Pochettino opted for players who performed better in the playoffs or who play abroad. Given Turner’s experience, it is unlikely that he will be excluded, but the coach values recent performance. Turner needs a good start in 2026.Patrick Schulte | 24 years old | Columbus Crew Schulte is an option due to his constant presence. If it hadn’t been for an injury in June, he could have been a starter in the Gold Cup. Every match is important, and the new year will define whether he secures the position of third goalkeeper.Central Defenders (5)
Chris Richards | 25 years old | Crystal Palace Richards’ absence in November is not significant, as he is an undisputed starter when healthy. His situation at the club is favorable, although there was a tug-of-war between Oliver Glasner and Pochettino regarding his availability. Richards is valuable to both the club and the national team.Tim Ream | 38 years old | Charlotte FC Despite being 38 years old, Ream remains fundamental in the USMNT’s defense, standing out for his positioning, passing, and leadership. Pochettino’s tactical approach, with a four-man defense and build-up from the back with three, suits Ream’s strengths. He will appreciate the rest after the MLS season ends.Mark McKenzie | 26 years old | Toulouse McKenzie performed well against Uruguay, demonstrating his physical presence and his ability to play the ball, which makes him valuable to the team. His consistency at Toulouse keeps him in consideration for Pochettino.Miles Robinson | 28 years old | FC Cincinnati Robinson’s position in the squad was at risk, especially due to an injury in September. However, in the latest call-ups he has taken advantage of his opportunities, even playing as a right-back against Australia, which gives him versatility in selection decisions.Auston Trusty | 27 years old | Celtic Due to Cameron Carter-Vickers’ injury, Trusty has taken advantage of opportunities at the club and internationally. He has regained his place in Celtic’s starting eleven and had a solid performance against Uruguay. His position is vulnerable with the return of Tristan Blackmon, but he will play in December/January, which gives him an advantage to consolidate his position.Side players (4)
Sergiño Dest | 24 years old | PSV Eindhoven Is Dest a full-back or a winger? He played as a winger against Paraguay and Uruguay, although against the latter he was more inside. This tactical change takes advantage of his strengths, protecting him from defensive responsibilities that are not his specialty. His situation at PSV is secure. His position in the USMNT in 2026 is unknown, and the left-back position could be an option.Joe Scally | 22 years old | Borussia Mönchengladbach Scally was one of the beneficiaries in November. After being excluded in October, he demonstrated his ability to play in various defensive positions, including as a right-sided center-back, which secured him a place on the 26-man roster.Alex Freeman | 21 years old | Orlando City SC Freeman has had a great 2025, debuting for Orlando City, debuting with the national team in June, and finishing with two goals against Uruguay. Pochettino has been an admirer of his rise, and his performance against Uruguay has given him an edge over his competitors.
Midfielders (5)
Tyler Adams | 26 years old | AFC Bournemouth Adams, absent in November due to a head injury, continues to play at a high level at Bournemouth, where his range and tackling ability are vital. The same goes for the USMNT, where his leadership, on and off the field, solidifies his position in the team.Weston McKennie | 26 years old | Juventus McKennie seems to be doing everything right. Despite the coaching changes at Juventus, the American midfielder has earned a place in the starting eleven, demonstrating his versatility. His goal in the Champions League against Bodo/Glimt is an example. Pochettino’s decision to leave him out in November so that he could prove his worth to the new coach Spalletti is understandable, but it also raises doubts about the security of his position. His position in the USMNT is also uncertain.Cristian Roldan | 30 years old | Seattle Sounders Roldan continues to impress with the United States jersey, and his tireless work against Paraguay helped tilt the match in favor of his team. Although there are midfielders with more international experience, Roldan has proven his worth to Pochettino, and it would not be a surprise to see him called up in March, even if all the players are healthy.Aidan Morris | 24 years old | Middlesbrough Morris’ value in the field has increased in the last two months, in a very competitive group of midfielders. He is a regular at Middlesbrough, who have had ups and downs but remain in third place in the English Championship. Pochettino appreciates the effort, and as long as Morris keeps competing, he should keep his place in the USMNT.Tanner Tessmann | 23 years old | Lyon Tessmann’s value has increased since his absence in September. His performance against Paraguay increased his influence, and he even scored a goal as a substitute against Uruguay. His recent performances at Lyon have received mixed reviews, but he seems to be back in favor with Pochettino, and his consistent playing time at the club should secure his presence in March.Forwards (6)
Christian Pulisic | 26 years old | AC Milan The hamstring injury that Pulisic suffered in October extended into November, missing the last two matches. However, he has quickly regained his form and scored the only goal in Milan’s 1-0 victory over Inter. Although Pochettino says that no one has a guaranteed position, Pulisic seems to be the exception, as long as he stays healthy and performs at his club.
Forwards (3)
Folarin Balogun | 24 years old | AS Monaco Balogun remains the favorite for the starting striker position, after scoring the winning goal against Paraguay, his third goal for the United States since September 1st. The American attack also seems more fluid when Balogun is on the field, due to his ability to get past defenses and connect with his teammates. Things have also improved at the club level, with a steady increase in his minutes at Monaco.Ricardo Pepi | 22 years old | PSV Eindhoven If there’s a player who took a step back during the November window, it was Pepi, who wasted a great opportunity at the end against Paraguay, and overall played less than Balogun or Haji Wright. That seems to leave an opportunity for any member of the chasing group. Nor does there seem to be a way to displace Guus Til from PSV’s starting eleven. Of course, there’s still time, but Pepi is another player who needs to make the most of the upcoming winter months.Haji Wright | 27 years old | Coventry City Wright wasn’t at his best for the United States in November, but his performance with two goals against Australia was recent enough to secure him a place in the squad. His goalscoring rate at the club has also decreased a bit, so he will have to keep performing while Coventry fights for direct promotion.In the Bubble
Roman Celentano | Goalkeeper | 25 years old | FC Cincinnati Unfortunately for Celentano, the last memory people will have of 2025 is Inter Miami scoring four goals against Cincy’s goalkeeper in the MLS Cup playoffs. Celentano’s overall season was much more impressive than that, and he is still in the running for a position, but for him to get it, he will have to see how the performance of some of his competitors declines.Zack Steffen | Goalkeeper | 30 years old | Colorado Rapids Steffen is one of the most affected by the lack of a training camp in January 2026. It was last January when his career in the national team seemed to resurface, but some injuries have been his downfall. Now he faces a tough task to get back on Pochettino’s radar and defend his inclusion.Tristan Blackmon | Center-back | 29 years old | Vancouver Whitecaps Blackmon can’t catch a break. A knee injury prevented him from participating in much of Vancouver’s final phase, and now a red card against LAFC means he will miss the Western Conference final. His capable performance against Japan in September seems like a long time ago, and now he faces a tough task to get back into Pochettino’s rotation.Noahkai Banks | Center-back | 18 years old | FC Augsburg Banks continues to accumulate minutes in the Bundesliga with Augsburg, having participated in the last seven league matches of the club; something important for an 18-year-old. Banks has the look of a young John Brooks, the good and the not so good of that. He has a fantastic size and is calm with the ball, but sometimes loses concentration, which can lead to critical errors. But he has shown to grow and was called up for the September window. Even so, it seems like a cycle too early for Banks to have an impact at the international level.Cameron Carter-Vickers | Center-back | 27 years old | CelticCarter-Vickers’ expected return in March after an Achilles tendon injury seemed optimistic from the start, and last week Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill confirmed that the American defender would not play the entire season. Adding to the gloomy assessment was O’Neill’s statement that the player would not touch the grass until April. It’s a blow for Carter-Vickers, and will likely prevent him from participating in a second consecutive World Cup.
Antonee Robinson | Left-back | 28 years old | Fulham The inclusion of Robinson in the “in the bubble” category has nothing to do with ability. If that were the only criterion, he would almost certainly be on the final list. But Robinson’s ongoing problems with a knee injury that required surgery last May are alarming. Pochettino doesn’t wait for anyone, but let’s hope for a return in March, at which point we can see how far Robinson is from his best form.John Tolkin | Fullback | 23 years old | Holstein Kiel Tolkin has performed well in the occasions he has played, and demonstrated that he could withstand a lot of pressure against Uruguay. Given that the left-back squad is very scarce at the moment, Tolkin is not completely out of the picture, but since players like Dest, Scally and Weah can operate on the opposite wing, the odds still seem slim for Tolkin to make the final list.Caleb Wiley | Full-back | 20 years old | Watford (on loan from Chelsea) Wiley was progressing for a while, but a recurrence of a back injury has meant that the full-back has not been in the Hornets’ squad for over a month. With other players like Arfsten continuing to impress Pochettino, it will be difficult for him to get back on the US coach’s radar.Johnny Cardoso | Midfielder | 23 years old | Atlético de Madrid Cardoso is back and healthy, and even played 59 minutes in Atléti’s 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday. It’s good news, as it was Cardoso’s first appearance since August 30, but the reality at the international level is that other American players have surpassed him on the USMNT depth chart. Wednesday was a start, but it will take more than a Champions League match to change Cardoso’s fortunes.Yunus Musah | Midfielder | 22 years old | Atalanta (on loan from AC Milan) Musah’s loan to Atalanta hasn’t worked out, at least for now. A change of coach, from Ivan Juric to Raffaele Palladino, has caused the American international to sit on the bench, although he did come on as a substitute in the 3-0 Champions League victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. In fact, Musah has played more minutes in the league this season with his former club, AC Milan (90), than with Atalanta (55). Unless that changes, there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Musah entering the USMNT.
Can Yunus Musah return to the United States national team in time for the World Cup?
Luca de la Torre | Midfielder | 27 years old | San Diego FC De la Torre is another player who has fallen down the depth chart. Although he played a lot with San Diego for much of the season, by the end of it he had been used as a substitute and hadn’t started a game in two months. Meanwhile, players like Berhalter and Roldan have surpassed him. Time is running out for De la Torre.Sebastian Berhalter | Midfielder | 24 years old | Vancouver Whitecaps To be clear, Berhalter has made the most of his opportunities, especially in the demolition of Uruguay, in which he scored a goal and provided an assist. His service on set pieces is possibly the best in the group. The fact that he’s in the running is a testament to his growth and tenacity. But if players like Adams and McKennie return, which seems likely, it seems Berhalter will be left out. That said, he should remain on standby.
