{"id":29565,"date":"2025-08-29T13:18:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/sin-categoria\/reyna-balogun-and-more-are-they-ready-for-the-2026-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:18:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:18:44","slug":"reyna-balogun-and-more-are-they-ready-for-the-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/soccer\/reyna-balogun-and-more-are-they-ready-for-the-2026-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Reyna, Balogun and more: Are they ready for the 2026 World Cup?"},"content":{"rendered":"The key to the success of the United States men’s national team in the upcoming World Cup lies in maintaining good physical condition. Last week, the team celebrated the return of several important players to their clubs. Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun, and Ricardo Pepi returned to the starting lineup.\n\nThe stability in playing time is crucial, so the arrival of Gio Reyna at Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach was welcome news.\n\nAlthough these events did not translate into call-ups for the US selection in September, the situation is positive. Alofoke Deportes will be monitoring the progress of the American players, highlighting those who, due to their performance or physical condition, are more interesting. This is Alofoke Deportes’ “Countdown to the World Cup”.\n\n
We are counting down the weeks until June 11th, so that the announcement of the United States team for the World Cup doesn’t surprise anyone.<\/p>\n\nWelcome to Alofoke Deportes’ “Countdown to the World Cup”! 288 days to go.\n\n\n
\n
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Absences in the USMNT squad could affect preparation for the World Cup.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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After missing the Gold Cup, Musah has big plans for the USMNT in the World Cup year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n
Is Gladbach the place to revive Reyna’s career?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
A New Hope in Gladbach<\/h2>\n\n\nReyna finalized his expected signing for Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach, after leaving Borussia Dortmund. This change makes sense for several reasons. Reyna will remain in Germany, where he has played professionally since 2020, which avoids cultural adaptation. In addition, he will be with his childhood friend, Joe Scally, with whom he shared a team in the New York City FC academy.\n\nNow comes the hard part: playing and avoiding the injuries that have affected him in recent seasons.\n\n
The Return of the ‘Jedi’<\/h2>\n\n\nRobinson reappeared against Manchester United, playing 28 minutes. His return was a bit late to be called up in September.\n\nThis decision will allow Robinson to improve his physical condition to add more minutes with Fulham.\n\n
Will Balogun surpass Sargent in the fight for the center forward position?<\/h2>\n\nBalogun played the entire match in Monaco’s 1-0 defeat to Lille, accumulating his first minutes of the season after recovering from a calf injury.\n\nGio Reyna ha dejado el Dortmund, pero no Alemania, su carrera se retomar\u00e1 en el Borussia Monchengladbach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nIt was a frustrating afternoon, with only one shot on goal, but the hope is that Balogun will continue playing. He was also called up at the last minute for the US national team in September. His last appearance was on September 10, 2024 against New Zealand.\n\nHis ability to destabilize defenses is unique in the group of American forwards, but he will have strong competition for playing time with Josh Sargent.\n\n\n
The ideal eleven<\/h2>\n\n\n
Coach Pochettino did not call up four of the players for the September window, although Robinson’s absence is understandable. The midfield is the area that generates the most attention, and it goes beyond the exclusion of Weston McKennie.<\/p>\n\nJohnny Cardoso has increased his playing time with Atl\u00e9tico de Madrid, indicating a stable role with coach Diego Simeone. Tanner Tessmann has had a good start to his second season at Lyon.\n\nAidan Morris from Middlesbrough was named Man of the Match in the last two league games. Tessmann replaces McKennie to line up alongside Tyler Adams and Cardoso, but thoughts are already turning to the October window.\n\nIf Tessmann and Morris are not called up, it will be seen how far down they are on Pochettino’s list.\n\nMark McKenzie of Toulouse was another surprise omission, as he was considered the main substitute for Tim Ream and Chris Richards in the center of the US defense. Instead, Tristan Blackmon of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Noahkai Banks of FC Augsburg were selected. McKenzie has had consistency issues with the US shirt, but has started well with the French club. Although the sample is small, he has been part of a Toulouse defense that has yet to concede goals.\n\nAnother consequence of Robinson’s exclusion is that Max Arfsten of the Columbus Crew has the advantage to be the substitute for the Fulham defender. This is a hard blow for John Tolkin.\n\nIn addition to being a starter in all matches with Holstein Kiel, he has now scored in his last two matches, although the last one against Greuther F\u00fcrth was on a counterattack with the opponent out of position due to a corner kick.\n\nThere’s an aspect to consider regarding the left-back position. Dest played in that position for PSV in the 4-2 victory over Groningen last weekend. If, for some reason, Robinson is unavailable, Pochettino might opt to move Dest and use one of his other right-backs.\n\n\n
Player List Update<\/h2>\n\n\nThe USMNT player list was published earlier this month, and each list will provide the basis for weekly player updates. Below are the players’ minutes and ratings.\n\nMatt Turner, goalkeeper, New England Revolution: 270 minutes in 2025; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nMatt Freese, goalkeeper, New York City FC: 2,340 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nZack Steffen, goalkeeper, Colorado Rapids: 1,890 minutes in 2025; 7.0 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nPatrick Schulte, goalkeeper, Columbus Crew: 2,070 minutes in 2025; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nChris Richards, center-back, Crystal Palace: 270 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nTim Ream, central defender, Charlotte FC: 1,892 minutes in 2025; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nMark McKenzie, central defender, Toulouse: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.3 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nCameron Carter-Vickers, central defender, Celtic: 390 minutes in 2025-26; 7.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nMiles Robinson, center back, FC Cincinnati: 2,258 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nRobinson is simply unlucky. Although Pochettino may have been determined to bring in Blackmon and Banks, it is now a calf injury that prevented him from playing the last two games, giving him little chance. For a player who missed the 2022 World Cup due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, it’s another blow in his attempt to be part of the world team.\n\nAuston Trusty, central defender, Celtic: 152 minutes in 2025-26; 6.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nSergi\u00f1o Dest, full-back, PSV Eindhoven: 352 minutes in 2025-26; 8.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nAntonee Robinson, fullback, Fulham: 28 minutes in 2025-26; 6.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nJoe Scally, full-back, Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nCaleb Wiley, full-back, Watford: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nMax Arfsten, full-back, Columbus Crew: 2,330 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nAlex Freeman, defender, Orlando City SC: 2,352 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nTyler Adams, midfielder, AFC Bournemouth: 194 minutes in 2025-26; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nWeston McKennie, midfielder, Juventus: 1 minute in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nJohnny Cardoso, midfielder, Atl\u00e9tico de Madrid: 113 minutes in 2025-26; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nLuca de la Torre, midfielder, San Diego FC: 2,077 minutes in 2025; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nTanner Tessmann, midfielder, Lyon: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nYunus Musah, midfielder, AC Milan: 25 minutes in 2025-26; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nWill he stay or will he go? Musah was an unused substitute in Milan’s surprising 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese, which did nothing to quell rumors that he could move to Atalanta, Napoli or Nottingham Forest. Musah told Alofoke Deportes that he wants to stay at Milan, but we’ll see if coach Max Allegri rewards that attitude and keeps Musah.\n\nYunus Musah explica su decisi\u00f3n de no participar en la Copa Oro de la USMNT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nSebastian Berhalter, midfielder, Vancouver Whitecaps: 2,560 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nChristian Pulisic, forward, AC Milan: 156 minutes in 2025-26; 7.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nTim Weah, forward, Marseille: 108 minutes in 2025-26; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nMalik Tillman, forward, Bayer Leverkusen: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nDiego Luna, attacker, Real Salt Lake: 2,005 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.\n\nAlejandro Zendejas, forward, Am\u00e9rica: 461 minutes in 2025-26; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nGiovanni Reyna, attacker, Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nFolarin Balogun, forward, AS Monaco: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 6.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nRicardo Pepi, forward, PSV Eindhoven: 33 minutes in 2025-26; 6.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nPepi’s debut this season against Groningen may have only lasted four minutes, but it was important. He made his first appearance since injuring his knee last January. With Pepi’s competition, Luuk de Jong, having moved elsewhere, it’s now Pepi’s time to claim his starting position.\n\nJosh Sargent, forward, Norwich City: 317 minutes in 2025-26; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nPatrick Agyemang, forward, Derby County: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nHaji Wright, forward, Coventry City: 276 minutes in 2025-26; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.\n\nWright’s exclusion from the USMNT roster went somewhat unnoticed, given some of the big names that were left out, but it was one that definitely fell into the head-scratcher category. Wright has four goals in his last three appearances, including two in last weekend’s 7-1 defeat against Queens Park Rangers.\n\nDamion Downs, forward, Southampton: 156 minutes in 2025-26; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The key to the success of the United States men’s national team in the upcoming World Cup lies in maintaining good physical condition. Last week, the team celebrated the return of several important players to their clubs. Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun, and Ricardo Pepi returned to the starting lineup. The stability in playing time is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[6456,5913,2075,522],"class_list":{"0":"post-29565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-gio-reyna","10":"tag-usmnt","11":"tag-world-cup"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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