Mauricio Pochettino has named his 26-man USMNT squad, and the main takeaway is simple enough. The group is built around Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulišić and Folarin Balogun, while several midfield options have been left at home.

That makes the selections around Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Diego Luna the most interesting part of the roster. This is not a squad that tries to cover every possible scenario, it looks like one that backs a preferred core and accepts the trade-off.

Why the midfield debate is the real story

The numbers behind the trusted core are strong. Adams made 25 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth, with 2 goals and 2 assists. McKennie produced 36 Serie A appearances for Juventus, plus 5 goals and 5 assists in the league and 10 Champions League appearances with 4 more goals and 1 assist.

Brad Friedel said the important part plainly: "One of our influential players is Tyler Adams. He's got to be fit. Weston McKennie has got to be fit." That fits the shape of the roster. Pochettino is leaning on players he clearly trusts, even if it narrows the margin for error when the tournament gets busy.

The omissions sharpen that point. Tessmann made 41 appearances for Lyon, with 28 starts and 2,546 minutes. Morris was not included, and Luna, who had 4 goals and 3 assists in 608 minutes for Real Salt Lake, also missed out. Friedel did not hide his preference for Balogun either, saying: "Balogun, I would start as the nine. Pulisic on one side, Weah on the other. I would play Weah as a winger, not as a right back."

That view lines up with the rest of the roster. Balogun scored 13 Ligue 1 goals for Monaco, and the striker picture is cleaner than the midfield one. Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright also give the staff alternatives, but Balogun looks like the first name on the sheet.

Pulišić’s club form is part of the same picture. He finished his AC Milan season with 29 Serie A appearances, 7 goals and 3 assists, but his last five league matches brought only one assist and no goals. The workload was there. The finish was less convincing.

For Pochettino, the bet is that his best players will matter more than a broader safety net. The USMNT group is now set, and the next question is whether Adams, McKennie, Pulišić and Balogun carry enough of the load when the tournament starts.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →