How has USMNT player pool evolved since 2022, and what does it mean for World Cup?

As the final whistle blew on its 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup round of 16, the U.S. men's national team faced a particularly strange 3.5 years. As co-host of the expanded 2026 World Cup, the team was already qualified and therefore wouldn't play another truly meaningful match until the World Cup began.

There would be plenty of headlines to come, of course -- splitting with Gregg Berhalter, rehiring him, firing him after bombing out of the Copa América group stage, winning two Nations Leagues, losing two Gold Cups, hiring Mauricio Pochettino -- and they all had meaning. But the only thing that really mattered was how the team would look in the summer of 2026.

Following Saturday's loss to Belgium in Atlanta, the U.S. has three matches remaining before that World Cup run begins: They'll host Portugal in Atlanta on Tuesday, then play Senegal in Charlotte (May 31) and Germany in Chicago (June 6), and then it's showtime. With the final run-up underway, let's take a step back and look at Pochettino's lineup selections and how the player pool has changed since the action in Qatar concluded. Plenty of 2022 stalwarts have remained in the mix, and while depth has increased nicely in a lot of positions, a lack of depth in central defense could cause problems.

So, too, could a lack of chemistry: Jeff Carlisle's most recent projected U.S. starters (all of whom are bolded in the sections below) have still never actually seen the pitch together.

Let's go position by position.

- Carlisle: USMNT handed a reality check by Belgium
- O'Hanlon: Does the U.S. finally have enough depth to compete?
- What's it like playing for Pochettino? U.S. players sound off

Goalkeeper

Minutes-adjusted average age under Pochettino: 28.4

Incumbents who remained involved:
1. Matt Turner (31): 810 minutes under Pochettino
2. Zack Steffen (30): 90 minutes

New names to emerge:
1. Matt Freese (27): 1,170 minutes under Pochettino
2. Patrick Schulte (25): 90 minutes

After his solid performance in Qatar, it was easy to pencil Turner's name in as the likely starting goalkeeper in 2026. But his struggles at the club level -- he barely played after moving to Arsenal in 2022-23, was poor on loan with Nottingham Forest, barely played on loan with Crystal Palace and is now back on loan (from Lyon) with the New England Revolution -- opened the door for a usurper. Freese took advantage.

Freese has logged more minutes than Turner under Pochettino, and in Turner's last two U.S. matches, he has allowed nine goals with a save percentage under 50%. Freese's shot-stopping statistics and buildup play have both been a bit better, and while it doesn't feel like there's a gulf separating these two, Freese certainly seems to have the lead.

The future of the position is in decent shape as long as younger players continue to push Freese. Columbus' Schulte, FC Cincinnati's Roman Celentano and San Diego FC's Carlos Dos Santos (all of whom are 25) could continue to build their profiles, and while no youngster has emerged as a surefire future star, there are candidates. Gaga Slonina (22) was one of the most exciting teenage prospects in the player pool four years ago, having already established a solid level of play for the Chicago Fire; he has been lost in the Chelsea loan army for a while, however, and needs some stability. But he's still young. So is Barcelona B goalkeeper Diego Kochen (20). Chris Brady (22) is carving out a niche with the Chicago Fire, too.

There could be a lot of jostling for position on the depth chart here over the coming years, especially if Freese doesn't completely lock down the No. 1 spot.

Center-back

Minutes-adjusted average age under Pochettino: 30.6

Incumbents who remained involved:
1. Tim Ream (38): 1,558 minutes under Pochettino
2. Chris Richards (25): 1,094 minutes
3. Mark McKenzie (27): 899 minutes
4. Miles Robinson (29): 532 minutes
5. Walker Zimmerman (32): 187 minutes
6. Cameron Carter-Vickers (28): 90 minutes

New names to emerge:
1. Tristan Blackmon (29): 174 minutes under Pochettino
2. Auston Trusty (27): 100 minutes
3. George Campbell (24): 88 minutes

play

3:03

Is the USMNT ready for the World Cup?

The 'FC TV' crew react to USMNT's 5-2 defeat to Belgium.

No position group has changed less over the past four years than this one. At times, that feels like a good thing. On Saturday, it did not.

Players like Zimmerman, Aaron Long, Matt Miazga and Erik Palmer-Brown appear to have been phased out of the player pool, but Ream played every minute of the 2022 World Cup for the U.S., and Richards might have if he hadn't been injured. They've certainly been the top two names under Pochettino, and while Richards' ongoing development at Crystal Palace has been one of the best stories for the U.S. in recent years, Ream has quickly begun to look his age. He was poor on Saturday against Belgium, and his troubles were exacerbated by the absence of both Richards and Miles Robinson to minor injuries. With no other obvious options, Ream and McKenzie still played all 90 minutes.

Maybe the most interesting question about this group, as it pertains to the World Cup, is whether two or three end up in the starting lineup. Until Saturday, Pochettino had deployed either a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 over the previous six U.S. matches, and the team went unbeaten in that span; without Richards and Robinson against Belgium, Pochettino went back to a 4-2-3-1, but what (and who) might he choose if he has all his options available in June? And if he loses faith in Ream or McKenzie in the coming weeks, might erstwhile fullbacks like Joe Scally or Alex Freeman become options in a three-man back line?

Of the seven center backs who have played at least 90 minutes under Pochettino (not including Scally or Freeman), six will be at least 31 years old in 2030. Granted, this position tends to skew older as a whole, but considering the minutes-adjusted age here is already over 30, and considering the lack of trustworthy depth, new names will desperately need to emerge.

Maybe that means someone like West Brom's Campbell or the L.A. Galaxy's Justin Haak (24) taking on more responsibility. Maybe anticipated youngsters like New York Red Bulls' Justin Che (22) or Bayern loan army member Grayson Dettoni (20) begin to break through. Or maybe the ongoing sales pitch to dual-national Noahkai Banks finally succeeds. The Hawaii-born 19-year-old has already become a stellar Bundesliga defender for Augsburg and would rocket to the top of the hypothetical 2030 U.S. depth chart if he chooses to represent this country instead of Germany. He has not yet reached a decision.

Full-back / Wing-back

Minutes-adjusted average age under Pochettino: 23.7

Incumbents who remained involved:
1. Joe Scally (23): 581 minutes under Pochettino
2. Tim Weah (26): 521 minutes
3. Antonee Robinson (28): 356 minutes
4. Sergiño Dest (25): 214 minutes
5. Shaq Moore (29): 121 minutes

New names to emerge:
1. Max Arfsten (24): 1,112 minutes under Pochettino
2. Alex Freeman (21): 1,002 minutes
3. John Tolkin (23): 233 minutes
4. Marlon Fossey (27): 135 minutes
5. Kristoffer Lund (23): 134 minutes
6. Nathan Harriel (24): 121 minutes
7. DeJuan Jones (28): 115 minutes
8. Caleb Wiley (21): 24 minutes

In a perfect world -- or a world with perfect player health, at least -- Robinson and Dest would be obvious, surefire, first-choice options out wide as either full-backs or wing-backs. They're athletic, they're strong in attacking roles, and at his best in recent years, Robinson has been one of the best full-backs in the Premier League. But Dest missed most of 2024-25 with an ACL injury, and Robinson has spent 2025-26 battling both injury and form: He has played only 1,339 minutes in all competitions, and after recording 10 assists last season, he has just one in this campaign. Neither have played even 300 minutes for Pochettino yet, and Dest was out once again with a minor injury on Saturday. In his absence, Weah struggled terribly against Belgium's incredible Jérémy Doku.

Weah seems more built for a wing-back type of role than full-back, but there are other options out wide. Scally has been fine for both club (Borussia Monchengladbach) and country, while Arfsten and Freeman have both forced their way into the World Cup conversation. Only Ream, Freese and Richards have played more minutes for Pochettino, and while Arfsten's defensive vulnerabilities are problematic, his five assists for the U.S. are the most of anyone in Pochettino's tenure.

Freeman's athleticism -- he runs the pitch like he's the son of a famous American football player (because he is) -- recently drew the eye of LaLiga's Villarreal. He hasn't played much since joining the Spanish club, but while he may not start in the World Cup, it would be a surprise if either Freeman or Arfsten didn't make the squad.

Regardless of what happens this summer, it feels the U.S. is more well-stocked than ever out wide. Robinson will admittedly be 32 during the 2030 World Cup, but even if he ages out, Dest will only be 29, Arfsten will be 28, Scally and John Tolkin will be 27 and Freeman will be 25. And others, like Chelsea loan army member Caleb Wiley (currently 21), recent Manchester City signee Christian McFarlane (19), Vancouver Whitecaps' Tate Johnson (20), or even Wolfsburg's Kevin Paredes (23) could still find a new gear. Paredes broke through for Wolfsburg in 2023-24, but has battled injury since.

Central midfield

Minutes-adjusted average age under Pochettino: 25.1

Incumbents who remained involved:
1. Tyler Adams (27): 697 minutes under Pochettino
2. Luca De La Torre (27): 590 minutes
3. Yunus Musah (23): 461 minutes
5. Cristian Roldan (30): 332 minutes
6. Johnny Cardoso (24): 216 minutes
7. Gianluca Busio (23): 169 minutes
8. James Sands (25): 64 minutes

New names to emerge:
1. Sebastian Berhalter (24): 730 minutes under Pochettino
2. Tanner Tessmann (24): 615 minutes
3. Aidan Morris (24): 450 minutes
4. Quinn Sullivan (22): 140 minutes
5. Alex Zendejas (28): 139 minutes
6. Emeka Eneli (26): 115 minutes
7. Benjamin Cremaschi (21): 110 minutes

play

3:14

Should the USMNT be concerned with Christian Pulisic's form?

The 'FC TV' crew react to the USMNT's 5-2 defeat to Belgium.

Here's another area in which injuries have prevented the first-choice options from seeing much of the field under Pochettino. Tyler Adams has been integral to the United States' success at times, but he missed most of 2023-24 with injury, started only 21 of 38 Premier League matches with Bournemouth last season and has started only 18 of 31 this season. He was a scratch for this key international window because of a minor injury, too.

Adams' on-and-off absence has allowed Pochettino to experiment quite a bit, and he seems to have taken a particular shine to Roldan (who had two assists against Australia), Tessmann (who scored against Uruguay) and Morris (who has won a team-best 18 ground duels in this six-match run). And in a delightful turn of events, he seems to like Sebastian Berhalter, the son of the former USMNT coach, quite a bit as well.

Between the guys employed by major clubs (Adams, Lyon's Tessmann, Atletico Madrid's Cardoso, Atalanta's-via-AC-Milan Musah) and Poch's somewhat surprising recent faves, there are lots of options here. And with Pochettino seemingly preferring McKennie in more of an attacking role, quite a few of them could make the team this summer.

Four years from now, Roldan will be 34, and Adams and McKennie will be 31, but a large batch of the above guys will be either 27 or 28, still in their peak athletic range. And others, like Venezia's Busio, Houston's Jack McGlynn (listed as an attacking midfielder below), Philadelphia's Quinn Sullivan and Parma's-via-Inter Miami Cremaschi, still have more than enough time to develop further and make themselves obvious options.

play

1:55

Pochettino admits Belgium loss is a 'reality check' for the USMNT

Mauricio Pochettino reacts to the USMNT's 5-2 loss to Belgium.

Wingers and attacking midfielders

Minutes-adjusted average age under Pochettino: 24.1

Incumbents who remained involved:
1. Malik Tillman (23): 1,004 minutes under Pochettino
2. Christian Pulisic (27): 692 minutes
3. Brendan Aaronson (25): 557 minutes
4. Weston McKennie (27): 509 minutes
5. Gio Reyna (23): 145 minutes

New names to emerge:
1. Diego Luna (22): 953 minutes under Pochettino
2. Jack McGlynn (22): 441 minutes
3. Caden Clark (23): 135 minutes
4. Brian Gutiérrez (22): 118 minutes
5. Matko Miljevic (24): 110 minutes
6. Timothy Tillman (27): 90 minutes
7. Indiana Vassilev (25): 86 minutes
8. Paxten Aaronson (22): 54 minutes

Stop me if you've heard this before: With a star missing time with injury and/or a need for rest, Pochettino has been able to experiment within this unit. Pulisic has been decent under Pochettino, scoring twice with three assists from 19 chances created, but he has played only 692 minutes in parts of 11 matches. He's also in a massive productivity slump at the moment. McKennie, meanwhile, has played 509 minutes in seven.

But in their respective absences, Pochettino has gotten long looks at both Bayer Leverkusen's Malik Tillman and Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna (who is missing this international window after only recently coming back from injury). They've produced, too, combining for seven goals and eight assists from 46 chances created.

McGlynn (two goals and two assists from 13 chances created) has made the most of his opportunities, too, and in tiny samples, both Reyna and Miljevic have produced. Miljevic, who currently plays for Racing Club in Argentina, was great against Venezuela last January, but hasn't gotten another opportunity yet; Reyna, on the other hand, evidently impressed Pochettino so much in last November's international window -- he scored against Paraguay, then recorded an assist in 29 minutes against Uruguay -- that he earned a key call-up this month despite getting almost no recent playing time with his club team (Borussia Monchengladbach). He did little in 20 minutes against Belgium.

The long-term prognosis is exciting. Pulisic, McKennie and even Weah could remain excellent options for another World Cup window, and based on their ages, Tillman, Luna, McGlynn, Reyna and most of the other names above can hope to continue improving for a few more years.

Center-forwards

Minutes-adjusted average age under Pochettino: 25.2

Incumbents who remained involved
1. Ricardo Pepi (23): 292 minutes under Pochettino
2. Haji Wright (27): 282 minutes
3. Josh Sargent (26): 260 minutes

New names to emerge
1. Patrick Agyemang (25): 825 minutes under Pochettino
2. Folarin Balogun (24): 480 minutes
3. Brian White (30) 182 minutes
4. Damion Downs (21): 92 minutes
5. Brandon Vázquez (28): 58 minutes
6. Cade Cowell (23): 16 minutes

play

2:54

Which host nation will go the furthest in the World Cup?

The 'FC TV' crew debate which host nation will go the furthest in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

No position unit has evolved and improved more for the U.S. in this World Cup cycle than center-forward.

In Qatar in 2022, Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Jordan Morris and Jesús Ferreira combined to play 341 of 360 minutes but attempted just 10 shots (2.6 per 90 minutes) and scored just one goal -- Wright put one in late when the U.S. was down 2-0 to Netherlands in the knockout rounds. There just wasn't much to get excited about here.

But Wright has developed into a far better option at Coventry, and Ricardo Pepi is increasingly dangerous when healthy (a rarity of late). More importantly, Patrick Agyemang has made himself increasingly viable, and Folarin Balogun has flashed all the upside expected of him when he committed to representing the U.S. in 2023.

In 1,879 minutes under Pochettino, the quartet of Balogun, Agyemang, Pepi and Wright have combined to score 15 goals from 64 shots (3.1 per 90). They've combined for three assists from 25 chances created, too, and all four appear willing in the pressing department.

This isn't an elite unit by any means, and you'd like to see further improvement in terms of pure shot volume, but Pochettino will have a far more capable unit at this World Cup than Gregg Berhalter enjoyed four years ago. Balogun, Pepi and Agyemang will all be under 30 in 2030 as well, though the depth of obvious younger options after Downs is questionable.