Mauricio Pochettino has his 26 men. The United States will take the field at their home World Cup with Christian Pulisic front and center — and a midfield that, frankly, looks like it was assembled during a fire drill.
The omissions of Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris are the headline surprises. Midfield was supposed to be the one area where the USMNT had genuine depth. Injuries, form, and selection decisions have stripped that away. Johnny Cardoso, who was injured in Atlético Madrid training after a tackle from a teammate requiring surgery, is out entirely. Tyler Adams now carries enormous responsibility in the center of the park — and there isn't much behind him if he struggles.
Balogun is the reason for optimism
If there's one player who enters this tournament in the kind of form that changes games, it's Folarin Balogun. He scored in nine of the final 11 Ligue 1 matches of the 2024/25 season, including eight consecutive from February through April. That's not a hot streak — that's a striker who figured something out. He's expected to lead the line, and right now the striker market will have him priced accordingly.
Gio Reyna makes the squad, which adds genuine unpredictability going forward. When he's on, he's unlike anyone else in this team. The caveat, as always, is staying on the pitch.
Patrick Agyemang won't be there at all — ruptured Achilles in April. Cameron Carter-Vickers tore his back in November. The injury list heading into a home World Cup is not a good look, and it has thinned a squad that needed every available body.
What this squad actually needs to do
The United States' best World Cup finish in the modern era is a single quarterfinal appearance in 2002, when they beat Mexico in the Round of 16. They have never beaten a non-CONCACAF side in that round. That context matters when calibrating expectations, regardless of how talented this generation is on paper.
Group D has Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey as opponents. Getting out of the group is the floor. Doing anything beyond that requires this midfield problem to either resolve itself or for Pulisic and Balogun to carry the load in ways that shouldn't be asked of them.
Pochettino — hired after the shambles of the Copa América group stage exit under Gregg Berhalter — is not expected to stay beyond this tournament. He's managing this squad like a short-term contract coach: bold selections, high-risk roster construction, and the clear understanding that the result in the summer is the only thing that will define his tenure. Whether that gamble pays off, Group D will start answering from day one.
