There’s a youth movement afoot within the United States men’s soccer team.
On Thursday, coach Mauricio Pochettino named a 28-player roster for the Stars and Stripes’ first matches since reaching the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup – home exhibitions later this month and early next against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. It’s stocked with almost as many new faces as World Cup veterans, although star attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic will sit out this window.
Christian Pulisic won’t be part of this squad. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
But the list includes 13 members of the squad that won its group and a knockout match against Bosnia and Herzegovina before being eliminated by Belgium. There are familiar names like Tyler Adams and Chris Richards plus five World Cup goalscorers: Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman and Auston Trusty.
However, the list also features 12 youngsters who will be participating in their first senior international camp when it begins next week at U.S. Soccer’s training center outside Atlanta.
Cavan Sullivan is primed for a big role for the USA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
And while Albert has been an unused sub in all four of Dortmund’s Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League matches to start the 2026-27 campaign, he did go 90 minutes in a German Cup match in early September and is considered a blue-chip prospect. There were also several 20-year-olds invited: winger Cole Campbell, keeper Diego Kochen and fullback Frankie Westfield.
This camp also marks the return of AC Milan midfielder Yunus Musah, who started all four games for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (where, at 19, he marked England star Jude Bellingham out of the Americans’ scoreless group stage tie against the Three Lions) but didn’t even make the 2026 squad. Still just 23, Musah — whose last cap came almost two years ago — could once again occupy a major role in central midfield this cycle.
Yunus Musah missed out on the 2026 World Cup but has a path toward the next one. (Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Still, Poch also wants to win these games — especially next month’s cross-border derbies against Les Rouges and El Tri, two teams he’s never beaten in three tries as U.S. coach. And he has to win starting in November, when the U.S. will meet an opponent to be determined in the quarterfinals of the 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League.
Assuming the Americans advance from home-and-home series, they’ll play the Nations League finals in March, then the Gold Cup in June, with qualifying matches for the 2030 World Cup set to kick off next fall.
That means most of the kids will return to youth national teams, especially the Steve Cherundolo-coached U-23s that will produce at least 15 members of the Olympic team for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Pochettino said that Cherundolo would be at this camp, to which he summoned a dozen Olympic age-eligible players.
“A gold medal,” Pochettino added. “Is the objective of the federation.”
Pulisic wasn’t the only longtime U.S. player left out. Matt Turner and Tim Weah, both starters at the 2022 World Cup who served as depth options this summer, were also omitted despite seeing regular playing time for the Revs and Marseille, respectively. So was 38-year-old Tim Ream, the U.S. captain last summer, and Premier League starter Brenden Aaronson.
Chris Richards will be an anchor for the USA for years to come. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
