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USMNT predictions: Where does the roster stand ahead of crucial March friendlies?
It's been four long months since its last outing, but the U. S. Men's National Team is finally back in action.
The squad is set to face Belgium and Portugal in late March in Atlanta, Georgia, to prepare for its World Cup matches this summer.
The USMNT enters these two friendlies on something of an unprecedented high. After struggling in the opening months of 2025, the team put together a five-game unbeaten run to close out the year, getting key results against Japan, Ecuador, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Two of those teams—Paraguay and Australia—are in the USMNT's 2026 World Cup group, so those wins carry extra weight for the program.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino has a challenge on his hands when it comes to roster selection for these March matches. With so few games remaining between now and the start of the World Cup, the players he leverages now are highly likely to be the players he leverages on the world's biggest soccer stage.
Which USMNT players are locked-in favorites to make Pochettino's cut? Which ones are on the fringe? And which are likely to miss the mark altogether?
Favorites
Pochettino is not a fan of "A-team" and "B-team" nomenclature, but he has relied on a core spine of players throughout his tenure: Matt Freese in goal, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman in defense, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah in changeable utility positions, Tyler Adams in midfield, and Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman in attack.
Of that suite of players, just two—Bournemouth's Adams and PSV's Dest—are expected to be unavailable for these March friendlies. Adams suffered an MCL tear in December and is working his way back to full fitness; Dest suffered a hamstring injury just last week and is fighting to recover in time for the World Cup.
HIghly likely
Beyond Pochettino's experience core lies plenty of depth and talent. Goalkeeper Matt Turner, defenders Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Auston Trusty, Miles Robinson and Max Arfsten, midfielders Johnny Cardoso, Cristian Roldan, Sebastian Berhalter and Tanner Tessmann and attackers Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright, Diego Luna and Brenden Aaronson are all expected to make Pochettino's cut based on their contributions in 2025. All of these players are fit, active and ready for selection, but one—Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna—is just coming back from injury and may miss this camp to fast-track his full recovery.
On the fringe
There are plenty of players fighting over the last few spots on the USMNT roster. Goalkeepers Chris Brady and Patrick Schulte, defender Joe Scally, midfielders Aidan Morris, Tim Tillman and Jack McGlynn and attackers Gio Reyna, Alex Zendejas and Patrick Agyemang are all in this fight.
Derby County's Agyemang feels like the most likely victor; he's had a fabulous season in England's Championship and could round out the USMNT's striker selection as an impact substitute. But it's the Borussia Monchengladbach duo of Scally and Reyna that offer the biggest risk and the biggest reward. Scally, a right-sided defender by nature, could be a natural substitute for the injured Dest, but he's been lackluster in a USMNT shirt thus far; Reyna has hardly played for his club team but has been in scintillating form for the USMNT.
Likely out of contention
It's still too early to rule anyone out of the World Cup altogether, but there are a few USMNT regulars who have a far more difficult path to get there than their peers. Defender Tristan Blackmon looked spotty in his two appearances last fall; midfielders Luca De La Torre and Yunus Musah have all but disappeared off Pochettino's radar since last spring.
The biggest question mark in this camp is striker Josh Sargent. He hasn't scored for the USMNT in a whopping six years, but he just completed a big-money move to Major League Soccer that should get him fitter than he's been in months. He can regain his spot...but he'll have to get through the in-form Agyemang to do it.
The USMNT will face Belgium on Saturday, March 28 and Portugal on Tuesday, March 31, in Atlanta.
More must-reads:
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