Key takeaways from USMNT preliminary Gold Cup roster

Defenders

Sergino Dest returns to the extended squad for the first time in the Pochettino era, while Antonee Robinson returns after missing the Nations League finals in March because of injury. Both of them are hard-running, forward-thinking fullbacks, and Pochettino has missed them dearly.

Making their USMNT lineup debuts will be two eye-catching MLS defenders, Tristan Blackmon and Alex Freeman. Blackmon, the cornerstone of the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps defense, is being courted by the Canadian national team after spending years in the country without a USMNT call-up. His inclusion in this lineup is a sign Pochettino does not want to see him switch allegiances.

Anyone who watched Freeman's Orlando City hammer Inter Miami 3-0 during Rivalry Week knows that he's one to watch. Freeman, the son of Super Bowl champion wide receiver Antonio Freeman of the Green Bay Packers, has a stellar record with the USMNT's youth programs. He has earned this shot with the senior squad.

Midfielders

Pochettino selected many of the stalwart midfielders he has come to rely on in his year as USMNT coach. (Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are the only absentees; their exclusion is because of  their club team Juventus' participation in the Club World Cup.)

It's great to see MLS stars such as Chicago's Brian Gutierrez, Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna and Columbus' Max Arfsten becoming Pochettino regulars, and it's even better to see Vancouver midfielder Seb Berhalter finally getting the USMNT call-up he richly deserves. Berhalter wasn't strong enough to make the cut when his father, Gregg, was U.S. head coach, but he's one of the best midfielders on the continent in 2025 and belongs on Pochettino's radar.

Keep an eye on PSV midfielder Richy Ledezma, who earned a USMNT cap under Berhalter in 2020. He just lifted the Eredivisie trophy in the Netherlands and finally looks capable of challenging Pochettino's regulars for a spot in the starting 11.

Forwards

This is where things go awry for the USMNT. None of these forwards look like game-changers. Norwich City's Josh Sargent looked well off the pace during Nations League games, Coventry City's Haji Wright has never impressed for the USMNT and MLS additions Patrick Agyemang, Brian White and Brandon Vazquez are still largely unproven on the world stage.

There is one silver lining for the USMNT in attack, though, and that's the return of Folarin Balogun. The Monaco striker missed much of the 2024-25 season with a shoulder injury but appears to be working his way back to full fitness. Whether he'll be ready for a USMNT start this summer remains to be seen, but the team's success may hinge on it. No one else in this selection looks capable of breaking through.

Pochettino will cut down this roster to 26 players by June 4. The USMNT start its Gold Cup run against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15.