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.
