International Football
The 2026 World Cup is 17 months away. Nations around the world are in the thick of qualification, hoping to secure a place in the expanded 48-team field. Meanwhile, as one of three automatically qualified host nations, the United States men’s national team is using this time to maximize their home advantage.
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Since Mauricio Pochettino took the helm of the USMNT in September, he’s had two camps to size up several World Cup hopefuls. His squads in October and November had considerable overlap, with several mainstays looking like World Cup certainties, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Antonee Robinson.
His squad for the January camp skews far more speculatively as the Argentine surveys the depth of his player pool, with games on Saturday against Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and on January 22 against Costa Rica in Orlando.
More than a dozen spots are seemingly set in stone but don’t discount the chance of a late riser crashing the World Cup squad. At this point in 2013, few would have projected that Jürgen Klinsmann’s roster in Brazil the following year would include John Brooks, Julian Green or DeAndre Yedlin. Likewise, Gregg Berhalter’s squad for Qatar in 2022 included a couple of players (Joe Scally and Haji Wright) with minimal international experience.
Internationally, Theo Walcott came from nowhere to be picked for England in 2006, Samuel Eto’o was a raw newcomer for Cameroon in 1998, and Pele was unknown to the wider world when he destroyed the field as a 17-year-old in 1958, leading Brazil to its first title.
In that spirit, here are a dozen players who haven’t debuted for the USMNT but have an outside chance of piquing Pochettino’s interest. Realistically, only one or two (if any) of these players will make the squad for the 2026 World Cup. Considering the hardship the team endured in 2024, any player who could raise the overall level can’t be discounted — and remember, things move quickly in international soccer.
It’s all an open tryout, with every action for club and country being closely assessed.
(Players participating in this year’s January camp are indicated with an asterisk (*) by their name upon first mention.)
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The state of the forward roles is healthier than four years ago. Pulisic and Tim Weah have cemented themselves as dependable first-choice options on the flanks. After the 2022 cycle was headlined by struggles at center forward, the striker pool now has several players starting regularly and scoring often — Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, Brandon Vazquez and Wright, who can also play out wide.
Nevertheless, the depth on both wings is concerningly thin. We can’t overlook alternatives at center forward, either. In-form strikers have previously landed on USMNT World Cup squads, including Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley and Edson Buddle in 2010, before Chris Wondolowski made the cut in 2014.
Patrick Agyemang* is among the most intriguing members of Pochettino’s squad for January camp. The 24-year-old had led the line for Charlotte FC in 2024 with downhill determination and impressive finishing. No MLS player was more direct in possession, as 34.3% of his 338 carries made it at least five yards closer to goal. He also outperformed his expected goals (xG) by +1.74, finishing the regular season with 10 goals and five assists. He is a rung below the favoured quintet of USMNT strikers, but Agyemang has a unique skill set that works well against a low defensive block and is less reliant on accurate crossing service.
The established forward pool includes a few players who regularly look to get on the ball, including Pulisic and Gio Reyna (who will hopefully play more as a No. 10 instead of out wide). That leaves a need for confident off-ball operators who can collect long passes on the wing and allow the team’s top goalscoring options to get into dangerous areas to collect the next ball. Two uncapped options fit that profile, albeit with some differences in their approaches.
Since Balogun committed to the USMNT in 2023, few multi-national eligible players have been more coveted for this program than Luca Koleosho. The 20-year-old winger, born in Connecticut to a Nigerian father and an Italian-Canadian mother, could have four options for his senior international career. All but Nigeria have called Koleosho into a youth camp.
Koleosho is a consistent starter for Burnley in the English Championship. He has mostly been used on the right but can operate on either flank and, while his end product still requires refinement, the less glamorous parts of his job come naturally. He carries the ball well (as illustrated above), can dribble past opponents with ease and is excellent at receiving passes in danger positions. He hasn’t committed his international future but playing in a North American World Cup under Pochettino is a sweet sales pitch.
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Griffin Yow is another capable off-ball operator, and has a bit more polish than Koleosho. Yow, 22, was a member of the 2024 Olympic squad and is regularly involved with Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League. He is a confident shooter, taking 3.2 attempts per 90 minutes over the past 12 months, and offers proactive front-line defending — vital for closing out a game.
McKennie, Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah are regulars for their clubs, making midfield the strongest area of Pochettino’s squad. Several alternatives have established themselves in the pool, most notably Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Malik Tillman and Aidan Morris. However, injuries have plagued several of these options, and a more specialized alternative could come in handy.
Daniel Edelman was a surprise omission from the Olympic squad, having captained the under-20s to a 2022 CONCACAF Championship triumph that secured a place in the field. Nevertheless, 2024 was a strong year for Edelman, who came through the New York Red Bulls youth system. He became a consistent midfield anchor as the team returned to MLS Cup for the first time since 2008. Tidy in possession and tireless out of it (as illustrated in the graphic below), he could provide cover at defensive midfield.
Emeka Eneli* had a breakout second season with Real Salt Lake, finding a true home in defensive midfield after initially playing as a full back. His passing kept RSL whirring and he also provided a proactive defensive presence. At 25, he’ll need to make a strong first impression to reach the World Cup. He could emulate the mid-career breakthrough path previously taken by another RSL midfielder, Kyle Beckerman.
Few American players made more headlines in 2024 than the Philadelphia Union’s Cavan Sullivan, who broke Freddy Adu’s record as the youngest player to make an MLS appearance after signing a pre-agreement with Manchester City. He’s still a prospect, having made three MLS appearances while spending most of his time in MLS Next Pro.
Still, Sullivan has been appraised to have as high a ceiling as any player in the pool, nearing a level previously hit by Pulisic and Reyna. If — and it’s a big if — Sullivan is selected, he could be in line to make some World Cup history. He will be 16 years and 256 days old when the tournament kicks off, and any appearance would make him the first man to appear in a World Cup before their 17th birthday. The current record holder is Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland, who scored in a victory against Spain in 1982, days after making his tournament debut at 17 years and 40 days. Last summer’s remarkable European Championship performances from Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 during the event’s final week, have put youthful excellence firmly in the spotlight.
Perhaps more likely is that Cavan’s older brother Quinn Sullivan cracks the rotation in time for the tournament. While his younger sibling commanded more attention, Quinn, 20, was among Philadelphia’s best players. He scored five goals and added 11 assists (eight from open play, illustrated below), with the latter figure leading all MLS players under 21.
He’s in direct competition with Reyna, Tillman and Brenden Aaronson, but shouldn’t be counted out if he continues to refine his approach in the final third.
While the midfield is teeming with options, the USMNT’s defensive depth chart is concerningly lean by comparison. Ironically, only left back — the weakest position for decades — seems has a clear starter and one or two established backups.
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The program’s lack of depth at right back was exposed in 2024, as Sergiño Dest’s injury left the USMNT short at the Copa America. The senior team has a few established center backs — including Chris Richards, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream and Auston Trusty — but its dearth of young up-and-comers influenced under-23s coach Marko Mitrović to use two over-age spots in the position (Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman) at the Olympics.
George Campbell* will partner with new club teammate Jalen Neal (who has six caps) as part of the January camp, with Neal being acquired by CF Montréal last week. Campbell logged nearly 2,300 minutes as Montréal finished ninth in the East and was solid (35th among MLS defenders with 900 minutes or more) in the ratio of aerial duels he won. Campbell also performed above average with his tackling win rate, and his short-passing acumen could help fit into a possession-heavy game model.
Another option from MLS is Jackson Ragen, a finalist for MLS’ defender of the year award in a breakthrough season with the Seattle Sounders. Ragen is a steady bedrock, winning 67% of his aerial duels while being more difficult to dribble past than most in his position. The 26-year-old is also adept at consistently breaking lines with his passes and is a threat to win headers on set pieces.
Although uncommitted internationally, Anrie Chase could bolster the position group if he elects to represent the U.S. instead of Japan. The 20-year-old center back has broken through with Stuttgart this season, logging 734 minutes in the Bundesliga and 138 in the Champions League. Chase is a very good ball-playing defender (as illustrated below) who has performed around the league average defensively.
Although he has represented Japan at youth levels, Chase told Sportiva that he “(hasn’t) ruled out the possibility” of representing the United States.
While Antonee Robinson is arguably the best left back in this season’s Premier League and is capably backed up by Kristoffer Lund, securing Nathaniel Brown’s international future would benefit the pool. The German American has started regularly for Eintracht Frankfurt since early November, scoring three goals and registering three assists in 10 Bundesliga appearances at left wing back. He has been no defensive slouch in this (relatively small) sample, either, and could be a worthy understudy beneath Robinson.
Considering the lack of alternatives to Dest, perhaps it’s time to right historical wrongs and look at Ryan Hollingshead. Among the finest American players to never feature for the USMNT, the 33-year-old has probably been the best right back in MLS since joining LAFC in 2022. He can also provide cover on the left, and can carry the ball on either flank (below).
He’s as much of a longshot as anyone on this list (save, perhaps, for Cavan Sullivan), but a grizzled veteran finally getting his chance is the stuff of Hollywood.
The age of excellent bald American goalkeepers is long behind us, with eight years having passed since Tim Howard’s international retirement. Worryingly, the better-coiffed successors to Howard have struggled to find regular action at a high level. Matt Turner has made just two appearances on loan at Crystal Palace (both in cup competition). Gabriel Slonina’s loan at third-division Barnsley was cut short due to a finger injury and he is back at Chelsea. Ethan Horvath was replaced in Cardiff City’s lineup in early September.
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This position feels concerningly close to being an open competition. While Patrick Schulte* will hope to add to his two caps this month, a couple of uncapped alternatives also warrant examination.
Matt Freese* was among the best goalkeepers of any nationality in the 2024 MLS season, helping New York City FC outlast Cincinnati in the playoffs, including some shootout heroics. Freese “prevented” 11.1 goals compared to the xG on target he faced, trailing only goalkeeper of the year Kristijan Kahlina. He still has some work to do to claim crosses, and his new club coach (Pascal Jansen) didn’t ask his goalkeepers to play many short passes at AZ, but he has a similar profile to Turner and has fared far better than Zack Steffen in the same league.
The successor to Slonina in Chicago, Chris Brady made strides to improve his cross-stopping approach in 2024 during another poor season for the Fire. He also refined his approach in possession playing out of the back (above), and figures to further that development under new Fire coach (and former USMNT boss) Gregg Berhalter. Brady won’t turn 21 until March, but may be closer to more regular senior international involvement than Slonina.
Other uncapped ‘keepers to watch include Roman Celentano, who is a starter for perennial contender Cincinnati and is a dependable shot-stopper, and Diego Kochen, who is now first-choice for Barcelona Atletic (the club’s B team) and among the most promising teenage ‘keepers in the world.
(Top photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
Jeff Rueter is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer in North America, Europe, and beyond. No matter how often he hears the Number 10 role is “dying,” he’ll always leave a light on for the next great playmaker. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffrueter
