Projecting the USMNT's World Cup roster

Story by

Story by
Projecting the USMNT's World Cup roster

Tue, Apr 28, 2026 ·

9 min read

About Our Ads

Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.

🚨 Headlines

🏀 Flagg wins ROY:Cooper Flagg was named NBA Rookie of the Year in a historically close race over former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, marking the second time players from the same college team finished first and second in voting (UConn's Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, 2005).

⚽️ Whitecaps on the move?MLS is reportedly looking closely into a potential move for the Vancouver Whitecaps , which would mark the league's first club relocation in two decades. The most likely potential landing spots include Las Vegas, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Sacramento.

⛳️ LIV event postponed:Just weeks after questions were raised about LIV Golf's financial status and future, the breakaway tour's June event in New Orleans has been postponed , per multiple reports. There are now no LIV events on the schedule between June 7 and July 23.

🇺🇸 Felix unretires:Allyson Felix, the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history, is coming out of retirement at age 40 in hopes of running in front of her hometown crowd at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. If she qualifies, it will be her sixth Olympics.

⚾️ Top prospect called up:The Guardians plan to call up former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana today. The Oregon State product will make his MLB debut less than two years after becoming the first second baseman ever drafted first overall.

⚽️ USMNT roster projection

The USMNT's World Cup roster reveal is fast approaching. Who's in? Who's out? Who's on the bubble?

Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports:

We are about four weeks from the roster announcement on May 26, which will mark the end of Mauricio Pochettino's evaluation exercise after eight training camps and 24 matches across 19 months.

Barring a significant injury or worrisome fitness issue in the coming weeks, most of the 26-man roster is settled. Is there a major surprise or two in the works? Eh, maybe. In all likelihood, the Argentine boss has known for some time who best fits into his plans — "the right 26," he says.

Roster projection:Goff projects the roster to comprise players from nine leagues, with more than half coming from MLS (8), England's Premier League (4) and France's Ligue 1 (4). The rest hail from top-flight leagues in Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Scotland, and one player hails from England's second tier.

Goalies (3):Matt Freese (NYC FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire)
Defenders (8):Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)
Midfielders (11):Weston McKennie (Juventus), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Atlético Madrid), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Forwards (4):Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven)

On the bubble:While the keepers and forwards appear all but locked in, there's some wiggle room in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough) and Alex Zendejas (Club América) are still in the mix, as are defenders Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Tristian Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps).

Notes:

Hot and cold:Three of the American forwards are in excellent form, with Wright (17 goals), Pepi (13) and Balogun (12) all ranking among the top five in goals in their respective leagues. Pulisic, on the other hand, is mired in the worst drought of his career, going 16 games since his last goal for Milan and eight games since his last goal for the U.S.
Injury to watch:Dest has been out for nearly two months with a hamstring injury, and though he's " almost back ," that's a long layoff so close to the World Cup. If he regains full fitness and form, he could profoundly impact Pochettino's plans at right back or wing back.

Tune in tomorrow:Cardoso, who sees regular minutes for Atlético Madrid, is the lone American still alive in the Champions League. You can watch him in tomorrow's first-leg semifinal match against Arsenal.

🏀🏒 Magic push Pistons to the brink

The Magic beat the Pistons, 94-88, on Monday in a physical, defensive Game 4 to grab a 3-1 series lead against the Eastern Conference's top seed, whose scoring struggles continued in Orlando.

Where it stands:The Magic are now one win away from becoming just the seventh No. 8 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs since the format expanded in 1984.

More NBA:

Thunder 131, Suns 122:For the third straight year, Oklahoma City is moving on after a first-round sweep . Next up: The Lakers or the Rockets.
Nuggets 125, Timberwolves 113:Nikola Jokić (27 pts, 12 reb, 16 ast) helped Denver stave off elimination and pull within a game of tying the series.

Meanwhile, in the NHL:The Penguins beat the Flyers, 3-2 , to keep their season alive and send the series back to Philly. The Golden Knights beat the Mammoth, 5-4 (OT) , in Salt Lake City to even the series.

💯 Big Numbers

🐎 4-1

Despite drawing the dreaded No. 1 post, Renegade is the 4-1 morning-line favorite for the 152nd Kentucky Derby. The next-best odds ahead of Saturday's race belong to Commandment (6-1), Further Ado (6-1) and Chief Wallabee (8-1).

Beware the inside gate:The No. 1 post hasn't produced a Derby winner since 1986, as its position along the inside rail can produce heavy traffic early in the race that's difficult to emerge from. Better that than No. 17, though — it's the only post to never produce a winner.

⚾️ 10 homers, 20 walks

Aaron Judge and Ben Rice both went yard in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Rangers on Monday, becoming the first set of teammates in MLB history to notch 10 homers and 20 walks before the end of April.

Dynamic duo:Judge (11 HR) and Rice (10) have more home runs between them than four teams . The Mets and Red Sox have hit 20; the Giants and Brewers have hit 19.

⚽️ 16 years, 11 months, 5 days

South Carolina native Albert Mathis made his debut for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, becoming the youngest American ever to play in the Bundesliga.

Whose record did he break?The last two such record-holders have both since become USMNT mainstays; and both, like Mathis, also made their debuts for Dortmund. Most recently was Gio Reyna in 2020 (17 years, 2 months and 5 days), and before that was Christian Pulisic in 2016 (17 years, 4 months, 12 days old).

🎾 17 wins

Speaking of talented youngsters, 19-year-old Rafael Jódar won 17 of his first 25 matches on the ATP Tour. That's more wins than the likes of Rafael Nadal (15), Carlos Alcaraz (14), Jannik Sinner (12), Novak Djokovic (12) and Roger Federer (11) had in the same span.

Rapid rise:This time last year, Jódar was a freshman at Virginia ranked in the 900s. He turned pro at the start of 2026 and has risen to No. 42 after his hot start, which included a title earlier this month in Marrakech. He'll play in the Round of 16 at his hometown Madrid Open today after dispatching fellow phenom João Fonseca .

📸 Through the lens

"It's not the critic who counts … The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena." — Theodore Roosevelt

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." — Leonard Cohen

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." — Henri Matisse

📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, April 28

⚽️ Champions League, Semifinal

Reigning champion PSG host Bayern Munich at Parc des Princes in the first leg of their semifinal (3pm ET, CBS) . It's a rematch of the 2020 final, which ended in a 1-0 Bayern victory.

Offensive machines:These are two of the most explosive teams in Europe, full stop. Bayern's 3.4 goals per game this season is by far the best mark among the continent's "Big Five" leagues, while PSG's 2.55 goals per game ranks third (Barcelona ranks second, at 2.61).

🏀 NBA Playoffs

The Knicks (tied 2-2) host the Hawks (8pm, NBC) in a critical Game 5. Plus: The Celtics (up 3-1) can advance with a win over the 76ers (7pm, ESPN) and the Spurs (up 3-1) can advance with a win over the Trail Blazers (9:30pm, ESPN) .

The stakes in New York:The Game 5 winner in a seven-game NBA playoff series that was tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 81.5% of the time.

🏒 NHL Playoffs

The Stars (tied 2-2) welcome the Wild back to Dallas (8pm, ESPN2) for an all-important Game 5. Plus: The Sabres (up 3-1) try to close out the Bruins at home (7:30pm, TNT) and the Ducks (up 3-1) try to close out the Oilers on the road (10pm, TNT) .

The stakes in Dallas:The Game 5 winner in a seven-game NHL playoff series that was tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 79.4% of the time.

More to watch:

⚾️ MLB:Tigers at Braves (7:15pm, TBS) ; Yankees at Rangers (8:05pm, Prime) … Atlanta (20-9) is tied with the Dodgers for the NL's best record; New York (19-10) has the AL's best record.
🎾 Tennis:Madrid Open (7:30am, Tennis) … Round of 16 for the men, quarterfinals for the women.

Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!

🏀 NBA trivia

Cooper Flagg beat out Kon Knueppel by just 26 points to win Rookie of the Year — the second-closest vote since the current voting format began in 2002-03.

Question:Which vote was closer?

Hint:2021-22. Raptors and Cavaliers.

Answer at the bottom.

👟 More marathon records fall

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe broke the 2-hour barrier at the 2026 London Marathon. Turns out, that wasn't the only record to fall.

History made:Guinness World Records recognized numerous achievements on Sunday, including the fastest marathon while wearing a suit and dress shoes (3:21:42) and the fastest marathon while dressed as a supervillain (2:48:15).

Trivia answer:Scottie Barnes over Evan Mobley (15-point gap)

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM , our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: