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USMNT March roster: Three takeaways from squad to face Belgium, Portugal
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- USMNT March roster: Three takeaways from squad to face Belgium, Portugal
U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has revealed his much-anticipated roster for the team's March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta.
Pochettino has named a 27-player squad that doesn't have many surprises – which is in itself not a surprise given it is the USMNT's final roster before the Argentine coach names his World Cup squad in May.
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The U.S. has a mostly full-strength squad to call upon, though there are some key players who are missing due to injury.
"We have spent the last 18 months developing the player pool so we can be prepared to make the correct decisions for the World Cup roster, and this is another valuable opportunity," Pochettino said.
"We must treat these games like they are a part of the World Cup, and what is most important is that the players bring the right mentality and commitment to the group."
The USMNT will face Belgium on March 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and will then take on Portugal on March 31 at 7 p.m. at the same venue.
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Let's look at three major talking points from the USMNT's March roster.
Several mainstays return
Pochettino didn't include a number of key players in his November roster, whether through injury and fitness concerns (Christian Pulisic, Chris Richards, Tim Weah, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman) or simply not being selected (Weston McKennie, Matt Turner).
But all seven aforementioned players are back in the mix for March. McKennie was omitted for two of three fall rosters but the do-everything Juventus star looks like a USMNT starter. The question is more over where he'll be on the field.
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Turner, the USMNT's starter at the 2022 World Cup, looks unlikely to overtake Matt Freese in goal but he may also be the only goalkeeper who has a shot to dislodge the New York City FC man.
Robinson's return is a huge boost for the USMNT. The Fulham left back didn't play for the U.S. at all in 2025 as he dealt with a knee issue but appears fit and should be a World Cup starter if healthy.
Injuries strike key players
Though several mainstays have returned after missing the November window, the USMNT doesn't have a clean bill of health this month.
Four players who likely would have made this roster if healthy are all missing, though they can be broken out into two categories.
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The first is World Cup roster locks like Tyler Adams and Sergiño Dest. Adams went down with a seemingly minor injury , while Dest looks to be in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup after a significant hamstring injury.
The other two players, Diego Luna and Haji Wright, are right on the World Cup roster bubble. Their recent injuries could be highly damaging to their chances of making the cut this summer.
Luna recently played his first minutes of the MLS season after a knee injury, while Wright suffered an ill-timed groin injury with Coventry City over the weekend.
No Noahkai Banks
The status of Noahkai Banks has been one of the most closely watched storylines over the past month as the Augsburg defender has gone from USMNT-committed to Germany-curious.
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Banks set off alarm bells last month when he admitted he was "torn" over his international future , which he has only recently said was locked in with the United States.
The 19-year-old is indeed not on the March roster as he considers his international future, which at the very least seems to have ended his chances of making the World Cup squad.
Banks has represented the U.S. at various youth international levels and earned a senior call-up in September, though he didn't see the field.
The Augsburg defender has much to ponder for the long term but for right now, it doesn't seem likely that Pochettino would bring an uncapped teenager to the World Cup – even if he does decide to return to the U.S. fold.
Noahkai Banks of FC Augsburg kneels on the pitch during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and 1. FC Koln at WWK-Arena on Feb. 27, 2026 in Augsburg, Germany.
USMNT March roster (club; caps/goals)
GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 13/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)
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DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 16/1), Alex Freeman (Villareal/ESP; 13/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 25/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 79/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 35/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG;50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 22/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 5/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 9/1), Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid/ESP; 22/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 62/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 13/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 34/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 43/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 12/1); Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 26/3)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 56/9); Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 23/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 34/13), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 82/32), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 47/7)
This story was updated to change a video.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT March roster: Pochettino names squad vs. Belgium and Portugal
