By Rory Carroll
NEW YORK, May 26 (Reuters) - Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie will lead the United States at the World Cup after head coach Mauricio Pochettino named his 26-man squad on Tuesday for a tournament the Americans hope will produce a deep run on home soil.
The squad is evenly split between 13 World Cup debutants and 13 players who featured at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where the U.S. reached the last 16. That group includes the team's three goalscorers from Qatar: Pulisic,
Tim Weah and Haji Wright.
"We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup," Pochettino said in a statement.
"These were very difficult decisions, and we are thankful to all the players who were part of this journey. This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud."
Pulisic, who plays for AC Milan, remains the team's most recognisable player, while Adams, captain of the 2022 squad, gives the Americans a combative and versatile presence in midfield after his season with Premier League club Bournemouth.
AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun is expected to compete for the leading role up front if the U.S. line up in Pochettino's preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, and could emerge as one of the team's key attacking figures this summer.
REYNA AND ZENDEJAS IN, LUNA AND TESSMANN OUT
Gio Reyna was included despite limited playing time at Borussia Moenchengladbach this season, giving the U.S. another creative option in attack.
Alejandro Zendejas also earned a place after a strong finish to the season with Liga MX side Club America, having been left off the roster in March.
Among the more notable omissions were Diego Luna, who has been dealing with an injury, and Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann.
The United States are co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada. It marks the first time the country has hosted soccer's global showpiece since 1994.
McKennie said the squad had a chance to inspire a new generation of American fans.
"It's a great opportunity for everyone on the roster and also for the fans who maybe don't know a lot about soccer here in America to feel the passion," he said at a squad reveal event in Manhattan.
"I hope that we can make people fall in love with the game here and maybe be able to etch our names in the history books."
The U.S. open their Group D campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Long Beach, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
