The United States Men’s National Team are back in action this month with friendlies against Ecuador and Australia, and after last month’s window, head coach Mauricio Pochettino said that he plans to start
the process of narrowing down his potential player pool to the eventual roster that will walk out onto the field next June as 2026 World Cup co-hosts. Today, the 26-man October USMNT roster was announced, and it feels like the competition has begun for the spots on the roster.
Many players who haven’t been called in a while make their return to the national team, including mainstays Antonee Robinson, Wes McKennie, and Matt Turner. The number of players called in also expands as Pochettino really starts to break down who he wants on the 2026 World Cup roster. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tanner Tessmann, James Sands, and Patrick Schulte are also among the players who return to the USMNT roster after some time away.
The USMNT roster:
Goalkeepers (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Matt Turner (New England Revolution).
Defenders (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati).
Midfielders (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), James Sands (St. Pauli), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyonnais), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen).
Forwards (6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alex Zendejas (Club América).
The USMNT take on Ecuador on October 10th at Q2 Stadium in Austin. They then complete the October international window with a friendly against Australia on October 14th against Australia at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in suburban Denver. Both Ecuador and Australia are teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup and will serve as tests for the United States.
