McKennie is Back and Jedi Returns: Pochettino Reveals U.S. Men’s Team Squad

Last month, after U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino summoned a squad half-filled with MLS players for 2026 World Cup tuneups versus Japan and South Korea, he suggested that his next two rosters would feature more of the European-based regulars.

Pochettino made good on his word on Thursday, recalling Juventus’ Weston McKennie, Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann, Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers and Toulouse’s Mark McKenzie for the first time since March.

With the MLS Cup playoffs set to start later this month, only 10 of the 26 players summoned for the two upcoming friendlies against Ecuador on Oct. 10 and Australia on Oct. 14 hail from MLS teams.

Star man Christian Pulisic, who assisted in the 2-0 win over Japan, returns in perhaps the best form of his career. The 27-year-old AC Milan star currently leads Italy’s Serie A in both goals and assists. 

Tim Weah is on the roster, too, as is all-world left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, U.S. Soccer’s male athlete of 2024 who has not played for the national team since November because of injury.

Pochettino also brought back Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris for the first time in a year. Fellow defensive midfielder James Sands, on loan at Bundesliga side St. Pauli from New York City FC, gets the nod as well for the first time since Pochettino was hired in September 2024. 

Veteran goalkeeper Matt Turner, who started all four games for the Americans at the 2022 World Cup, returns after being omitted in September following his loan from Lyon to former club New England Revolution. 

Brenden Aaronson, barely used during the Concacaf Gold Cup last summer, also gets the callup. Aaronson has carved out a starting role with Premier League club Leeds United this season.

Among the players left out include Johnny Cardoso, Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi (all three are dealing with injuries), as well as Giovanni Reyna and World Cup 2022 captain Tyler Adams.

Pochettino will explain the reasoning for Adams’ omission during a video conference with reporters on Thursday, according to a USMNT spokesperson. The coach will speak from Austin, where on Wednesday he watched Nashville SC beat the home side to win the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Australia and Ecuador are both ranked in the Top 25 of FIFA’s world ranking. The two nations have also already qualified for next summer’s 48-team soccer extravaganza, which will be co-hosted by the U.S. Canada and Mexico.

The full U.S. roster is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Chicago Fire; Matt Freese, NYCFC; Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew; Matt Turner, New England

Defenders: Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew; Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic (Scotland); Alex Freeman, Orlando City; Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse (France); Tim Ream, Charlotte; Chris Richards, Crystal Palace (England); Antonee Robinson, Fulham (England); Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Leeds (England); Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; Weston McKennie, Juventus (Italy); Aidan Morris, Middlesbrough (England); Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders; James Sands, St. Pauli (Germany); Tanner Tessmann; Lyon (France); Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) 

Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Derby County (England); Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco (France); Christian Pulisic, AC Milan (Italy); Tim Weah, Marseille (France); Haji Wright, Coventry City (England); Alex Zendejas, Club América (Mexico) 

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.

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