USMNT World Cup full roster: Alejandro Zendejas is in, Tanner Tessmann misses out | USA

Club América winger Alejandro Zendejas is on the United States’ 26-man roster for this summer’s World Cup, while Lyon defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann is not included. The selections are the most notable new information gleaned from head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s full World Cup list, which was obtained by the Guardian and is authentic according to multiple sources with knowledge of Pochettino’s selections.

The list confirms the selection of Zendejas and the omission of Tessmann, as well as the inclusion of Gio Reyna of Borussia Mönchengladbach and the omission of Diego Luna of Real Salt Lake, both attacking midfielders, choices which were first reported by Athletic. US Soccer declined to comment on the roster, which will be officially announced Tuesday during a nationally televised event in New York.

Reyna and Berhalter are retained

Reyna was included despite having only played 520 minutes for Mönchengladbach this season, although he has featured in the club’s last five league matches. Pochettino has repeatedly praised the 23-year-old and singled him out as a player he is willing to include regardless of the club’s form.

At the 2022 World Cup, Reyna found herself at the center of one of the most dramatic and bizarre moments in men’s national team history, after nearly being kicked out of the tournament for behavioral issues. Shortly afterward, Reyna’s parents found themselves embroiled in a lengthy public argument with U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter. The situation cast a shadow over Reyna in the years that followed.

Also on the list is Sebastian Berhalter, the son of the former USMNT coach. The 25-year-old has never represented the United States at youth international level, but has established himself in Pochettino’s plans thanks to his considerable development since joining the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2022. Berhalter was part of the MLS Best Concacaf. Berhalter also gives this team a dead ball specialist who can consistently place corners in dangerous areas.

Luna and Tessmann are absent

Despite being a key contributor throughout the USMNT’s preparation for the World Cup, Luna did not make the roster. He was the subject of frequent praise from Pochettino for his aggression on both sides of the ball and scored four goals in 17 appearances in 2025, becoming a star in the process. Despite missing March camp while returning from injury, Luna returned in great form with four goals and two assists in seven MLS appearances (six starts) since April 1.

The 22-year-old also featured heavily in promotional campaigns ahead of the tournament, including a glitzy advert from tournament rights holder Fox. A spokesperson for the federation said earlier this week that Pochettino had nothing to do with the players selected to appear in these adverts, some of which were made months ago.

Luna has been dealing with ongoing knee and muscle issues in 2026, but she was still expected to be included in Pochettino’s plans. Less surprising is the omission of Luna’s RSL teammate Zavier Gozo. Gozo is yet to play for the senior USMNT, but was on last year’s roster for the U20 World Cup and has since been outstanding for RSL, leading to speculation about his possible inclusion.

Zendejas, 28, is one of the most dangerous strikers in Liga MX, with 12 goals and seven assists in 2,443 minutes to lead Club América’s attack. Despite his form, Pochettino has only given Zendejas 139 minutes in six matches, with his last change coming on September 9 against Japan.

Tessmann, 24, suffered a muscle injury in Lyon two weeks ago but was still expected to be included in the list. It is not immediately clear whether Tessman’s exclusion is injury-related. The FC Dallas academy product has appeared in 29 league matches for Lyon this season, including 22 starts.

Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris has also been omitted. The 24-year-old has been an ever-present for his club and played an important role during the USMNT’s March friendlies against Portugal and Belgium. Morris and Tessmann looked more likely to qualify after Johnny Cardoso’s serious ankle injury earlier this month.

Additional notes

As things stand, there are only four central or defensive midfielders in Pochettino’s squad, with Weston McKennie joining Berhalter, Cristian Roldan and Tyler Adams. McKennie looked likely to play higher up the pitch following his deployment in attacking midfield during the March window.

The defensive corps gained additional numbers, with 10 defenders chosen to split time between four or five starting spots. Centre-back Chris Richards is on the list after the Crystal Palace manager announced he would miss this weekend’s league final due to torn ankle ligaments. Missing among the central defenders is Noahkai Banks, the dual national who left his international status in limbo and turned down a U.S. call-up in March as he gauged interest from Germany.

Chicago Fire guard Chris Brady joins Matt Freese and Matt Turner on the list. Brady, 22, is one of the most in-form goalkeepers in MLS and has been called up to the national team camp several times, but has never been selected. Brady is the presumptive No. 3 behind Freese and Turner.

A total of 13 members of Pochettino’s squad made their second World Cup squad, with the other half made up of first-time caps.

The USMNT will play its last two matches before the World Cup against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6. Managers must submit their list to Fifa by June 1 and can only change their squad after officially naming the 26-player list in “exceptional cases”, a vaguely defined circumstance that must be approved by Fifa’s medical committee.

USMNT Roster for the 2026 World Cup

(First-time World Cup caps indicated with an asterisk, caps and goals indicated in parentheses)

Guardians (3): Chris Brady* (Chicago Fire, 0 caps/0 goals), Matt Freese* (New York City, 14/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution, 53/0)

Defenders (10): Max Arfsten* (Columbus Crew, 18/1), Sergiño Dest (PSV, 37/2), Alex Freeman* (Villarreal, 15/2), Mark McKenzie* (Toulouse, 27/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC, 80/1), Chris Richards* (Crystal Palace, 36/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 52/4), Miles Robinson* (FC Cincinnati, 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 24/0), Auston Trusty* (Celtic, 6/0)

Midfield (4): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth, 52/2), Sebastian Berhalter* (Vancouver Whitecaps, 11/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus, 64/12), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders, 45/0)

Attacking midfielder/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United, 57/9), Christian Pulisic (Milan, 84/32), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 36/9), Malik Tillman* (Bayer Leverkusen, 28/3), Tim Weah (Marseille, 49/7), Alejandro Zendejas* (Club América, 13/2)

Attackers (3): Folarin Balogun* (AS Monaco, 25/8), Ricardo Pepi* (PSV, 35/13), Haji Wright (Coventry City, 20/7)