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After 18 months at the U.S. national soccer team helm, some 70 player evaluations, eight training camps, two tournaments and 24 matches in all, Mauricio Pochettino must now go about selecting his World Cup squad.
He’s got about 50 days to figure it out.
Without additional opportunity for camp evaluations, the 54-year-old Argentine will appraise player performances with the national team and watch the closing stretch of club seasons. He estimates he will choose from a pool of 35 to 40 finalists.
“Now they know there’s going to be a competition,” Pochettino said. “They know we are going to see every single week, every single game, and we are going to assess one year and a half or more, and we are going to make the decision about the 26 players being on the roster. Who will be there is going to be happy, who is not on the roster is going to be sad.”
Pochettino will unveil the squad at a May 26 event in New York. The next day, camp will open at the new national training center in Fayette County, Georgia, followed by tuneups against Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and versus Germany on June 6 in Chicago.
Preparations will then move to World Cup base camp in Irvine, California, before the June 12 opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in metro Los Angeles.
When he finalizes his list, Pochettino said he will inform only the players who made the team.
“If they have the necessity to call me, for sure, I'm very open to explain why” that player didn’t make the cut, he said. Pochettino said he has been consistent during his tenure about only contacting players who were invited to camps.
“It's going to be painful, because in that process, always you create emotional links,” he said. “It's going to be difficult to pick 26.”
Following the recently completed camp — and the unsettling losses to Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta — players rejoined clubs across Europe and throughout Major League Soccer for the resumption of league play this weekend.
Because players did not return from the international window until Wednesday, some who typically start were held out of lineups.
Here’s the rundown:
England
U.S. Premier League players were off, except Brenden Aaronson, whose Leeds side squandered a two-goal lead in stoppage time of an FA Cup quarterfinal at West Ham before prevailing in a shootout, 4-2, after a 2-2 draw.
The U.S. midfielder was an injury replacement late in the first half, logged 82 minutes and converted his shootout bid. Leeds advanced to the semifinals for the first time in 39 years.
On April 25, Leeds will face Chelsea and Manchester City will play Southampton.
In the second-flight Championship, clubs began a busy holiday weekend Friday with a full slate of matches before preparing for Monday’s schedule.
Coventry City forward Haji Wright, who was not in U.S. camp, returned from his March 14 groin injury by entering in the 63rd minute of a 3-2 win over Derby County. With six games left, the first-place Sky Blues are almost assured of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2001. Eight years ago, they were toiling in the fourth division.
Forward Patrick Agyemang, who scored against Belgium, entered in the 65th for Derby County, which sits eighth, four points back for a promotion playoff berth.
Middlesbrough defensive midfielder Aidan Morris, who started against Portugal, logged his usual 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Millwall, which leaped ahead of Middlesbrough for the second automatic promotion slot.
Italy
AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic and Juventus’ Weston McKennie were not scheduled to resume Serie A play until Monday against Napoli and Genoa, respectively.
Germany
Midfielder Malik Tillman, who started both friendlies, entered in the 89th minute and scored in stoppage time, capping Bayer Leverkusen’s 6-3 win over Wolfsburg. He has scored in back-to-back Bundesliga matches and increased his totals to six in the league and eight overall.
MidfielderGio Reyna, a lightly used sub in the friendlies, returned to his minimal role at Mönchengladbach with an 85th-minute appearance in a 2-2 draw with Heidenheim. Right wing back Joe Scally, a second-half sub in both U.S. matches, went 70 minutes for Mönchengladbach.
Center back Noahkai Banks, who declined Pochettino’s call-up as he weighs whether to play long term for the U.S. or Germany, sat out Augsburg’s 1-1 draw at Hamburg.
France
After attending U.S. camp together, striker Folarin Balogun and right wing back Tim Weah faced each other in Ligue 1.
Balogun, who played 94 minutes over the two friendlies, maintained his sizzling club form with a spectacular goal in Monaco’s 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille. Pochettino’s first-choice striker accelerated in transition and chipped the keeper from an angle in the 74th minute.
A perfect lob by Balogun 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/KWYD9i0nqE
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) April 5, 2026
pic.twitter.com/mUlvu9CdJ9
— Balogun (@balogun) April 5, 2026
Balogun (85 minutes) has scored in five consecutive Monaco appearances and seven of eight for his 10th league goal and 16th overall. Weah played 89 minutes.
Defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann, who started against Belgium, went 73 minutes in Lyon’s 0-0 draw at Angers.
Center back Mark McKenzie, who started against Belgium, went the distance in Toulouse’s 3-1 loss at first-place Paris Saint-Germain.
Spain
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who started against Belgium before leaving camp with a leg injury, served a yellow-card suspension for fourth-place Atlético Madrid’s 2-1 loss to first-place Barcelona.
After starting against Portugal, right back Alex Freeman will join third-place Villarreal for Monday’s visit to Girona.
Netherlands
Striker Ricardo Pepi (one U.S. sub appearance in this past camp) entered in the 86th minute of PSV Eindhoven’s 4-3 win over Utrecht. Combined with other results, PSV clinched its third straight Eredivisie title with six weeks to spare.
PSV right back Sergiño Dest remains sidelined with a March 8 hamstring injury that was expected to keep him out until at least mid-April. However, he is “recovering quicker than expected,” a source told Yahoo Sports.
Scotland
Center back Auston Trusty, a starter against Portugal, played all of Celtic’s 2-1 victory over Dundee. His club is third in the Premiership but just three points behind leader Hearts.
MLS
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, a starter against Portugal, continued his torrid start to Vancouver’s season with a stoppage-time winner for a 3-2 victory over Portland. He has four goals and four assists in all competitions.
SEBASTIAN BERHALTER AT THE DEATH! 🔥
He’s surely just won it for @WhitecapsFC! pic.twitter.com/stsYViEKsx— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026
In his first start since recovering from a knee injury, Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna struck in the fourth minute of a 3-1 win over Kansas City. He figured into Pochettino’s plans through 2025 and, by returning to good form in MLS this spring, will make a strong case for the World Cup squad.
What a start! Diego Luna opens the scoring early for @realsaltlake! 🌙
📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/DgwGR8JHsmpic.twitter.com/XrNwUYUxUI— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 4, 2026
Left wing back Max Arfsten, a sub in both U.S. matches and a Pochettino favorite since last summer, had a goal and assist in Columbus’ 3-1 triumph at Atlanta.
Max Arfsten ➡️ Wessam Abou Ali
Columbus leads in Atlanta!
📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/s49baM6oBcpic.twitter.com/3G7ZRJzNvm— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026
Arfsten answers immediately for Columbus to regain the two-goal lead! 😳 pic.twitter.com/eOdV7WrAeF
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026
Though he remains low on the depth chart, Josh Sargent might’ve caught Pochettino’s eye with his first MLS goal, an 85th-minute winner, plus an assist, in Toronto’s 3-2 win over Colorado.
His previous goal came Jan. 1 for Norwich City.
“Big relief. It's been a while since I've scored,” Sargent said. “After I missed that first one in the first half, I was pretty frustrated. So I would've been upset if I didn't get a goal by the end of the game.”
Josh Sargent scores his first MLS goal to complete the @TorontoFC comeback! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/zy39swP7AQ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 4, 2026
Each of the top three U.S. goalkeepers started: New York City’s Matt Freese in a 1-1 draw with St. Louis, New England’s Matt Turner in a 3-0 win over Montreal and Chicago’s Chris Brady in a 1-0 victory over Nashville.
Big time save for Chris Brady ‼️
Chicago is trying to maintain the clean sheet late.
📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/cwlwVpaYyTpic.twitter.com/V7mQLd3mkJ— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026
Among center backs, Tim Ream, a starter against Belgium, went 90 in Charlotte’s 2-1 win over Philadelphia, while Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson served a red-card suspension while nursing a groin injury that ruled him out of the U.S. friendlies.
Midfielder Cristian Roldan, a two-time U.S. sub, played 90 in Seattle’s 1-0 win at Houston.
