USMNT World Cup cheat sheet: What to know about the team's key players

The United States men's national team opens its World Cup on Friday against Paraguay in Los Angeles, and I'll come right out and say it: There's no shame if you haven't given this team an ounce of your attention since the last World Cup, which ended with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

New (since the last World Cup) manager Mauricio Pochettino is the most acclaimed coach to ever helm the squad, and he has a deeper and more talented roster than any in USMNT history. But that doesn't mean the USA, despite the historical boost a host nation gets, will go further than its usual ceiling of the final 16 teams. If it does, though, it will be because Pochettino coaxed a new level of quality from the same core of players that anchored the 2022 squad. Surely you remember these players! But in case you don't, here's a primer on who they are and what they can do.

'Captain America'

A decade into his pro career, Christian Pulisic is, first and foremost, the most talented player to ever wear the USMNT jersey. But his unprecedented success as an American playing overseas has made him the most scrutinized player of this (or any) USMNT generation.

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The highs of his club career — teenage wunderkind scoring Champions League goals for Borussia Dortmund, wearing the coveted No. 10 shirt for Chelsea, the leading scorer for a domestic cup-winning AC Milan — tend to have counterweights: his time at Chelsea was sunk by injuries and a regime change, and his 2026 goalless drought contributed to a disastrous season for Milan. But he has historically played his best in a USA jersey, and a goal and an assist in the first 20 minutes of the recent friendly against Senegal should dispel any notion that he's out of form.

The midfield engine

Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams are central midfielders whose level of play will be a huge factor in how far the USMNT can go in this tournament.

McKennie, a star for Juventus, is a highly versatile box-to-box midfielder and a terrific passer; it's common to see him force a turnover with a challenge and immediately turn it into a counterattack. For casual fans who don't watch much soccer, McKennie's impact will be obvious; even neophytes will recognize the universal quality of "he got that dawg in him."

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Adams, the former New York Red Bull who is now at Bournemouth in the Premier League, captained the U.S. squad in the 2022 World Cup, a deserved honor for his relentless pressure, work rate and leadership as a defensive midfielder. The standard quote about Adams is "if he's healthy, he starts." After missing the November and March international windows, Adams looked sharp in the final tuneup against Germany, challenging and dispossessing opponents as the American starters looked equal to the European giants during the first half.

Guys doing cool stuff on the wings

One of the challenges Pochettino faces is that the eleven best players on the team don't occupy eleven different positions.

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The Americans have more worthy fullbacks and wingers (and attacking midfielders who are best working out wide) than they have spots to put them. The best of these is Antonee "Jedi" Robinson, the Fulham star whose size, speed, and curly bleached hair make him instantly recognizable even on the bar's most distant TV screen. He's easily one of the best left fullbacks in the Premier League: a rock-solid defender with skill on the ball and the ability to deliver deadly crosses into the box.

His rocket of a volley against Germany on Saturday must be seen to be believed:

On the right side, PSV Eindhoven's Sergiño Dest is either a winger or a fullback with little interest in defending. The nomenclature matters less than his deployment, which will always be in service of the USMNT attack.

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Further up the right, Timothy Weah is a true winger with the speed to get to open spaces and the talent on the ball to do it with his dribble. I've already praised Robinson for his crosses from the left, but Weah's service from the right wing, to my eyes, is even more impressive.

Both Dest and Weah chose to play for the United States over other federations: Dest is the son of a Dutch mother and a Surinamese American father; Weah was born in Brooklyn to Jamaican and Liberian parents (his father, George, won the Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995 while playing with Paris Saint-Germain; more recently, he was president of Liberia from 2018-2024).

Defensive question marks

Center back Tim Ream, the oldest player on the team, will captain this year's World Cup squad. Ream, 38, has returned to MLS after 13 years in England, most of them with his name written in pen in Fulham's starting XI. Despite a lack of speed, Ream's vision and ability to pass accurately with both feet is a key factor in the USMNT turning possession at the back of the formation into attacking opportunities.

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Concerns about Ream's age and speed are supposed to be offset by his center back partner, 2025 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year Chris Richards. Unfortunately, Richards suffered an ankle injury late in the Premier League season with Crystal Palace and was still rehabbing during the final two friendlies. Richards is reportedly a full participant in practice this week, which is good news for the squad: The next man up is a sizable step down.

Perhaps the center back worries would be less pronounced if the USMNT boasted a world-class goalkeeper. But after two continuous decades of excellent bald goalkeepers between the sticks (Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and then Tim Howard), no one has seized control of the position since Howard's last international appearance in 2017.

Pochettino has not made public whether he'll choose Matt Turner — who was first choice in 2022, but struggled in Europe before recently finding his form back with the New England Revolution this season — or Matt Freese, the NYCFC starter who Pochettino chose throughout 2025 but has been less sharp than Turner in MLS this season. Neither is a clear-cut first choice, which would be fine if both played at the standard of their USMNT forebears. As it stands, American fans probably shouldn't get too comfortable with any one-goal lead or level score until the final whistle blows.

U.S. has actual strikers! Plural!

The USMNT's situation at forward is the reverse of its goalkeeping conundrum: After a long history mostly devoid of a quality No. 9 — that is, a center forward who can win in the air, play with his back to the goal, and regularly deliver goals — the U.S. has two players that are worthy starters on the world stage.

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Folarin Balogun is probably the first choice to start, coming off a 19-goal, 4-assist season (across all competitions) with Monaco, earning him Player of the Season honors from the Ligue 1 side. At 5-foot-10, he lacks the prototypical size of a modern striker, but he's a clinical finisher on the break, and his suddenness in the box allows him to create chances when none seem apparent. (Balogun is another player with multinational heritage: He committed to the United States in 2023 over England and Nigeria despite playing for the Three Lions' youth squads.)

Ricardo Pepi is no slouch, either. The dual-national Texan broke out with FC Dallas as a teenager in 2021 but was a snub from the 2022 World Cup squad. Since then, he's been a rising star in Europe, where he's found a home with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven; his 19 goals in 34 appearances led the team this season. He's a better aerial target than Balogun and stronger in hold-up play, so he may be first choice depending on Pochettino's assessment of the team's tactical needs.

USMNT's potential impact players

If you've made it this far, you can handle a few more bullet points on players who have the ability to swing a game in favor of the Stars and Stripes:

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• Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen) will likely start in midfield with Adams and McKennie. He's a notch below their quality but is in good form and fits well with their strengths.

• Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach) is a fascinating question mark. A dynamic, creative midfielder, he was at the center of some extremely dumb drama at the 2022 Cup and was essentially iced out of his own club this past season. He could start in place of Tillman and be the creative midfield spark that takes the USMNT through the group stage, or he could be a total zero. I don't recommend placing bets on his influence.

• Alejandro Zendejas (Club América) is the best player on Mexico's most popular team. The 28-year-old has gone through some self-inflicted drama about playing for Mexico or the United States, and perhaps that's why he's been largely out of favor for the USMNT. But his current form, left foot and attacking acumen may earn him quality minutes over the next few weeks.

• Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United) is a talented winger and an established pro for the USMNT who would be a much more vital cog in any previous World Cup squad.

• Similarly, Haji Wright (Coventry City)  is the third striker but would be first-team for most previous USMNT iterations.

• Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), son of former USMNT manager Gregg, is the heartbeat of the Vancouver Whitecaps and a free-kick specialist.

Congratulations, the completion of this article means that you are now a fan of the United States men's national team. If anyone questions your bona fides, drown them out with a "U-S-A!" chant.