Let’s get this party started, shall we?
On Thursday, the U.S. men’s national team’s first roster of the 2030 World Cup cycle was unveiled ahead of a four-game window beginning later this month. Mauricio Pochettino called up a 28-player squad to the team’s training camp ahead of friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada. 13 players from the 2026 World Cup team were included, along with 13 prospects awaiting their senior international debuts.
Did Pochettino make the right choices? Let’s break it all down by grading the selections at each position.
Goalkeeper
- Chris Bradly, 22, Chicago Fire
- Matt Freese, 28, New York City FC
- Diego Kochen, 20, Lyngby (on loan from FC Barcelona)
- Brian Schwake, 25, Nashville SC
Notable omissions: Matt Turner
There were a few things I wanted to see from the U.S.’s goalkeeper selections in this window:
First: get a young option into the fold. Kochen, a 20-year-old getting his first taste of first-division minutes this season over in Denmark, checks that box. Brady does, too. Second: see Schwake rewarded for his great form with Nashville SC in MLS. Third: see Freese called back in to get a chance to atone for his mistake against Belgium. For those of you cursing under your breath after reading that last sentence, have a heart.
Turner still might be the best goalkeeper of the bunch, but it seems Pochettino disagrees on that point. Color me curious to see if the New England Revolution goalkeeper gets brought back into the fold in for competitive games in November.
Grade: B+
Center back
- George Campbell, 25, West Bromwich Albion
- Neil Pierre, 18, Philadelphia Union
- Chris Richards, 26, Crystal Palace
- Miles Robinson, 29, FC Cincinnati
- Auston Trusty, 28, Celtic
Notable omissions: Justin Che, Tim Ream
When you factor in Noahkai Banks ruling himself out of donning a U.S. shirt for this window, Pochettino called up a nice blend of innocence and experience here.
On the innocence front, Pierre, the U.S.’s best committed center back prospect, earned his way here with promising showings for the Union. Che would’ve been my pick of the other newcomers to join him, but Campbell is an interesting option to get his first non-January camp call. On the experience front, Richards is an in-ink starter, Trusty’s left-sided comfort is a plus, and Robinson could be a helpful locker room presence. Might he be this cycle’s Ream?
