The last European club season leading up to the 2026 World Cup is underway, and there are several U.S. men’s national team players based across the Atlantic with much at stake.
That idea was reinforced earlier this summer, when a heavily rotated roster for the Gold Cup – one that included 15 MLS players – reached the final. Although the loss and performance against Mexico in Houston highlighted the undeniable drop-off in quality from a first-choice squad, Mauricio Pochettino appreciated the cultural progress made in the longest camp of his tenure. And he planted the seeds for increased competition in his pool over the next ten months that was certainly not expected when he took the reins.
Indeed, Pochettino’s faith in Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman has only been vindicated by recent European interest in those players (and, in Agyemang’s case, an actual transfer to Derby County). His belief in Malik Tillman became clear, and then Tillman became the second most expensive transfer in USMNT history behind Christian Pulisic, joining German giants Bayer Leverkusen.
Being based in Europe or even being in top form there evidently won’t guarantee a call-up anymore. The leash may be longer for the likes of Tillman or Atletico Madrid’s Johnny Cardoso, but others with the talent to have an impact next summer need to elbow their way into the picture.
Let’s take a look at five players who can raise their stock the most this year, considering their situations as well as Pochettino’s needs.
