America, your team is named. Your players are ready. Your World Cup is coming. And if Mauricio Pochettino’s four words mean anything at all — “Why not us? Why not us?” — then the USMNT are heading into the biggest home tournament in a generation not just to participate, but to WIN.
The 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been officially confirmed, headlined by an AC Milan superstar, a reborn talent who barely played club football this season, and one heartbreaking snub that broke the entire American soccer internet.
Pulisic. The Captain. The Man.
Let’s start where all conversations about this team must start — Christian Pulisic. With 84 caps and 32 international goals, the AC Milan forward is, without question, America’s greatest current footballer. He arrives at this World Cup in excellent club form, having racked up 10 goals and four assists in Serie A this season. On home soil, in front of screaming home crowds in Los Angeles and Seattle, Pulisic will carry the weight of 330 million American dreams on his shoulders. If the USMNT are going to make a deep run, it starts and ends with him.
Reyna In — And the Crowd Actually Booed
Here’s where things got spicy. Gio Reyna is IN — and Pochettino’s bet on the 23-year-old Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder is easily the most controversial call of the entire selection. Reyna played just 137 minutes of league football since the start of the year. He hadn’t started a club game since December. And yet, when his name appeared at the squad announcement event in New York City, fans in the room actually booed.
But Pochettino isn’t moved. He called Reyna “special” — a player who consistently elevates when the national team shirt goes on. The November performances against Paraguay (goal) and Uruguay (assist in a 5–1 rout) proved the point. At his best, Reyna is unlike anything else in the USMNT pool. The World Cup is exactly the stage where “at his best” could finally become “all the time.”
Luna Out — And the Heartbreak is Real
Diego Luna’s omission is brutal. The Real Salt Lake attacker was expected to be there. He was in Nike’s World Cup promotional adverts. He was in the Panini sticker collection. He had been a fan favourite through the cycle, delivering big moments when the big names were absent. A muscle injury clouded his final weeks — but sources claimed he was fit enough to travel. Pochettino decided otherwise. Alejandro Zendejas, who finished the Liga MX playoffs with four goals in five games for Club América, got the nod instead.
The Mission Starts June 12
The USMNT open their home World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles against Paraguay on June 12 — the kind of night that only comes around once in a generation. Seattle against Australia on June 19. Then Türkiye in Las Vegas on June 25. A manageable group. A golden path. A nation watching.
Tyler Adams is the engine. Weston McKennie is the muscle. Folarin Balogun is the finisher. And Pulisic is the heartbeat.
The pressure is enormous. The moment is enormous. And for once, the talent might just be enormous enough too.
“Why not us?” indeed.
