ATLANTA (March 17, 2026) – U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino will bring 27 players to the training camp for the upcoming March matches against World Cup–qualified European sides Belgium and Portugal in its final set of matches before announcing the roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Players will begin reporting to Atlanta on March 22.
“We have spent the last 18 months developing the player pool so we can be prepared to make the correct decisions for the World Cup roster, and this is another valuable opportunity,” Pochettino said. “We must treat these games like they are a part of the World Cup, and what is most important is that the players bring the right mentality and commitment to the group.”
The matches will provide the USMNT with two premier opportunities to face opponents in the top-10 of the Coca-Cola FIFA Men’s World Rankings and will serve as the team’s penultimate matches before the team competes in the world’s largest sporting event.
With only three months before the start of the tournament on home soil, the USA will first host Belgium, presented by AT&T, on March 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, with the match broadcast live on TNT, HBO MAX, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock. [TICKETS]
Three days later, the USA hosts Portugal, presented by Bank of America, in the final match before the roster announcement for the World Cup this summer. The match will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on March 31. Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, HBO MAX, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock. [TICKETS]
Both matches will be carried live on radio as Westwood One Sports delivers English language commentary while longtime partner Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish language call.
Fans can follow the USMNT on X (@USMNT), Instagram (@USMNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App.
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 13/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 16/1), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 13/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 25/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 79/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 35/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 22/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 5/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 9/1), Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid/ESP; 22/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 62/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 13/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 34/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 43/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 12/1); Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 26/3)
FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 56/9); Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 23/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 34/13), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 82/32), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 47/7)
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
The USMNT returns to action for the first time since November 2025. Under the management of Mauricio Pochettino and his staff, the U.S. compiled an 8W-2L-2D record in its final 12 matches of the year, going 4W-0L-1D in the fall capped by a 5-1 rout over two-time World Cup winner and then 14th-ranked Uruguay. A total of 56 players earned at least one cap with the USMNT in 2025, including 24 in this squad with senior team debuts from Patrick Agyemang, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman and Matt Freese.
As a host country, the U.S. didn’t participate in World Cup Qualifiers, instead focusing on playing significant opponents in preparation, ending the year on a five-match unbeaten run against teams ranked FIFA’s top 40, including four victories. During 2025, Pochettino rotated players through key match windows to continue building a roster capable of playing multiple styles, adjusting to diverse opponents and sustaining peak performance over the duration of a World Cup on home soil. The approach reflects a long-term plan to maximize depth, sharpen internal competition and raise the overall ceiling of the program ahead of the FIFA World Cup this summer.
GOALS GALORE
U.S. strikers are leading the way for their respective clubs in Europe this season, with all three in this roster scoring over 10 goals during the campaign. Patrick Agyemang has led EFL Championship side Derby County with 10 goals in all competitions this season. In stellar form as of late, Folarin Balogun has contributed 13 goals in all competitions on his way to being named Monaco’s February Player of the Month. Ricardo Pepi has also been in fine form, with the striker bagging 13 goals in all competitions for PSV Eindhoven.
EUROPEAN PEDIGREE
The current USMNT roster includes 18 players from European clubs. Of those, nine players competed in a European competition this season. Still active, Johnny Cardoso and Malik Tillman are both in the UEFA Champions League, competing against Tottenham and Arsenal respectively. Folarin Balogun scored five goals for Monaco in this edition of the UCL, while Weston McKennie tallied four times for Juventus. Tanner Tessmann is in the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League with Olympique Lyon against Celta Vigo. Chris Richards is competing in the UEFA Conference League knockout stage with Crystal Palace against AEK Larnaca.
IN THE CHAMPIONS CUP
Four MLS-based players are currently in the Round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup: Sebastian Berhalter, Roman Celentano, Miles Robinson and Cristian Roldan. Celentano and Robinson with FC Cincinnati have a 3-0 advantage over the first leg of play against Liga MX side Tigres UANL, while Cristian Roldan and Seattle Sounders are ahead of Sebastian Berhalter and Vancouver Whitecaps, by a 3-0 margin.
RETURN OF THE JEDI
Defender Antonee Robinson returns to the USMNT setup after missing the entirety of international duty in 2025 through injury. The 2024 U.S Soccer Male Player of the Year recipient has played in 17 games for Fulham this season. “Jedi” has 50 caps with four goals and six assists for the USA since his debut in 2018, reaching the half-century mark in his most recent appearance in a 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal on Nov. 18, 2024. Robinson recently became just the seventh American to make 150 Premier League appearances.
A MATCH TO REMEMBER
The last meeting between the USMNT and Portugal was a 1-1 draw in Leiria, Portugal. In the match against the reigning European champions and third-ranked Portuguese side, Weston McKennie made his senior team debut and scored the opening goal in the 20th minute of play. A member of the 2022 FIFA World Cup roster, McKennie has earned 62 caps since his debut in 2017.
ANCHORED IN ATLANTA
Georgia will serve as the new home for the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, set to open this spring. The USMNT has only played four times in Atlanta, with the first match a 1-0 win against Canada in World Cup Qualifying on Oct. 27, 1968. Remarkably, three of the four matches were in three different official competitions: FIFA World Cup Qualifying, the Concacaf Gold Cup and Copa America. The USMNT has only played once at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of Atlanta United, a 2-1 loss to Panama on June 27, 2024, in the 2024 Copa America.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
This year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup will take place in the United States for the first time since 1994. In the 1994 edition, the USA advanced from the group stage to the Round of 16 before being defeated 1-0 by eventual champions Brazil. The tournament games in the U.S. will be spread across 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.
The USMNT will open the group stage in Los Angeles against Paraguay on June 12, before traveling to Seattle for the first time since 2016 to take on Australia on June 19. The team will close out the group stage in Los Angeles on June 25 against the winner of UEFA Playoff C between Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo, which will be determined during the March FIFA window.
ROSTER NOTES
- The roster will have an average age of 26 years, 144 days as of the first day of training on March 22. The 27-player squad also averages 31 caps.
- With 82 caps, Christian Pulisic is the most experienced player on the roster, followed by Tim Ream (79), Weston McKennie (62), Brenden Aaronson (56), Matt Turner (52), Antonee Robinson (50) and Tim Weah (47).
- Midfielder Weston McKennie made his USMNT debut in the last matchup against Portugal, also scoring his first international goal in the 1-1 draw against the reigning European champions on Nov. 14, 2017.
- The roster features two uncapped players: goalkeepers Chris Brady and Roman Celentano.
- Six players featured and scored in the UEFA Champions League this season: Folarin Balogun, Johnny Cardoso, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman and Tim Weah.
- With four goals in the Champions League this season, Weston McKennie became just the third midfielder to reach 10 goals in the competition for Juventus, alongside Ballon d'Or winners Pavel Nedved and Michel Platini.
- Seventeen players return from the squad that took part in the November 2025 camp
- Following a long-term injury, Antonee Robinson will seek his first USMNT appearance since a 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal on Nov. 18, 2024.
- A total of 24 players on the roster have featured in a match for club or country at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Sebastian Berhalter, Mark McKenzie and Malik Tillman are the three exceptions.
- New York City FC is currently undefeated at the top of the Eastern Conference, with three wins and a draw through the first four matches of the season, led by goalkeeper Matt Freese collecting a clean sheet while allowing only three goals.
- The current roster scored 20 of the 33 total goals scored in 2025.
- Nine players represent eight different Major League Soccer clubs. FC Cincinnati provides two players, along with one from Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, New England Revolution, New York City FC and Vancouver Whitecaps.
- Eighteen players come from European clubs, with five from England, four from France, three from Germany, two each from Spain and Italy, and one apiece from Netherlands and Scotland.
- Striker Ricardo Pepi has netted 10 goals in 19 matches for PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie, marking the third-highest total goals scored on the team.
- Folarin Balogun was named Monaco’s February Player of the Month after scoring four goals in the month, including a brace against PSG in the UEFA Champions League. Balogun has netted for Monaco in five of the last six matches, including in the last four straight.
- Nineteen players took part in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with 15 coming through the MLS Academy ranks: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Max Arfsten (Cal Odyssey), Sebastian Berhalter (Columbus Crew), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Roman Celentano (Chicago Sockers), Alex Freeman (Weston FC, Orlando City), Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union), Weston McKennie (FC Dallas), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas), Christian Pulisic (PA Classics), Gio Reyna (New York City FC), Chris Richards (FC Dallas), Miles Robinson (FC Boston Bolts), Joe Scally (New York City FC), Tanner Tessmann (FC Dallas), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union) and Tim Weah (BW Gottschee, New York Red Bulls).
