ORLANDO — Mauricio Pochettino is expected to announce the U.S. men's national team roster on or around Sept. 17, 2026, with a focus on young players ahead of four exhibition matches in late September and early October 2026. The squad will reconvene on Sept. 21, 2026, before facing Peru in Orlando on Sept. 26, 2026, Chile on Sept. 29, 2026, Mexico on Oct. 3, 2026, and Canada on Oct. 6, 2026.

Pochettino is the head coach of the U.S. men's national team and has emphasized the need to evaluate talent for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted primarily by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. "It's going to be important to provide the young kids that we really believe have the potential to arrive in 2030 in four years to start to work and start to know [what] we expect from them," Pochettino said. He added that these players "need to feel if they perform, they can have the possibility to join us."

The roster selection follows a 26-player squad that reached the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the United States lost 4-1 to Belgium. Several players from that tournament are not available for the upcoming matches, including forward Christian Pulisic, who has not played for AC Milan since suffering two microfractures in his right leg during the World Cup. Yunus Musah, who started all four games for the United States at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, did not participate in the 2026 tournament and was loaned by AC Milan to Atalanta for the 2025-26 season.

Young prospects such as Alex Freeman, who was an uncapped prospect in mid-2025, started in the 2026 World Cup and logged the second-most minutes of any American player. Freeman, 22, scored a goal in the group stage win over Australia. Zavier Gozo, 19, plays forward for Crystal Palace after the club paid a $15 million transfer fee for him following six goals in 16 MLS appearances for Real Salt Lake in spring 2026. Cavan Sullivan, 16, plays midfielder for the Philadelphia Union and recorded four goal contributions in the team’s last four games as of early September 2026.

Neil Pierre, 18, plays defender for the Philadelphia Union and was named the top defender in MLS Next Pro in the 2025 season. The 6-foot-7 defender made his first-team debut in 2025 and spent the first half of 2026 on loan to Lyngby Boldklub, which was promoted to the Danish Superliga in spring 2026. Since returning in July 2026, Pierre has started seven of nine games and scored four goals. George Campbell, 25, plays defender for West Bromwich Albion and is the team captain after Pochettino gave him his first cap in early 2025 when he played for CF Montreal.

Other players under consideration include Aidan Morris, 24, who plays midfielder for Middlesbrough and scored in a recent draw with Burnley. Morris was not selected for the 2026 World Cup squad. Peyton Miller, 18, plays for the New England Revolution and has scored four goals and recorded four assists in 20 appearances in 2026.

Cole Campbell, 20, plays forward for SV Elversberg and scored in a recent win over Bayer Leverkusen. Justin Ellis, 19, plays forward for Orlando City SC and has recorded seven assists in 2026. Gianluca Busio, 22, plays midfielder for Venezia FC and is the team captain but has not been recalled to the national team since late 2024.