NEW YORK — Midfielders Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter were included on United States men’s coach Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-man World Cup roster Tuesday, along with winger Alejandro Zendejas, while midfielders Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann were left off.
Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady, 22, made the roster despite having no international experience with the senior team. A native of Naperville, Brady becomes the Fire’s first homegrown player and academy graduate named to a World Cup roster. He is the club’s third player named to the USMNT roster as an active member of the Fire.
“It’s hard to even put into words what this means,” Brady said in a statement. “It’s life-changing.”
Defender Sergiño Dest, midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Haji Wright were added after missing friendlies in March because of injuries. Zendejas was bypassed for the March roster after a knee injury last fall.
Players were announced in order of uniform number during a made-for-TV event on the roof of the South Street Seaport’s Pier 17, with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop.
“It was so painful for me to make the decision,” Pochettino said. “We cannot talk about the players that did not make the roster.”
Reyna, a son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna, nearly was sent home from the 2022 World Cup by then-coach Gregg Berhalter for lack of hustle and made just four starts this season for Borussia Mönchengladbach — none since Dec. 19. He is viewed by Pochettino as a “special player.”
Sebastian Berhalter, a 25-year-old son of the former coach, made his national team debut last June and became the Americans’ best corner-kick taker.
Players dropped who had been on the March roster included goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, along with Tessmann and fellow midfielder Aidan Morris. Two players were sidelined by recent injuries: midfielder Johnny Cardoso (right ankle surgery) and forward Patrick Agyemang (torn right Achilles). Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is recovering from a torn Achilles in October.
Luna missed the March matches because of a knee injury after playing in 17 of 18 international games last year.
Who is back from 2022?
Half the roster returns from the last World Cup: goalkeeper Matt Turner; Dest and fellow defenders Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and Joe Scally; Adams and fellow midfielders Weston McKennie, Reyna and Cristian Roldan; and forwards Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Wright.
Defenders Chris Richards and Miles Robinson were picked after injuries caused them to miss the 2022 tournament, where the U.S. was eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16. Richards is a health concern after tearing two left ankle ligaments on May 17.
Among the final cuts four years ago, Ricardo Pepi made it this time.
Players from 2022 left off included goalkeepers Ethan Horvath and Sean Johnson; Carter-Vickers and fellow defenders Aaron Long, Shaq Moore, DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman; midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Luca de la Torre and Yunus Musah; and forwards Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Morris and Josh Sargent.
This year’s average age of 26 years, 332 days as of the U.S. opener is up from 25-216 four years ago and the fifth-youngest for an American World Cup roster, also older than 1930, 1990 and 1994.
Where are players from?
Just eight players were taken from Major League Soccer, the fewest since four in 2010, and no MLS attacking players were chosen.
Five players are based in England, three each in Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1, two apiece in Italy’s Serie A and the Dutch Eredivisie, and one each in Mexico, Scotland and Spain.
Pulisic, the top American player, ended his AC Milan season scoreless in 19 games since Dec. 28 and has gone eight U.S. matches without a goal since November 2024.
Pochettino’s three strikers finished their club seasons in form, combining for 56 goals: Folarin Balogun and Pepi scored 19 each and Wright 18.
For the first time since 1990, no American goalkeepers are from European clubs. Brady is the first player on the roster with no senior team international experience since goalkeeper Juergen Sommer in 1994.
The U.S. opens against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, Calif., plays Australia one week later in Seattle and closes Group D with a match against Turkey on June 26 in Inglewood. The top two teams in each of 12 groups advance to the new round of 32 in the expanded 48-nation tournament along with the eight third-place nations.
Ream could become the oldest American to appear in a World Cup at 38 years, 250 days when the U.S. plays its opener, older than defender Fernando Clavijo when the U.S. was knocked out by Brazil in 1994’s round of 16.
Defender Alex Freeman, a son of former Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, is the youngest player at 21.
The roster
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry), Alejandro Zendejas (América)
