World Cup 2026

These are the biggest snubs of the 2026 USMNT roster: Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann...

Here’s who was shockingly left out of the USMNT squad for the World Cup.

Andrew Couldridge
Football Journalist
Born in Leeds, Joe finished his Spanish degree in 2018 before becoming an English teacher to football (soccer) players and managers, as well as collaborating with various football media outlets in English and Spanish. He joined AS in 2022 and covers both the men’s and women’s game across Europe and beyond.
Update:

Today, I dropped my custard cream into my cup of tea before forgetting all about it and having to drink it cold half an hour later. Then, I hit a water pipe with a nail as I attempted to fix a wonky photo frame, right before the dog chewed through my new thermal socks.

Still, I had a better day than Aidan Morris.

A bolt from the blue landed in the United States and with it, a surprise World Cup squad from Mauricio Pochettino, with a number of names not making the cut. Of those players who will not travel is Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris, who lost the EFL Championship Playoff Final moments before the news broke that he’d have to stay in England’s northeast over summer. That makes my biscuit story feel a little less tragic.

The midfielder has had a wonderful season at Boro, propelling them into the playoff places before a controversial loss was overturned due to Spygate 2.0; despite the momentary high, Hull City beat them with a late goal at Wembley and they will play second division football again next season.

Over 40 games in the gruelling Championship season he had been one of Boro’s standout names, but it was not enough to catch the demanding gaze of Pochettino, who went with Berhalter and Roldan in his place.

Another name who missed out was Diego Luna, many people’s pick for breakout star of the tournament. The young winger was picked repeatedly by Pochettino in previous call-ups, making his exclusion something of a surprise. The manager instead went for Gio Reyna, an experienced pro who can play multiple positions, but someone who has suffered with injuries and inconsistent minutes on the pitch.

Tanner Tessman also appears to have been left out. The midfielder had also been a regular under Pochettino is previous squads, but the manager, only going with 5 midfielders, clearly had tough decisions to make.

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