These are the biggest snubs of the official 2026 USMNT World Cup roster: Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann...
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed his 26-man USMNT squad for the World Cup - and, as reported in recent days, there are eye-catching omissions.
As reported in the buildup to Tuesday’s big reveal, Diego Luna headlines the omissions from the U.S. national team’s (USMNT) 26-man roster for this summer’s World Cup.
At a televised event in New York City, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed his World Cup picks - but the announcement came three days after the Argentine’s final list had been revealed by The Guardian.
The leaked roster tallied exactly with the group of players announced by Pochettino in the Big Apple, meaning there is no World Cup place for the 18-time-capped Luna, whose absence was first reported by The Athletic.
It also means that Tanner Tessmann, the Lyon midfielder capped 14 times by the USMNT, is a further eye-catching exclusion from Pochettino’s roster.
Poch passes on roster regulars
Luna’s omission comes despite the winger, who made his international debut in January 2024, featuring in 17 of the USMNT’s last 20 games under Pochettino. In Major League Soccer this season, the 22-year-old has registered four goals and an assist in nine appearances for Real Salt Lake - form that has helped the Utah team to third place in the Western Conference.
Luna has also featured heavily in USMNT marketing campaigns ahead of this summer’s World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Tessmann has been left off the USMNT’s roster despite playing in each of the Stars and Stripes’ past six tournament tuneups. The 24-year-old last sat out an international game back in September.
Tessmann missed the last two games of Lyon’s season with a muscle injury, but, as noted by ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, the issue was not expected to jeopardize his fitness for the World Cup.
Morris also misses out
Despite Tessmann’s omission, Pochettino has opted against taking the Lyon player’s fellow midfielder, Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris, to the tournament. Morris had been in the previous three USMNT squads - like Tessmann - and had featured in five out of six games since the October international window.
Morris’s omission compounds an already unhappy few days for the 24-year-old, whose Middlesbrough team missed out on promotion to the Premier League at the weekend. Morris, who has 14 USMNT caps, played the full 90 minutes at Wembley, as Boro lost 1-0 to Hull City in Saturday’s Championship playoff final.
Poch not drawn on USMNT omissions
Speaking as he confirmed his USMNT roster on Tuesady, Pochettino refused to discuss his reasons for leaving players off his list, saying it would be “disrespectful” to the individuals he has picked.
“I’m going to be focused on the players that are here,” the 54-year-old told reporters in New York, adding: “We really believe that [in] this squad, [with] these 26 players, we have the right players and the best players.”
When is the USMNT’s first game at World Cup 2026?
Drawn in Group D, the USMNT faces Australia, Paraguay and Turkey in the World Cup’s round-robin stage. The co-hosts play their tournament opener on June 12, against the Paraguayans in Los Angeles.
Before kicking off its World Cup campaign, the USMNT is to contest two final warmup games, against Senegal in Charlotte on May 31, and against Germany in Chicago on June 6.
This is the USMNT’s 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew); Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Attacking midfielders/wingers: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)
Strikers: Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
2026 World Cup Group D - the USMNT’s schedule:
- June 12, 9:00 p.m. ET: USMNT vs Paraguay, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
- June 19, 3:00 p.m. ET: USMNT vs Australia, Lumen Field, Seattle
- June 25, 10:00 p.m. ET: Turkey vs USMNT, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
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