U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) coach Mauricio Pochettino singled out a glut of fringe players who have staked a strong claim to be included in the roster for the 2026 World Cup.
In the nation’s first outing since losing the Gold Cup final to Mexico, Pochettino oversaw a pair of friendlies against South Korea and Japan. The USMNT were worrying disjointed in a 2–0 defeat to Son Heung-min’s side before delivering a much-improved display against Japan.
A dramatic change of formation to 3-4-2-1 inspired a far more cohesive performance which earned the World Cup co-hosts a deserved 2–0 win. Pochettino cooled tensions with Christian Pulisic to reintegrate the team’s undisputed talisman, but this switch in system saw four lower profile figures shine.
Alex Zendejas
After spurning a glut of missed chances in the opening 20 minutes, Alex Zendejas broke the deadlock for the hosts with a wonderfully controlled volley into the bottom corner. It was the second goal of the Club América forward’s international career on his 13 appearance.
The Mexico-born forward—who earned two caps for the country of his birth before switching allegiance in 2023—was crowned Player of the Match against Japan while operating alongside Pulisic as one of two No. 10s behind Folarin Balogun. As Pochettino revealed post-game: “He’s in the race for the roster for the World Cup.”
Max Arfsten
Pochettino was most effusive in his praise of Max Arfsten. Most commonly deployed as a winger for the Columbus Crew, the left-footer has earned most of his caps at left back in a four-man defense. The shift to a 3-4-2-1 allowed Arfsten to jump up to wingback, where he flourished.
“It’s a player that we really believe from day one,” Pochettino gushed, “because I see in the way that he is, his character, his personality. The characteristics [of] how he is like a player. I think it’s a combo that we really love, we really like. He’s very intelligent, very smart guy.”
Alex Freeman
The September camp was billed as Sergiño Dest’s long-awaited return following his ACL tear, yet it was his rival right back Alex Freeman who caught Pochettino’s eye. The towering Orlando defender was namechecked by the Argentine coach who admired a performance which balanced industry and dexterity.
Freeman was the starting fullback throughout the Gold Cup and Dest will have his work cut out for him if he is to elbow his way into that starting XI.
Cristian Roldan
Before this month’s internationals, Cristian Roldán’s previous cap came in the 2023 Gold Cup semifinal. The 30-year-old midfielder has matured into a near ever-present for Seattle Sounders and captained the club to a dominant Leagues Cup final victory over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami at the start of the month.
Roldán carried that sense of maturity and assuredness into another composed performance in a midfield pairing with Tyler Adams.
There had been major doubts hanging over Pochettino following the insipid nature of yet another defeat to top-quality opposition following the result against South Korea. However, the Argentine presented a calm front on Tuesday.
“I am so relaxed, you know, stick with the plan and keep going,” Pochettino grinned. “The most important is the process. The most important is say today win or lose, you know, it’s about the process. It’s about the players really believing what we are doing, that they respect us, how we respect them.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mauricio Pochettino Names Four Surprise Contenders for USMNT 2026 World Cup Roster.
