With just a fortnight remaining before their tournament opener against Paraguay, excitement is mounting as the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) gears up to commence their World Cup campaign on home turf.

Yet, there are also growing concerns surrounding Mauricio Pochettino’s final squad selection heading into the competition.

For the first time in a long while, the centre-forward position appears to be one of strength rather than a point of vulnerability. Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun have both found fine form recently for PSV and Monaco respectively, while Haji Wright offers a reliable ‘break-glass-in-case-of-emergency’ option, making him an interesting choice from the bench.

However, questions begin to surface around the No. 9 role, particularly due to the lack of pace and directness in attack. With Pochettino opting to leave out Real Salt Lake’s teenage sensation Zavier Gozo, the USMNT are left with just one natural winger in Timothy Weah, who has spent most of the current season playing as a right-back for Marseille.

Despite having netted twice as many goals (4) since April as Giovanni Reyna, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, and Brendan Aaronson combined, Diego Luna has been omitted from the squad. Luna was instrumental in helping the team reach the 2025 Gold Cup Final, making his exclusion particularly surprising. It seems Pochettino has chosen to value experience—especially World Cup experience—over current form. However, unless Pulisic rediscovers his scoring touch, it remains unclear where goals will come from outside the central striker role.

Those quick to accuse Pochettino of bias against Major League Soccer (MLS) should look at the midfield decisions. Tanner Tessmann, who played a key role in Lyon’s top-four Ligue 1 finish, has been left out, as has Aidan Morris, who helped push Middlesbrough close to Premier League promotion.

Instead, Vancouver’s Sebastian Berhalter and Seattle’s Cristian Roldán have been selected to support Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. Roldán has not featured for the national team since the 2023 Gold Cup, raising doubts as to whether he truly offers an upgrade over Tessmann or Morris.

By naming only four central midfielders—compared to ten defenders—and selecting two players in Roldán and Berhalter with very similar playing styles, Pochettino risks being left without a genuine defensive midfielder should Adams suffer an injury. This cautious approach could prove risky for the co-hosts.

It is still uncertain whether Pochettino will prefer a back four or a back five, as he continues to search for a defensive structure that best suits his team. While Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson are expected to occupy the flanks, the centre-back pairing remains a puzzle.

Adding to the uncertainty, Chris Richards is racing against time to regain full fitness after missing the Conference League Final due to torn ankle ligaments. The US lacks another central defender near Richards’ level, with Miles Robinson and Tim Ream both enduring difficult starts to the 2026 MLS season.

Ultimately, the squad’s biggest challenge could lie in its lack of cohesion. Having worked under Pochettino for less than two years—and with many first-team regulars skipping the 2025 Gold Cup—the team has had limited opportunities to build chemistry on the pitch.

“They’ve played at big clubs and in major matches, but the potential weakness is that this is a group of individuals rather than a unified team,” explained Fox Sports analyst Stu Holden in an interview with FourFourTwo.

“Togetherness is the superpower. The most successful American teams in the past were those that understood that competing in a World Cup is about something bigger than yourself.”

For the United States to win multiple knockout games for the first time in history and reach the quarter-finals, every one of their 26 players will need to pull in the same direction. The question now is: can the Stars and Stripes find their rhythm under Pochettino, or will his selection gambles ultimately cost them?