Three matches left before the World Cup begins on home soil, and the USMNT still hasn't fielded its projected starting lineup. Not once. Mauricio Pochettino's first-choice XI has never actually shared a pitch together — and with Belgium already winning 3-1 in Atlanta on Saturday, the clock to fix that is running out fast.
The U.S. hosts Portugal on Tuesday, then faces Senegal in Charlotte on May 31 and Germany in Chicago on June 6 before the tournament begins. This is it. So let's be honest about where this squad actually stands.
The striker problem is solved. The center-back problem is not.
Start with the good news, because it's genuinely good. In Qatar in 2022, the U.S. forwards — Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Jordan Morris, Jesús Ferreira — managed just 10 shots across 341 minutes and scored once. One goal. In a knockout loss. Under Pochettino, Folarin Balogun, Patrick Agyemang, Wright and Ricardo Pepi have combined for 15 goals from 64 shots across 1,879 minutes. That's not a revolution in shot volume, but it's a completely different level of threat. Balogun in particular has delivered the upside everyone expected when he committed to the U.S. in 2023, and Agyemang keeps making himself impossible to ignore.
The central defense is the opposite story. Tim Ream played every minute of the 2022 World Cup and is now visibly aging — he was poor against Belgium on Saturday. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Aaron Long have faded from the picture entirely. Of the seven center-backs who've logged at least 90 minutes under Pochettino, six will be at least 31 by the 2030 World Cup. The position skews older by nature, but that's a thin and aging pipeline.
Chris Richards' development at Crystal Palace has been a genuine bright spot, and Miles Robinson adds athleticism when fit. But both missed Saturday through minor injuries, and without them Pochettino had nowhere to turn. Ream and Mark McKenzie played all 90 minutes by default. That's the depth chart right now.
The most intriguing long-term name here is Noahkai Banks — a 19-year-old Hawaii-born defender who has become a legitimate Bundesliga player for Augsburg. He hasn't decided whether to represent the U.S. or Germany. If he chooses the Stars and Stripes, he immediately becomes the future of the position. That decision alone could shape American soccer for a decade.
Injuries have defined Pochettino's tenure — for better and worse
Sergino Dest missed most of 2024-25 with an ACL tear. Tyler Adams has been in and out of the lineup all season and sat out this window entirely. Christian Pulisic has played just 692 minutes under Pochettino across 11 appearances. Miles Robinson is still fighting for fitness. These aren't fringe players — they're first-choice starters when healthy.
The silver lining is that Pochettino has been forced to look wider, and some of what he's found has been genuinely useful. Malik Tillman and Diego Luna have combined for seven goals and eight assists from 46 chances created in Pochettino's tenure. Luca Engel Arfsten leads the entire squad with five assists despite known defensive limitations. Alejandro Zendejas has contributed. Jack McGlynn has two goals and two assists from just 13 chances created — an elite return on limited minutes.
Weston McKennie seems to have shifted toward a more attacking role in Pochettino's setup, which unlocks more options in the midfield behind him. With Adams, Djordje Mihailovic, Johnny Cardoso and Yunus Musah all competing for spots, this is arguably the deepest position group the U.S. has had in years.
- Goalkeeper: Patrick Schulte has outplayed Matt Turner on virtually every metric under Pochettino. Turner has allowed nine goals in his last two appearances at a sub-50% save rate. Schulte leads, but the competition behind him — Roman Celentano, CJ dos Santos, Gaga Slonina — is legitimate.
- Wide defenders: Robinson and Dest are the ideal starters when fit, but Joe Scally, Arfsten and Emmanuel Freeman have all pushed their way into the World Cup conversation. Freeman's athleticism earned him a move to Villarreal. This group will be fine in 2026 and deeper still in 2030.
- Attack: Giovanni Reyna impressed enough in November with a goal against Paraguay and an assist against Uruguay that Pochettino called him up despite almost no club minutes. He did little in 20 minutes against Belgium, but the faith is there.
The chemistry concern is real and it's not being talked about enough. Pochettino's projected starters have never played together. Not once. Three games to sort that out before the World Cup begins — against Portugal, Senegal and Germany — and two of those opponents are serious tests. Whether that's enough runway depends entirely on how many of his injured players get back on the pitch in the next two weeks.
