Entire USMNT Roster Available for Group Stage Opener vs. Paraguay | OneFootball

LOS ANGELES – All 26 players on the roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team will be available for the team’s group stage opener at FIFA World Cup 2026.

The news comes straight from head coach Mauricio Pochettino, whose pre-match press conference was held at the site of the USA’s first fixture, Los Angeles Stadium.

The biggest question mark for the U.S. heading into matchday was the status of Chris Richards. The center back has been working his way back from an ankle injury he suffered while with his club, Crystal Palace, in May.

Pochettino confirmed on Thursday during the press conference that Richards is available for selection for tomorrow’s match, which means the head coach will have a full squad at his disposal.

Of course whether the 26-year-old center back is included in Pochettino’s starting XI is a different question – one we won’t know the answer to until before kickoff tomorrow.

“We will decide if he’ll start the game or come off the bench,” Pochettino said. “We celebrate the job of our medical staff and performance staff; [they] worked really hard to help Chris recover… it’s really a good feeling to have all 26 players available to select.”

Richards met with the media on Wednesday from the team’s base camp in Orange County. After sitting out the two send-off matches against Senegal and Germany, Richards declared he was feeling good and ready to go for the USMNT’s next match.

“I would love to be playing this opening game,” Richards said.

The news is a major positive for the U.S. as the co-host aims to make a deep run at this year’s tournament on home soil. A good performance and three points in the first group stage match would certainly help that cause.

A full U.S. roster will also help with the physicality of a team like Paraguay. As a native of Argentina, Pochettino is familiar with the South American side, calling them “like brothers.” He noted the aggressive mentality and style the team is known for and its qualifying wins over South American heavyweights Brazil and Argentina as reasons Paraguay should not be overlooked.

“My expectation is tomorrow is going to be a very tough game,” Pochettino said.

USA-Paraguay kicks off Friday, June 12 at Los Angeles Stadium at 6 p.m. PT.