USMNT Players ‘Over the Moon’ To Be Part of FIFA World Cup 2026 Roster | OneFootball

NEW YORK – Sixteen days from the kickoff of FIFA World Cup 2026™, the tournament officially began for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the same city where the team will aim to conclude its run.

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino selected his 26-player roster, which was announced at an energetic, fan-driven event on Pier 17 in New York City. The Big Apple will also host the Final in the latest edition of the sport’s most competitive tournament.

In a wonderful setting overlooking the Hudson River, U.S. soccer fans flooded the Financial District with red, white and blue. They lifted scarves that read “Never Chase Reality” and led chants on the pier’s rooftop to create a zealous environment to officially welcome Pochettino’s squad.

“That’s America,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “I’d expect nothing less.”

For the players whose names were announced during the live show, this moment was a dream come true, the culmination of lifelong ambition and hard work. As former USMNT forward and now podcaster Landon Donovan said on the broadcast, “While the fans have been thinking about June 12, these players have had May 26 circled on their calendars.”

To make it official, each player took the long walk from the green room to the event stage, then heard his name called emphatically by either broadcaster Alexi Lalas or Stu Holden. More than 1,500 fans in attendance greeted the players with excited cheers. Under the bright lights (and bright sun), players soaked in the moment and held up Stripes jersey with their names and numbers.

Bookending the 26-player announcement were two that represent either side of the spectrum for the U.S. Men’s National Team in terms of experience. The first player introduced was goalkeeper Matt Turner, one of the most-capped players on the roster who played all four matches in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

The final player brought to the stage Tuesday was midfielder Alex Zendejas, a dual national who debuted for the U.S. in 2023 and makes his first World Cup roster.

“Coming here and seeing the show that we have here and the outcome of all the fans coming, I think it'll start to hit me more now than ever,” midfielder Weston McKennie said. “Whenever you get the message that you’re named to the roster, that's another big moment where you realize it's starting.”

When asked what conversations were like when he contacted players to inform them they were on the roster, Pochettino described the video that players received in their Inboxes – an exclusive behind-the-scenes video that fans will be able to see soon on U.S. Soccer’s digital channels in the coming days.

The head coach added that no extra words of inspiration needed – making the roster is enough inspiration any of the players need. Representing their country at a World Cup is the pinnacle for any professional soccer player. An English phrase Pochettino recently learned encapsulates the feelings that all his players experienced the moment they received the news: “over the moon.”

“When you’re in a show like today, you realize what it means to be on the roster and be involved in the World Cup – it’s a dream come true,” Pochettino said. “Because everyone that starts to play soccer, the dream is to play or be involved in a World Cup.”

It was eight years ago that U.S. Soccer won the joint bid to host FIFA World Cup 2026™. While the tournament on home soil has been years in the making, many players expressed that being named to the roster was the moment it started to become real for them.

Two days ago, Adams was playing for his club AFC Bournemouth against Nottingham Forest FC, securing a place in the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the club’s history. The midfielder’s mindset has been focused on his club season until he arrived in New York for the event. Getting off the plane and going to Times Square made the reality of this summer, and the eight years it took to get here, feel much closer.

“It's on our doorstep now,” defender Tim Ream said. “Seeing all the different branding and things that are being put up around the around the country, it's made it that much more real in the past couple weeks.”

“Once I got here and was with the team, and I felt these fans, the support around [here], and the buzz around the World Cup is when I really started to feel it,” forward Christian Pulisic said.