World Cup Watch: Musa, Etienne Jr. make World Cup rosters, Sanabria, Mbokazi bolster cases | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

We've reached the final edition of the World Cup Watch.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now just 23 days away, and with national teams around the world beginning to announce their 26-man rosters for the tournament, World Cup fever is well and truly here.

Some MLS players have already secured their seats on their respective national team planes, while others are looking to make their mark with just one matchday left before the World Cup pause.

Here’s who stood out in Matchday 14.

WATCH: Every goal from Matchday 14!

Petar Musa

Forward · FC Dallas

Musa has shown up on this list nearly every single week, and folks, he’s officially shown up on Croatia’s roster for the 2026 World Cup.

All it took was 46 goals in 66 MLS starts over three seasons and a turbo-nuclear heater in 2026, which has seen the FC Dallas star score 12 goals in 12 starts. That includes the goals he scored last week against Western Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps and the San Jose Earthquakes. 

He’s been on a tear, and his inclusion is extremely well-earned. Don’t be surprised if/when he scores at least one key goal for Croatia in a few weeks. It’s all he knows how to do.

Juan Manuel Sanabria

Defender · Real Salt Lake

Sanabria will find out soon whether he’s made Marcelo Bielsa’s final World Cup squad for Uruguay. It’s not a given, but he’s been trending in the right direction for a while now. He’s made five appearances for Uruguay since October and has maintained decent form since arriving at Real Salt Lake.

He’s delivered five assists in nine starts for one of the league’s most exciting teams. His latest came in RSL’s 2-1 comeback win in the Rocky Mountain Cup.

Mbekezeli Mbokazi

Defender · Chicago Fire FC

Chicago have kept six clean sheets this year. Mbokazi is a big reason why. He earned Team of the Matchday honors following a standout performance in Chicago’s 2-0 win over CF Montréal. 

He seems like a very, very likely choice for South Africa’s final roster. He started multiple matches at AFCON and went 90 minutes for South Africa in their most recent friendly against Panama in late March, even scoring a goal.

Derrick Etienne Jr.

Midfielder · Toronto FC

Etienne Jr. is officially a member of Haiti’s 2026 World Cup roster. It's the first time Les Grenadiers will participate in a World Cup in 52 years.

Haiti released the roster on Friday. Etienne Jr. celebrated in style on Saturday.

Hard to have a better weekend than that.

Matt Turner

Goalkeeper · New England Revolution

Turner is here after...we’ll call it an interesting week. He’s been fascinating to keep an eye on this spring. For the majority of the time, he’s looked like one of the best 'keepers in the league. In fact, the underlying numbers suggest that he’s been the absolute best 'keeper in MLS when it comes to shot-stopping. But that doesn’t mean he’s been perfect. 

Turner had a brutal performance against Nashville midweek. He allowed three goals, one of which he personally gifted to the other team. Of course, he bounced back over the weekend with a solid outing in New England’s 2-1 win over Minnesota United.

Per FotMob, he faced 2.2 “xG On Target” (think how likely a shot is to go in based on where it’s placed) and allowed just one goal. That’s an excellent performance. It’s been an up-and-down few months for the USMNT goalkeeper. If you buy the numbers, though, it’s been mostly up.

Chris Brady

Goalkeeper · Chicago Fire FC

Meanwhile, Chicago allowed just one goal across two wins last week, thanks in part to Brady, who kept a clean sheet against Montréal and allowed one goal against D.C. United. Across both games, he faced a little over 2.2 xG On Target, per FotMob.

Brady’s underlying numbers aren’t quite at Turner’s level, but his stats are right in line with the best goalkeepers in MLS this year. In fact, the nerds like Brady and Turner’s performance this year even more than current USMNT No. 1, Matt Freese. All three seem like locks for the final roster.

Leo Messi

Midfielder · Inter Miami CF

One last time.

Messi scored three goals and dished out two assists in two Inter Miami wins last week. The GOAT will be ready to try and lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles next month.

WATCH: MVP 3.0? Lionel Messi's red-hot form leads Miami