International Soccer
Five players with local ties named to U.S. roster for FIFA World Cup
Four former Philadelphia Union players and a fifth player with ties to the area have been officially named to the United States roster for the FIFA World Cup.
Brenden Aaronson returns to the U.S. team for his second straight World Cup while former Union teammates Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty and Matt Freese were named to their first World Cup roster. Hershey, Pa. native Christian Pulisic also made his second World Cup roster.
With the World Cup returning to U.S. soil for the first time since 1994 and games being hosted in Philadelphia for the first time, the unveiling of the roster is a particularly proud moment for their former clubs, schools and local communities where they grew up. Three players on the roster are from Pennsylvania, one is from Delaware and one is from South Jersey.
Pulisic played for PA Classics before going abroad while Aaronson, Trusty, McKenzie and Freese all spent time both in the Philadelphia Union Academy and with Philadelphia Union II prior to making their first team debuts. Aaronson developed with Real Futbol Academy, Trusty with Nether United, McKenzie with Delaware FC and Freese spent his high school years playing for Penn Fusion Academy and Episcopal Academy.
Though the roster was leaked ahead of time, the official USMNT roster reveal was made during an event in New York City that was broadcast live on FOX. The team is now headed to Atlanta to begin final preparations ahead of its two final matches before the World Cup begins: Senegal on May 31, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. and Germany on June 6, in Chicago, Ill.
“We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup,” USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in a news release. “These were very difficult decisions, and we are thankful to all the players who were part of this journey. This group is very focused and ready to give everything they have to represent the United States and deliver performances that will make the fans and the country proud.”
U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM – FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 ROSTER BY POSITION
(CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0; Naperville, Ill.), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 14/0; Wayne, Pa.), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 53/0; Park Ridge, N.J.)
DEFENDERS (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 18/1; Fresno, Calif.), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 37/2; Almere, Netherlands), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 15/2; Plantation, Fla.), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 27/0; Bear, Del.), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 80/1; St. Louis, Mo.), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 36/3; Birmingham, Ala.), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 52/4; Liverpool, England), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3; Arlington, Mass.), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 24/0; Lake Grove, N.Y.), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 6/0; Media, Pa.)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth/ENG; 52/2; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps; 11/1; Columbus, Ohio), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 64/12; Little Elm, Texas), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 36/9; Bedford, N.Y.), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 45/0; Pico Rivera, Calif.), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 28/3; Fürth, Germany)
FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 57/9; Medford, N.J.), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 25/8; London, England), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 35/13; El Paso, Texas), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 84/32; Hershey, Pa.), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille/FRA; 49/7; Rosedale, N.Y.), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 20/7; Los Angeles, Calif.). Alejandro Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 13/2; El Paso, Texas)
