Pulisic's form, Cardoso's injury among five USMNT World Cup worries

USMNT worry ranks

GOAL breaks down what players and situations will be a bit concerning on the road to the World Cup.

A World Cup doesn't always derail in the moment. At times, it derails weeks before. An injury could dramatically alter a team's hopes of competing. One bad, or good, run of form can impact confidence in ways that define a tournament. These tournaments aren't always defined by a single goal, but rather by a series of events that made that moment possible.

Every team heads into these tournaments with concerns, and the U.S. Men's National Team is no exception. From injuries suffered by potential key contributors to a lack of minutes for others, there is no shortage of things for Mauricio Pochettino to worry about. You can mix in a goal drought from the team's most recognizable star, Christian Pulisic, too. It's not doom and gloom by any stretch, as plenty of players are thriving in these final weeks before the tournament gets going. There are, however, several situations that will make those following along feel a little bit uneasy.

GOAL looks at the biggest worries for the USMNT just a few weeks before the World Cup gets going...

Borussia Mönchengladbach v 1. FC Union Berlin - Bundesliga

Gio Reyna

Might be less reason to worry now than there was a few days ago!

Reyna scored his first goal of the season this past weekend, finding the back of the net in the final minutes of a 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach loss. It was his first club goal in nearly a year and a half, and it's one that should give Reyna something of a boost in these final weeks of the season.

Still, it is Reyna's first positive moment on the field in a long time. He hasn't made an impact like that since featuring for the USMNT in November, as actual gametime has been hard to come by on the club level since. Then, in March, he was given mere cameos in the two friendlies rather than a full opportunity to show his stuff against elite teams.

So why is Reyna still in these sorts of conversations? Well, it's because he does have a unique level of talent. Reyna is a game-changer, regardless of form, and he's a player who has always shown up when in a USMNT shirt. Since he arrived on the scene, the USMNT has generally been better with Reyna than without him, and the team has a few CONCACAF trophies to show for that fact.

At the end of the day, though, Reyna is more of a "cherry on top" type of player for this team than a key part of its backbone. If he can find form, great, because it'll likely raise the USMNT's ceiling, but realistically, the team could end up being just fine either way due to the other options in his position. Speaking of those other options...

MALIK TILLMAN BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Malik Tillman

Talent-wise, no doubts about Tillman. He's proven that time and time again. Minutes-wise, though? Yeah, there are a few concerns.

Since the end of the March camp, Tillman has appeared in seven games for Bayer Leverkusen, but has played just 77 minutes across those seven games. In only two of them did he play more than 10 minutes. The club has leaned on Nigerian midfielder Nathan Tella and rising Algerian star Ibrahim Maza in those sports behind the starting striker.

That's coming at a bad time for Tillman. He was and still is very much in the starting conversation for the USMNT, but that argument would be much stronger with some goals and assists under his belt. He scored back on April 4 in a two-minute cameo against Wolfsburg, which took his total to six goals in 1,615 minutes this season. By and large, it isn't a bad haul, but Tillman's recent role with his club could be a problem for the USMNT.

The silver lining for the USMNT is that Weston McKennie is in form and could slide into the other attacking midfield slot alongside Pulisic if Tillman’s minutes remain a concern.

FBL-ITA-SERIE A-MILAN-UDINESE

Christian Pulisic

The man himself has addressed it multiple times now. No, he hasn't scored in 2026. Yes, that is frustrating but, no, he isn't worried. What matters most is that he scored at some point in the biggest games this summer and, in reality, his performances half a world away in Milan only play a small part in that.

Still, the fact is that you generally want your best players playing well when a World Cup rolls around, and there's no way to argue that Pulisic has been at his best so far this year.

The U.S. will need him this summer. Pulisic isn’t the sole deciding factor in the USMNT’s World Cup hopes, but he is certainly one of the biggest. He remains one of the team’s stars and, just as importantly, one of its leaders. They’ll need him to produce, yes, but they’ll also need him to be the tone-setter he has so often been for this group.

Is there still time? For sure, but every week that Pulisic goes scoreless, the concerns become a little bit louder, even if they shouldn't grow deafening due to the nature of the situation.

United States v Belgium - International Friendly

The center backs

There are real concerns at center back. Chris Richards feels locked in, so there are no real issues there. After that, though? Every other option in the pool comes with some sort of question mark.

Tim Ream has the experience, but does he have too much of it at this point, and will his recent injury linger in any way? Mark McKenzie has been thriving in Ligue 1, but can he avoid the momentary mistakes that have popped up at times during his USMNT career? Auston Trusty, too, has found his footing in Europe with Celtic but, with just six caps, is he ready for this group at this level? Will Miles Robinson be in form? Could Noahkai Banks show up, swoop in and provide an answer?

Generally, at this point in the cycle, these types of questions have been answered at the center back position. Right now, though, it may all come down to who is in the right sort of form and who isn't when the tournament kicks off.

United States v Belgium - International Friendly

Johnny Cardoso and Tanner Tessmann

There was a very real case for either Cardoso or Tessmann to start this summer. That won't happen for at least one of them.

Cardoso was fresh off a Champions League semifinal when Atletico Madrid announced that he had sprained his ankle. At the very least, things were always going to be tight with that injury. As it turned out, it ended Cardoso's World Cup hopes, with Atleti announcing on Monday that the midfielder would undergo surgery that would keep him out of this summer's tournament.

Tessmann's injury seems far less serious. Lyon said it was a muscle strain, albeit one that would keep him out for a bit. He is expected to be ready for the World Cup, though. Even prior to that injury, though, Tessmann had been in and out of Lyon's lineup these last few months.

Because of those two injuries, there are very real questions in the midfield as the team looks to sort out a starter next to Tyler Adams. Even prior to those injuries, both Cardoso and Tessmann came with their own question marks, albeit fewer than most due to their play in Europe at points this season. All good teams start in midfield and, right now, the USMNT is staring down the possibility that the midfield could be very, very shorthanded this summer. That is the biggest worry of the moment as Pochettino prepares to select his official squad.