Zendejas in as Morris, Tessmann miss out on reported USMNT squad

United States v Japan - International Friendly

The U.S. Men's National Team's 26-player roster for the World Cup has been revealed, with several notable omissions ahead of this summer's tournament. Among those included are attacking midfielders Alejandro Zendeja and Gio Reyna, while holding midfielders Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris have reportedly missed out.

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What happened

The USMNT's 26-player roster for the upcoming World Cup was revealed by the Guardian on Saturday, and it features several surprises. The inclusion of Gio Reyna and the exclusion of Diego Luna was reported by the Athletic on Friday, but new details have emerged to paint the full picture of Mauricio Pochettino's squad.

Zendejas is the notable headliner, with the Club America star returning to the team amid an incredible run in Liga MX. Despite that, he has featured infrequently for the USMNT, playing just 139 minutes in six games under Pochettino. With Zendejas joining a group of attacking midfielders that includes Reyna, Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson and Malik Tillman, Pochettino has gone a bit lighter on holding midfielders.

Tyler Adams is included, as are Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Berhalter, while Weston McKennie, who has played in a more attacking role, could start next to longtime teammate Adams. There was no room for Morris and Tessmann, though, despite the two being regular call-ups under Pochettino. Johnny Cardoso is also not involved, as expected, due to injury.

United States v Portugal - International Friendly

The reported roster

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergino Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America)

Forwards: Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City)

Chris Richards USMNT 2025

Notable call-ups

The USMNT can breathe a sigh of relief with the call-up of Chris Richards, who is dealing with an ankle injury suffered with Crystal Palace. Richards is one of five centerbacks in the squad, joining Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty and Miles Robinson as defensive options. Among those left out is Noahkai Banks, who declined a call-up in March amid interest from Germany.

The goalkeeper position is filled by Chris Brady, who joins Matt Freese and Matt Turner as the third shot-stopper in the group. The striker selections largely went as expected, with Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright chosen to lead the line.

Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT

What comes next?

The full USMNT squad will be confirmed on Tuesday at an event held in New York City. After that, focus will turn towards pre-tournament friendlies against Senegal and Germany ahead of the team's first game: a match against Paraguay on June 12.

Rosters are not finalized until June 1 and teams could be shifted even after that due to "exceptional circumstances", which means changes could still be made due to injury in the lead-up to the tournament.