After losing to Belgium in the 2026 World Cup, the United States national team will soon begin a new cycle to build toward 2030.
Projecting the player pool four years out is nearly impossible, but when looking at the current U.S. national team and the status of the youth teams, there are certainly some players who are worth following closely in the coming years, regardless of who coaches the team.
There are a few important things to consider when looking into the future. First, the U.S. national team player pool is going to see many key players of this 2026 World Cup roster either age out or be past their prime years. Tim Weah and Chris Richards will be 30. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Mark McKenzie will all be 31. Haji Wright, Alex Zendejas and Antonee Robinson will be 32. And of course, Tim Ream will be 42.
Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic, along with their American teammates, during the 2026 World Cup. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Players in their 30s can still be vital to any team’s World Cup effort, but the U.S. has a critical mass of players turning 30 where, unless the player pool shifts younger in the coming years, the team will be one of the oldest teams at the 2030 World Cup.
And as the team shifts younger, there will be several measuring sticks along the way.
The USMNT player pool will benefit from the U.S. hosting the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. That is going to be instrumental for many top prospects to bridge the gap between the youth national teams and the senior teams.
On top of that, there will potentially be important U-20 World Cups in 2027 and 2029, if the U.S. qualifies. That has traditionally been an important stepping stone for top national team players.
Plus, there will be players who simply missed out on this 2026 World Cup but who will be in their prime years in 2030.
Let’s look at the strongest candidates for the USA’s 2030 World Cup roster.
Highly Likely: Center back Chris Richards, winger Christian Pulisic, striker Folarin Balogun, midfielder Tyler Adams, midfielder Malik Tillman, striker Ricardo Pepi
A Good Chance: Midfielder Weston McKennie, right-winger Tim Weah, right-winger Sergiño Dest, right back Alex Freeman
Will Have To Fight For It: Winger Gio Reyna, right back Joe Scally, goalkeeper Matt Freese, goalkeeper Matt Turner, left back Max Arfsten, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, goalkeeper Chris Brady, winger Brenden Aaronson, striker Haji Wright, center back Auston Trusty, center back Mark McKenzie, winger Alejandro Zendejas
Unlikely To Return: Center back Tim Ream, fullback Antonee Robinson, midfielder Cristian Roldan, center back Miles Robinson
Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match against Paraguay. (Photo by Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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It is never easy to predict where players will be in their careers in four years. Even when not considering injuries, many predictions made from 2022 to 2026 were incorrect. In 2022, Tim Ream was a player who seemed to be in the twilight of his career. Most figured he would have retired by 2026. Instead, he was the World Cup captain. In 2022, most people viewed Yunus Musah as a budding star after starting for the U.S. team in Qatar. Instead, he was not even close to making this summer’s team.
Looking at the 2026 team, it seems like a safe bet that Adams and Pulisic will be back for a third World Cup. Malik Tillman should return for his second attempt, as should Chris Richards, who could be a potential captain in 2030. Meanwhile, Balogun and Pepi seem very likely to be the top-two strikers, given how well their careers have progressed.
After that, there should be a lot of competition among those looking to move onto the team and those trying to keep their spots. That competition should ultimately be healthy and beneficial to the team.
Diego Luna celebrates after scoring a goal for the USA against Costa Rica during the Gold Cup 2025 Quarterfinals. (Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
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Diego Luna: The Real Salt Lake attacking midfielder and winger was injured at the start of 2026, and it likely cost him a spot on the World Cup team. Luna impressed Mauricio Pochettino for most of 2025, including at the Gold Cup and in the year’s final friendly, a 5-1 win over Uruguay where he scored. He still remains one of the better and more fearless playmakers in the pool, and, at 22 years old, he will be right in his prime for 2030.
Tanner Tessmann: The 24-year-old Lyon midfielder and 2024 Olympic team captain was the most widely discussed omission from the 2023 player pool, given how few central midfielders made the team. Tessmann did not play in Lyon’s final two games of the season, and it is not clear if that played a role in his omission. But Tessmann’s career remains on the upswing with one of France’s biggest teams, and he will be continuing to play at a high level for the years ahead.
Tanner Tessmann dribbles during a game between USA and Portugal. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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Gianluca Busio: The Venezia midfielder has a lot of experience at just 24 years old. He was a top young MLS player and moved to Italy, where he has fluctuated between Serie A and Serie B with Venezia. But the 2025-26 season was the best of his career, and he captained the team to promotion, where it looks set to remain in the top flight. He should be back in the mix this cycle.
Johnny Cardoso: The Atlético Madrid central midfielder was likely going to be on the 2026 team if not for an ankle injury he suffered in May. At 24, he clearly will be back with the American squad soon. The concern for Cardoso is that he is still yet to look fully comfortable with the U.S. team.
Johnny Cardoso passes the ball during a friendly between the United States and Belgium in March 2026. (Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
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Patrick Agyemang: The Derby County striker emerged with the U.S. team in 2025, and he made a smooth transition from MLS to the Championship. He appeared to be a good fit for Pochettino’s U.S. team but was derailed by an Achilles injury. If he can recover well, he will be in the mix.
Aidan Morris: Morris has been a top midfielder in the Championship and nearly got Middlesbrough promoted. The former Columbus Crew midfielder has a solid reputation in England that he should continue to make strides in the coming years. He was likely among the last cut for 2026 and should get more looks.
Jack McGlynn: The Houston Dynamo midfielder had poorly timed injuries this past cycle, but he still has one of the best left foots among the options. Whoever is managing the player pool will want to give a solid look.
Zavier Gozo of Real Salt Lake during a match against Los Angeles Galaxy in April 2026. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
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Zavier Gozo: The Real Salt Lake right back/wing back is likely the top American teenager in the game right now, and he was in the mix for the 2026 team. He is likely going to be fast-tracked onto the U.S. team very soon, possibly with a leading role on the 2028 Olympic team in between.
Peyton Miller: The left wing/left back for the New England Revolution is also a top prospect who should be expected to be important to the Olympic team and the full national one in the coming years.
Adri Mehmeti: The 17-year-old central midfielder is in the midst of a breakout season with the New York Red Bulls, where he has impressed with his passing and ability to read the game. He is still eligible for a lot of youth soccer, including two U-20 World Cups and two Olympics, but he has shown enough to be fast-tracked quickly.
Adri Mehmeti of New York Red Bulls controls the ball during a match against New York City FC in May 2026. (Photo by Jordan Bank/MLS via Getty Images)
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Julian Hall: Despite only being 18 years old, Hall already has 12 goals in all competitions this season for the New York Red Bulls. He is known for his sophisticated moves inside the attacking box to get on the end of passes for close-range goals.
Mathis Albert: The Borussia Dortmund midfielder made his Bundesliga debut last season at just 16. He is now 17 and set to begin a full preseason with the club’s first team. He still needs to get out of the youth levels to be in the full national team, but that should happen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, there is the U.S. U-20 team and the Olympic team coming up where he should be a key player.
Diego Kochen: The young Barcelona goalkeeper has spent time training with the full national team, and he is likely going to be the starter for the Olympic team. This will be a big upcoming year for Kochen, as he will be on loan with Lyngby, which was just promoted to the Danish Superliga. This will help him learn to deal with the responsibility of first-team minutes.
Luca Bombino: The San Diego FC left back has an opening on the full national team as Antonee Robinson might show signs of aging in the coming years. Bombino does not have elite athleticism, but he is a very good player and was a key contributor to San Diego FC’s success in 2025. A veteran of the 2025 U-20 World Cup team, he is likely the frontrunner for the left-back job on the 2028 Olympic team.
Luca Bombino of San Diego FC controls the ball during a game against Austin FC in May 2026. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
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Cavan Sullivan: The Philadelphia Union playmaker will be heading to Manchester City in the coming years, and many have him pegged as a future U.S. national team mainstay. The 2025 U-17 World Cup showed his high-potential talent, and the 2027 U-20 World Cup and 2028 Olympics should be his next steps. He needs to aim for a big remainder of the year in 2026 for the Philadelphia Union.
Neil Pierre: The U.S. national team desperately needs to have central defenders break through in the coming years, and Pierre, 18, is the top American teenager in that position. He spent last season on loan with Lyngby in Denmark, and he helped lead that team to promotion to the Superliga. Now he is back with the Philadelphia Union, where he is likely to play serious minutes the rest of 2026 and then play in the U-20 World Cup next year.
Josh Wynder: The Benfica central defender made his first-team debut last year in a Cup game but also missed a lot of time due to injuries. Now 21, he needs to get himself into a place where he can play first-team minutes because he is aging out of “prospect” status. But he still has a high level of talent and the U.S. team needs central defenders. Wynder is likely a starter for the Olympic team.
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Source
ARG to Win on 3-Way (-280), ARG 1st Half on 3-Way (-115), ARG to Score on a Penalty (+390)
SUI Double Chance (-160), SUI 1st Half on 3-Way (+320), Johan Manzambi at Least 1 Goal/Assist (+245)
