A lot can change in four years.
When the U.S. men’s national team last played in the FIFA World Cup in 2022, much was made about the program that was the youngest to qualify for the tournament. With an average age of just 25 -for the roster that went on to finish with a reasonably decent round-of-16 exit, there was widespread hope that members of the youthful core could elevate to a higher level when the next World Cup would arrive on home soil in 2026.
But for some of those up-and-comers, things haven’t panned out. And for various reasons, a handful of former future stars are now looking at slim odds when it comes to inclusion for the 2026 U.S. World Cup roster. Whether it be because of form, a lack of minutes, or simply not winning over head coach Mauricio Pochettino, there will be some omissions for the upcoming tournament that, on paper, should have been guaranteed squad locks at this point in their careers.
Once destined to be key figures at the national team level, here are a few players who are currently on the outside looking in ahead of next month’s roster reveal.
– The mental toll of injuries that threaten players’ World Cup dreams
– Sargent’s Norwich exit has helped one of USMNT’s World Cup rivals
– Life after Poch: USMNT needs ambitious post-World Cup succession plan
Earning two starts in the previous World Cup at just 22 years of age, it was easy to assume that Sargent would remain in the U.S. picture going forward. After eventually establishing himself as a consistent goal scorer in the EFL Championship with Norwich City, what then went wrong?
First, the competition at the striker position has become fierce in recent years. Others in Europe, such as AS Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, PSV Eindhoven’s Ricardo Pepi, Coventry City’s Haji Wright and (the now injured) Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang have also thrived at club level. Sargent, who has had to share the spotlight, then also made a lateral move to play in MLS this February with Toronto FC.
Underlying stats at the club level haven’t done much to help his case either. Since the start of the 2025-26 season — including Sargent’s five games in MLS and his recent time with Norwich — he ranks fifth (behind the four aforementioned American strikers) in goals per 90, shot conversion rate, and non-penalty expected goals per 90. He also ranks fourth from those five in xG per shot.
A 2025 goal drought for club and country also hurt his chances. After going without a goal in both of his appearances for the U.S. last year, Sargent then went on a 14-game drought for Norwich over the winter.
Even with Agyemang’s injury opening the door a crack, the argument could be made that he still doesn’t slot in to a top-three striker spot.
The winner of U.S. Soccer’s Young Male Player of the Year for 2022, Musah is now seeking to just win consistent minutes at the club level. He is still just 23, but four years after starting in all of the U.S. matches in the last World Cup, there’s a sense that the rotational option at Atalanta has yet to develop and fully live up to the expectations that were once put on him as a breakout teenager.
On loan from AC Milan and seeking a more prominent role, Musah has only had seven starts in all competitions for Atalanta in 2025-26. In his past five Serie A games, he has earned 14 minutes, which is part of a less-than-exciting cumulative total of 529 minutes. For the sake of comparison, U.S. teammate and fellow Serie A colleague Weston McKennie has 2,395 minutes for Juventus in 2025-26.
Last playing for the U.S. early last year, it later became clear that Pochettino doesn’t feel the need to call up the former rising star from LaLiga’s Valencia.
“You can ask me why Messi is not in the roster, no? This type of player, Maradona, Pelé, I don’t know. But when you’re talking about different names, I think you need to respect the players that are here,” said Pochettino, when asked by ESPN last October as to why Musah and defender Joe Scally weren’t in the squad.
Speaking of Scally, of the four names listed here, he might end up being the one who sneaks onto the World Cup roster after previously being a bench option in 2022.
The 23-year-old fullback adds versatility with his ability to also play within a three-man backline. He has consistent minutes in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach and has a high floor as a safe bet in a spot typically just off to the side of the heart of the defense.
So what’s the problem then? Aside from Pochettino not seeming to mind his absence late last year, Scally just doesn’t have the same attacking output as other fullbacks in the pool — though it should be noted that he did score for Gladbach over the weekend.
It’s a small sample size, but when looking at U.S. appearances since the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League, Scally hasn’t scored in the same manner as Alex Freeman in the right back position. In more appearances (seven) than Sergiño Dest (four), Scally has a lower xG and xA.
Granted, one appearance in a three-man backline will skew these numbers, but even with the eye test alone, Scally isn’t as much of an attacking threat as Dest or Freeman.
Let’s also not forget Tim Weah, who could be a starter in this spot if it’s more of a wing back selection. Defensively, he also isn’t as strong as Mark McKenzie or Miles Robinson in a possible right center back spot. Of course, the other elephant in the room here is Scally’s teammate Gio Reyna, but his mercurial tendencies easily make him a No. 1 candidate for a surprise World Cup inclusion.
Although Steffen wasn’t included in the 2022 World Cup squad, he was still an unexpected drop after being a “heartbreaking” cut for the tournament by former head coach Gregg Berhalter. He’s not as young as others on this list, but the expectation for the former Manchester City goalkeeper was that he would have been at his goalkeeping peak in 2026 at the age of 31.
Now? It’s tough to feel confident about the Colorado Rapids player who is ranked 21st across MLS for goals prevented since last season, and among American goalkeepers, he ranks ninth (Sean Johnson is still No. 1 in these metrics).
Injuries have undoubtedly made things challenging for Steffen, but there has been little evidence from his latest exploits that point to a return to the U.S. conversation.
Thanks to the longevity of goalkeeping careers, it isn’t out of the question for Steffen to make a return in the next World Cup cycle. That said, with his national team stock decreasing year by year, he’ll also probably watch the next tournament from afar.
