Five MLS Players Who Could Be Key to USMNT’s 2026 World Cup Aspirations

The 2026 MLS season will see dozens of players head to the World Cup.

Sebastian Berhalter impressed with the USMNT in 2025. | Miguel J. Rodriguez Carillo/AFP/Getty Images

There will be 111 days between the day the 2026 MLS season kicks off and the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles, leaving many players scrambling for form and opportunity within that spell. 

While European talents have elevated their game in recent months, there will still be a significant number of American players on the squad who ply their trade in MLS when the World Cup comes around, making the start of the season a vital opportunity.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at five USMNT players to keep an eye on in MLS, at least early this season. 

---

Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew)

Max Arfsten has become a key player under Mauricio Pochettino. | Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

Columbus Crew fullback and midfielder Max Arfsten will adjust to a new tactical outlook under manager Henrik Rydström the first portions of the MLS regular season, with the intention of finding form before the March friendlies, where he is set to enter as a fringe player for the final World Cup roster.

He’s been one of Pochettino’s top MLS contributors and has had ample time under the Argentine manager since he earned a call into the 2025 January camp. The shift to a three-man backline with wingbacks also serves him well, and he could been seen as an invaluable national team player within months.

Yet, with any coaching change, there’s risk with Arfsten that things take a different turn in Columbus under Ryström.

---

Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Sebastian Berhalter was critical to the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2025. | Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Sebastian Berhalter operated only in the shadow of Matt Freese among breakout players in 2025 who could represent the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup. 

Now close friends with German legend Thomas Müller, Berhalter enters this season as the heartbeat of Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfield, after racking up four goals and 11 assists in 29 regular-season games in 2025.

His presence, particularly his set-piece delivery with the USMNT, also stood out, with a goal and three assists in nine caps. Among those highlights is a perfectly curled set-piece finish against Uruguay in a friendly and pinpoint free-kick delivery for Chris Richards’s winning goal in Gold Cup play against Saudi Arabia.

With Christian Pulisic’s concerning bill of health at AC Milan, the USMNT needs someone who can deliver a potent set piece, and that looks to be Berhalter. The question throughout the start of the 2026 campaign will be whether he can maintain his composure and dominance in a physically demanding style of play.

---

Matt Freese (New York City FC)

Matt Freese took the starting role from Matt Turner in 2025. | John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

All signs point to Matt Freese being the No. 1 goalkeeper for the USMNT at the World Cup this summer, and he will look to solidify that role with a strong start to the season with New York City FC.

At the same time, his performance will be measured alongside other American backstops, including the New England Revolution’s Matt Turner and the Columbus Crew’s Patrick Schulte, with it looking assured that the USMNT goalkeeping core will come out of the Eastern Conference.

Freese’s ability as a pure shot-stopping backstop makes him stand out. Still, he will want to maintain his consistency from 2025 and continue developing his skills as a distributor out of the back, which is a key factor for a three-man backline on the international stage. 

It’s been quite the rise for a goalkeeper who only made his USMNT debut at 26 last June and went on to start all but one match over the rest of 2025, leading into the World Cup year. 

---

Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)

Miles Robinson is set to become the highest-paid defender in MLS. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

With the shift to a back-three, Miles Robinson’s versatility becomes more signfciant within the USMNT picture. A two-time MLS All-Star and now the highest-paid defender in MLS on a new contract, he will look to establish himself as a starter for the Stars and Stripes and to enjoy another strong season with FC Cincinnati.

The Eastern Conference won’t be easy, and much of Cincinnati’s focus remains on the central attacking pieces of Evander and Kévin Denkey. Still, Robinson’s experience, skill and leadership at the back could be vital.

He missed out on the 2022 World Cup due to a torn Achilles’ tendon a few months before kickoff, adding a little more motivation to stay in and stay healthy through the start of the MLS campaign.  

---

Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)

Cristian Roldan could be a key player for the USMNT. | Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

There is every indication that Cristian Roldan will play a key role for the USMNT at the World Cup, given his impressive showings in each of the six fall friendlies, notably with a pair of assists against Australia last October.

A veteran of the Seattle Sounders, Roldan’s ability to be versatile makes him an attractive option to any team. Sometimes he can play an elusive attacking midfielder role, while at other times he fades into the rhythm of the game at the heartbeat of the pitch. His best use, however, might just be kickstarting transitions, as he has done with the Sounders and USMNT as a defensive midfielder at times. 

Having experience playing at the 2022 World Cup won’t hurt either, even if he didn’t get any minutes at that tournament. 

---