Landon Donovan Reveals His USMNT 2026 World Cup Roster

Donovan thinks two November standouts deserve spots.

Landon Donovan holds USMNT records for appearances and goals. / Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images, Visionhaus/Getty Images

U.S. men’s national team icon Landon Donovan named the 26 players he would send to the FIFA World Cup if it started tomorrow.

The USMNT went into 2026 on a high note after a 5–1 thrashing of Uruguay. Donovan feels two standout performers from the November camp, Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter, have done enough to earn a spot right now.

Both scored and assisted goals this camp giving Mauricio Pochettino a headache when it comes to selection.

Pochettino pumped the proverbial brakes on Reyna wanting to see his recent form translate to the club level. In Donovan’s eyes, Reyna is on a plane to California next summer. Berhalter, on the other hand, is coming into his own with the national team after a strong season with the Vancouver Whitecaps. His performance against Uruguay should earn him another call-up in March.

Here are the 26 players Donovan would send to the World Cup right now.

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Landon Donovan’s 2026 World Cup USMNT Roster Prediction

Goalkeepers

Matt Freese (pictured) usurped the starting job from Matt Turner. / Eston Parker/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Player	Club	Caps
Matt Freese	New York City FC	13
Matt Turner	New England Revolution (loan)	52
Patrick Schulte	Columbus Crew	3

Like many, Freese is the starter for Donovan. The New York City FC man has performed admirably since taking over starting duties from Matt Turner. A lack of playing time for the latter opened a door for competition and Freese has yet to let go of the job.

Turner and Patrick Schulte would be carried as depth.

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Defenders

Alex Freeman (left) scored twice against Uruguay. / Kevin Sabitus/USSF/Getty Images

Player	Club	Position	Caps
Tim Ream	Charlotte FC	CB	79
Chris Richards	Crystal Palace	CB	35
Miles Robinson	FC Cincinnati	CB	38
Mark McKenzie	Toulouse	CB	25
Antonee Robinson	Fulham	LB	50
Max Arfsten	Columbus Crew	LB	16
Sergiño Dest	PSV Eindhoven	RB	37
Alex Freeman	Orlando City	RB	13

Donovan only picked four center backs despite Pochettino’s tactical switch to a 3-4-3 formation. Though, the November camp could have been a hint regarding the Argentine’s plans for the tournament.

Joe Scally and Alex Freeman started at right center back against Paraguay and Uruguay respectively. Both are traditional fullbacks meaning Pochettino might want a versatile defender in his back three. Freeman even scored a brace against La Celeste as he was given license to overlap and get involved in the attack.

Chris Richards and Tim Ream are likely starters at the back, so Pochettino might opt for another defender based on their group stage opponents.

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Midfielders

Tyler Adams is a leader centrally. / Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

Player	Club	Caps
Weston McKennie	Juventus	62
Aidan Morris	Middlesbrough	13
Cristian Roldan	Seattle Sounders	43
Tyler Adams	Bournemouth	52
Tanner Tessmann	Lyon	12
Sebastian Berhalter	Vancouver Whitecaps	9

Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie will make the lineup barring injury, but there are some recent performers among Donovan’s selections.

Tanner Tessmann looks poised to start matches next summer in the heart of midfield. The American would make a solid pairing with Tyler Adams in the heart of midfield. Berhalter has played himself into a role as well after bossing a talented Uruguay side.

Aidan Morris and Cristian Roldan look to be depth options off the bench.

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Wingers

Christian Pulisic missed November friendlies through injury. / John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

Player	Club	Position	Caps
Tim Weah	Marseille (loan)	RW, RWB	47
Malik Tillman	Bayer Leverkusen	RW, AM	26
Christian Pulisic	AC Milan	LW, AM	82
Diego Luna	Real Salt Lake	LW, AM	18
Gio Reyna	Borussia Mönchengladbach	RW, AM	34
Brenden Aaronson	Leeds United	LW, RW	56

Pochettino not only has a wealth of talent at his disposal in attack, but his stars are also versatile.

Donovan would take Tim Weah, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Diego Luna, Brenden Aaronson and Reyna. Nearly every player can play multiple positions across the front line with Weah also potentially dropping in as a wingback.

If the Argentine wants to move his outside forwards in centrally to open space for his defenders to get forward, Pulisic, Tillman, Reyna and Luna are more than capable of operating as creative attacking midfielders.

Aaronson could provide a spark off the bench.

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Strikers

Folarin Balogun is hoping to lead the USMNT’s line at the 2026 World Cup. / Frederic Dides/AFP/Getty Images

Player	Club	Caps
Folarin Balogun	AS Monaco	23
Ricardo Pepi	PSV Eindhoven	82
Haji Wright	Coventry City	20

The strikers, and the starter among them, are straightforward: Folarin Balogun leads the line with Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright as bench options.

Balogun cemented his status as the main man up top after scoring the game winner against Paraguay. The 24-year-old has also shown proficiency in his hold-up play during recent camps.

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Who Misses the Cut?

If there are any injuries between now and the World Cup, Donovan tipped Patrick Agyemang, Alejandro Zendejas and Auston Trusty as potential replacements.

Other notable names excluded were Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Roman Celentano and Joe Scally.

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