USMNT Given Major Injury Boost for 2026 World Cup—But Questions Remain for Pochettino

The Stars and Stripes saw one of their presumed World Cup starters return from injury at the weekend.

Sergiño Dest returned to action at the weekend. | Andrea Vilchez/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino surely breathed a sigh of relief when he saw defender Sergiño Dest play his first match in nearly two months on Saturday.

Dest came off the bench in PSV Eindhoven’s 2–2 draw with Ajax, logging 30 minutes in his first appearance since March 7, when he sustained a hamstring injury. The issue kept him out of action while his club clinched its third consecutive Eredivisie title and his country played international friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.

The Stars and Stripes sorely missed Dest in those two World Cup dress rehearsals; losing both fixtures by an aggregate score of 7–2 to sound alarm bells ahead of this summer’s showpiece event, which is set to unfold largely on U.S. soil.

There were initial fears that another long-term injury for Dest would keep him out of Pochettino’s World Cup squad, but his return is a massive boost for the USMNT.

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Dest Faces Competition for His Place in Pochettino’s XI

Tim Weah is a contender to start at right wing-back. | Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Before his injury, many considered Dest a shoo-in to start at right wingback for the USMNT this summer. The American is elite at beating defenders with a few silky moves, kickstarting an attack in transition that leaves opponents chasing ghosts on the right flank.

It’s no coincidence that the Stars and Stripes collected two impressive wins over Paraguay and Uruguay to close out 2025 with Dest in Pochettino’s XI. It is also no coincidence the team got clobbered in March without the defender in the mix.

Yet recent experimentation from Pochettino throws Dest’s role into question. Tim Weah took over Dest’s duties, either at right back or right wingback, in recent matches and arguably looked better than he did when deployed on the right wing, leaving Pochettino with a head-scratching conundrum: Does he displace Weah for Dest, sending the former to where he has been ineffective as of late?

The versatile Alex Freeman also filled in at right back, giving Dest another player to beat out on his way back into the starting lineup. Still, the PSV standout remains the favorite to get the nod on the right flank this summer.

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Dest, USMNT Get Two Final World Cup Tune-Ups

Sergiño Dest last featured for the Stars and Stripes during the November international break. | John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images

Throwing Dest right back into the fold at the World Cup would be jarring for a USMNT side that only had the defender available for four matches in the last two years. The good news, though, is that the Stars and Stripes face off with Senegal and Germany just two weeks before the tournament kicks off.

The tune-up matches are the perfect opportunities to get Dest reacquainted with the team and get two important matches under his belt before the USMNT kicks off its tournament berth against Paraguay on June 12.

The friendlies also give Pochettino two final chances to zero in on his best XI and formation after two years of experimenting. The Argentine received harsh criticism during the March window for deviating from the back three that found so much success to close out 2025, and he will likely be hard pressed to make that mistake again considering the two poor defeats that followed.

Two impressive results against Senegal and Germany would give the USMNT a much-needed momentum boost for the tournament, while also getting fans more invested in the host nation, whose inconsistent form over the last few years has turned many away.

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