USMNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Berhalter’s Offensive Surge, Turner’s Horrific Fumble

The countdown begins. There are just 12 days until U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino makes his final World Cup decision, naming the 26 players who will represent the Stars and Stripes this summer on home soil.

The U.S. is set to announce its official 2026 FIFA World Cup roster on May 26 in New York City, the team’s first-ever live World Cup roster reveal. That squad will take on Senegal and Germany in friendlies at the end of the month for last-minute tune ups, before traveling west to Los Angeles to open World Cup play in Group D against Paraguay on June 12.

Pochettino and his staff have already pinpointed who they believe will give the U.S. the best shot at global glory, with USMNT first assistant coach Jesús Pérez stating on Monday that “the provisional roster has been decided already.” Nevertheless, players in contention are still doing everything they can in the remaining days to make a lasting impression.

Here’s our stock up, stock down analysis for the USMNT this week.

USMNT Stock Up

Sebastian Berhalter

Vancouver Whitecaps star midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, although dominant in MLS play all season long, is technically still on the fringes of Pochettino’s core squad. His hunger for a spot at the World Cup, though, has been voracious, and it would now come as a surprise if Pochettino doesn’t tag him.

Over the weekend, Berhalter scored a late, skillful trivela to earn a critical 1–1 draw against the MLS-leading San Jose Earthquakes, proving himself as not only the cornerstone of Vancouver’s transition right now, but also their attack style.

“He has a great belief, and he’s also very optimistic in his play,” Vancouver manager Jesper Sørensen said of Berhalter and his World Cup chances. “That’s why he ended up in situations where he can also be decisive and score goals, like that run he took in for the goal was not necessarily a run you often take from a No. 6 position.”

The 25-year-old added a brace on Wednesday night, both goals perfectly placed from distance, to secure a 3–2 comeback win over FC Dallas on the road and bring him to six goals and seven assists on the season. He is far and away the biggest goal contributor for the Canadian side.

His likelihood of making Pochettino’s roster also increased after Atlético Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso was ruled out for the U.S. on Monday (more on that later).

BERHALTER BRACE FOR THE WHITECAPS ON WEDNESDAY! ⚽️⚽️pic.twitter.com/JQKmCUcEEN
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) May 14, 2026

Diego Luna

The pressure was on for Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna over the weekend, as Pérez came on a scouting mission to watch the World Cup hopeful in his match against FC Dallas. Although Dallas left Toyota Stadium with a 3–1 win, Luna did enough to impress the first assistant, leading the Claret and Cobalt’s build-up all night and notching a 84th minute banger to get them on the board.

The 22-year-old now has four goals and two assists across nine appearances in league play, an impactful spell despite missing out on the early part of the 2026 season—and the USMNT’s March international window—due to a knee injury.

“We know him well, and he obviously needed rhythm, minutes and to get some confidence,” Pérez told MLS 360 this week. “I think he’s doing well. His team is doing well. Hopefully he can continue doing that.

“Obviously, it is Mauricio’s final decision to pick the roster, but everyone knows that [Luna’s] been part of our main group.”

Luna has 18 caps with the USMNT, including appearances in 2024 Concacaf Nations League play and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

USMNT Stock Down

Johnny Cardoso

Atlético Madrid ruled midfielder Johnny Cardoso out of the rest of the La Liga season and the World Cup on Monday, announcing that the USMNT hopeful will undergo surgery after suffering a high-grade ankle sprain last week in training, sidelining the 24-year-old indefinitely.

This is a devastating blow for both the U.S. and Atlético Madrid, the latter of whom he was integral for in their deep run in the Champions League. He recently appeared in the second leg of the semifinals, logging over 30 minutes in the heartbreaking 1–0 loss to Arsenal, which eliminated them from the European competition 2–1 on aggregate.

Cardoso stood out as the USMNT player to go the furthest in Champions League play this season. He has 23 caps at the senior level since his debut in 2020, yet no goals or assists, suffering multiple injury setbacks in that time span. He most recently played 45 minutes in the 5–2 March loss to Belgium, before suffering a separate injury—leg discomfort—and returning to Spain for further treatment, missing the following friendly against Portugal.

With Cardoso crossed off the list, Berhalter and Seattle Sounders’ Cristian Roldan are the most likely replacements as depth options in the central midfield. Roldan would bring 45 caps of international experience to the fold, along with lessons learned from being part of the 2022 World Cup squad.

Matt Turner

The mighty Matt Turner has fallen. The USMNT’s starting goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup was making a compelling bid for a repeat, looking to overtake Matt Freese, who is currently the most probable starter this summer; however, all of that fell apart this week.

The 31-year-old made a total of 28 saves last month across April’s five matches, which were critically important for the New England Revolution’s rise up the standings, as they now sit third in the Eastern Conference. April was highlighted by Turner’s impressive nine-save outing against Inter Miami to hold Argentinian legend Lionel Messi at bay and secure a 1–1 draw.

He has since cooled off this month and took a turn for the worst on Wednesday night in the Revolution’s 3–0 loss to Nashville SC, in which Turner made just a single save. He had a horrific mishap in the 40th minute, whiffing a pass to his center back that resulted in an easy goal for Nashville’s Warren Madrigal. It was the type of error that might make Pochettino forget Turner’s recent brilliance, proving his unreliability with the ball at his feet, something the global powerhouses at the World Cup would certainly capitalize on this summer.

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