USMNT’s Three Best Players of the Week—Unplayable Midfielder Shines Again

U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino will name his squad for March’s friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in the coming weeks—a camp he’s indicated will be the final chance for players to stake their claim for a place on the 2026 World Cup roster.

The 2026 MLS season is about to get underway, but those competing in Europe have been firing on all cylinders since the turn of the year due to a congested fixture schedule. It’s allowed Americans abroad to continue finding their form ahead of this summer’s showpiece event—even Christian Pulisic was back in action this past weekend for AC Milan after recovering from injury.

Here’s Sports Illustrated look at the three USMNT talents who shone brightest in the latest round of matches.

Noahkai Banks

German-American dual-national center back Noahkai Banks is an outside bet to make the USMNT’s World Cup roster—but the 19-year-old is sure giving it a good go.

Making his 16th consecutive start for FC Augsburg, Banks put in a composed display as his side saw off FC Heidenheim 1–0, registering a fourth Bundesliga clean sheet of the season. He completed 37 of 39 passes, delivered three passes into the final third and amassed nine clearances, four of which came aerially.

More impressively, Banks played with a maturity beyond his tender years—an improvement in his game that can perhaps be attributed to past conversations he’s had with Pochettino, who was a central defender in his playing days.

“[Pochettino] knows the position very well,” Banks said in a recent interview with the Bundesliga. “He helped me with small details like positioning, the small things that make the difference at the highest level. He gave me tips, and I hope I can use them going forward.

“I’m happy with the U.S., but you never know what the future brings.”

Weston McKennie

As Weston McKennie made his way back to Turin after a chaotic 3–2 Juventus loss to Inter Milan on Saturday, there’s a good chance he was imagining what the season would have looked like had Luciano Spalletti started the season in charge.

Since the Italian took over at the beginning of November, McKennie has been one of the world’s most in-form players. McKennie controlled the midfield against the Serie A leaders, assisting on both of his side’s goals to take his total to four since Thanksgiving—in that time, McKennie has also bagged seven goals.

The 27-year-old also had two shots on target of his own and slotted five passes into the final third, all while playing an active role as a deep-lying forward,

A series of controversial calls, most notably the red card issued to Pierre Kalulu, contributed to Juventus’ eventual defeat, but there’s no doubt that McKennie, who is out of contract in the summer, did his chances of earning a new, improved deal no harm at all.

Patrick Agyemang

Patrick Agyemang continued his stellar form with a goal in an 88-minute showing in Derby County’s 2–0 win over Swansea City in EFL Championship action on Saturday, bringing him to 10 goals and three assists in 25 league matches this season.

While the 25-year-old has showcased his scoring touch all season since joining Charlotte FC in the summer, it is clear he has developed as well. When in MLS, many of his best chances came from his long strides on balls played low through the middle—rarely, if ever, was he an aerial threat, even though he stands 6'3" tall and is well built.

Make it 10 Championship goals for Patrick Agyemang this season 🇺🇸

He TOWERS above the rest to head it home for Derby 💥 pic.twitter.com/7d4kWNNJf9
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 14, 2026

Since arriving in England, there’s been a clear improvement. This weekend, he rose highest to score from a corner kick, marking the sixth time he has scored with his head this season—60% of his overall tally.

He also drew the most fouls in the match with five and won 11 duels, showcasing to Pochettino the nuisance he could be up front were he to be selected as one of the USMNT’s striker picks.

Noahkai Banks

Weston McKennie

Patrick Agyemang

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