Three World Cup Favorites Mauricio Pochettino Could Exclude From USMNT November Roster

Soccer fans all across the United States became infatuated with the 26 men who donned red, white and blue at the 2026 World Cup this summer, leading the U.S. men’s national team on an equal parts dreamy and thrilling run into the knockout stages of the tournament on home soil.

However, the team’s glittery past and boundless future are two separate matters, as USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino has been adamant to express in the wake of the global competition.

“It’s a completely different approach than it was in the past,” Pochettino said back in September, ahead of the nation’s four consecutive victories earlier this fall. “The World Cup is in four years. We need to work with different objectives and goals.”

He later added: “Everyone says, ‘Oh, that name needs to be here because in the past, their performance could also go like this. No, no, now it’s a fresh start. It’s a new start. Of course, all [players] have the door open, but now it’s not what [he] did in the past. [There is] no ‘I am [Folarin] Balogun and score lots of goals. No, ‘I am Malik Tillman and was one of the best in the World Cup.’”

Pochettino, who excluded the likes of star veterans Christian Pulisic, Balogun and Weston McKennie from his team’s roster last month in favor of 13 uncapped players, is expected to abide by a similar mentality for the upcoming November camp. The Argentine boss will name his squad next week ahead of a two-game series against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, the USMNT’s first competitive fixtures since the World Cup.

Here, Sports Illustrated breaks down three stars of the 2026 World Cup squad who might be snubbed by Pochettino this time around.

Sergiño Dest

dest looking back — Sergiño Dest did not receive many opportunities last month in the September-October international camp. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A consistent starter along the right flank in the past two World Cup campaigns, Sergiño Dest has long been a fan favorite for his explosive movements, fancy footwork and keen dribbling ability. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old may no longer have his spot earmarked and reserved on the Stars and Stripes’ squad.

He started four of five World Cup matches this summer as the most advanced down the right, including both knockout stage affairs; however, after he put up zero goal contributions, it seems Pochettino is eager to look elsewhere for a more impactful attacker.

Dest was still included in the Argentine boss’s September-October roster—one of just 13 World Cup players to return, but he was pushed down the pecking order to make way for burgeoning talent.

Teenage prodigy Cavan Sullivan usurped the right wing in the USMNT’s emphatic 4–1 win over Peru, the team’s first time taking the pitch since the gruesome World Cup exit to Belgium by the reverse scoreline. Although Sullivan did not get on the stat sheet himself (a rarity for him these days), the teenager stamped his authority all over the pitch. His ruthless tenacity and swagger on the ball made way for several threatening chances in Peru’s final third and embodied the rugged optimism surrounding the USMNT’s future.

Many place Sullivan at the center of the team’s ambitions for the future, a perspective only reinforced by Dest’s recent relegation to the bench. Although Dest earned the start in the subsequent friendly against Chile, it was ultimately Sullivan who Pochettino had the most confidence in to command the flank against the team’s most bitter rival, Mexico. The recently turned 17-year-old immediately rewarded Pochettino’s decision, becoming the youngest goalscorer in USMNT history en route to a 3–0 thrashing of the Concacaf foe. That only served to push Dest further down the depth chart.

Gio Reyna and Malik Tillman then traded places at the right wing in the final friendly against Canada, suggesting Dest may be as low as fourth in the pecking order and, thus, out of range of a November call up.

Matt Freese

When Pochettino called up Matt Freese last month, he gave the World Cup starting goalkeeper a key opportunity to rewrite every wrong he committed in the round of 16 loss to Belgium.

Instead, the 28-year-old once again failed to rise to the occasion, placing his position within the team into serious doubt. He played the first half in the opening friendly against Peru, conceding one of just two shots on target the South American team had all game. On a long ball into the box, Freese failed to come off his line, frozen in the goal mouth as 36-year-old Gianluca Lapadula easily redirected it to the back post. Although Peru’s finish wasn’t entirely Freese’s fault—fullback Peyton Miller should have been goal-side on Lapadula—it nevertheless underscored his inability to step up in big moments.

At the interval, Freese was swapped for 20-year-old goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who later played the full 90 minutes against Mexico, likely a telling sign for the future. Freese did not feature again during the international window.

Brian Schwake, 25, then logged 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 win over Canada, suggesting he and Kochen may be Pochettino’s current favorites between the sticks.

To make matters worse for Freese, his club side New York City FC was eliminated from MLS playoff contention on Saturday, after the beleaguered goalkeeper conceded a stoppage-time effort to the Western Conference’s worst team, CF Montréal. The 1–1 draw ended an extremely bleak year for the Pigeons, who had just nine wins all season.

Folarin Balogun

Unlike Freese, there is no doubt that Folarin Balogun has a future with the USMNT. It just might not be this year.

The 25-year-old striker was the undisputed star of the USMNT at the World Cup this summer, snatching Pulisic’s long-held crown and becoming a household name after scoring three goals in four appearances.

However, rocked by a red card scandal, a leg injury and a whiplash-inducing transfer saga, Balogun hasn’t reached similar heights in the aftermath of the global competition.

Where he was a consistent starter for French Ligue 1 side Monaco last year, racking up 19 goals across all competitions, Balogun has made just five appearances for Monaco in the new season, all coming off the bench.

Balogun has yet to reach peak potential this fall and was excluded from Pochettino’s last international camp. He may likewise find himself missing from the roster next week. Nevertheless, he is slowly on his way to re-emergence. He finally opened his account on Sunday, finding the back of the net in an eventual 3–1 loss to Paris FC.

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