Gio Reyna will be included in the United States’ 2026 World Cup roster, while midfielder Diego Luna is among the notable absentees, according to multiple reports.
U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino is scheduled to announce his 26-player roster for the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, at an event in New York City on Tuesday.
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Reyna’s inclusion and Luna missing out were first reported by The Athletic, with players being informed of the decision on Friday. Luna’s uncapped Real Salt Lake teammate Zavier Gozo has also missed the final cut, ESPN confirmed.
Luna had been a regular under Pochettino, making 18 appearances, contributing four goals and four assists, since his debut in 2024
ESPN confirmed that Club América winger Alejandro Zendejas will also be named to the roster.
Zendejas’ place was first reported by The Guardian, which also named Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann as another surprise exclusion.
Tessmann featured in both of the USMNT’s most recent friendlies, against Belgium and Portugal, in March.
Reyna, meanwhile, has long been regarded as one of the most talented players in the U.S. player pool but has often been used off the bench in his first season at German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach and hasn’t played a full 90-minute club league game in four years.
At the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, he was almost sent home from the tournament by then-coach Gregg Berhalter for a perceived lack of effort in training before a family conflict between his parents and Berhalter led to an investigation by the U.S. Soccer Federation and threatened to derail his international career.
Berhalter’s son, Sebastian, has been named to the U.S. World Cup roster off the back of impressive performances with last season’s MLS Cup finalists Vancouver Whitecaps, according to multiple reports.
ESPN has confirmed that goalkeepers Matt Freese, of New York City FC, and Chris Brady, of the Chicago Fire, will be included. Freese is expected to battle with the New England Revolution’s Matt Turner, who is also reportedly on the roster, to be the starting goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Elsewhere, Leeds United winger Brenden Aaronson and Toulouse center back Mark McKenzie, are also reported to be on the roster.
Chris Richards is another reported inclusion, despite his Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner saying this week that he had torn two ligaments in his ankle. A source told ESPN that his readiness for the World Cup was not in doubt.
While Pochettino will name his roster on Tuesday, he will have until June 1 to officially confirm the list of players with FIFA. After that point, players can only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up to 24 hours before the team’s opening match.
The USMNT begins its World Cup on June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano Ricardo Cariño, Jeff Carlisle and Cesar Hernandez contributed to this report.
