U.S. Soccer has made it official and named Mauricio Pochettino to be the next coach of the United States men's national team. Yes, the Mauricio Pochettino. Oh, this is going to be fun.

The 52-year-old Argentine is one of the world's highest-profile managers. He's led some of the game's biggest clubs, including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain.

Pochettino has also had relative success with lower-level clubs in major European leagues across his time with Espanyol in La Liga and Southampton in the Premier League.

His tenure will take place under the microscope as he's taking charge of the USMNT less than two years before the 2026 World Cup kicks off across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

His arrival won't miraculously make the player pool better—the U.S. still doesn't have any truly elite players at its disposal, which will make a deep run at the 2026 World Cup a real challenge. However, that won't stop us from dreaming about it for a moment.

Here, we've assembled a way-too-early USMNT roster prediction for the next World Cup on home soil. There will be plenty of names you'll know and some you might not.

Onward to the predictions.

Goalkeepers

• Matt Turner, Nottingham Forest
• Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew
• Diego Kochen, FC Barcelona

It's June 2026, and Matt Turner has had a fantastic start to the Major League Soccer campaign for FC Dallas, the club he joined in January 2025.

He has again become a top-level goalkeeper in MLS just as he was during his years with the New England Revolution. Sure, his stint in the Premier League stalled after he was bumped down the pecking order at Forest. But now? He's in great form heading into the World Cup.

That, folks, would be something close to the ideal situation for the USMNT's current No. 1 between now and 2026.

Turner has shown his quality as a shot-stopper before, but he seems to be lacking both minutes and confidence in his current club situation. Something needs to change; and if it does, he'll have the inside track to the starting job two summers from now.

Elsewhere on the goalkeeping depth chart, Patrick Schulte is yet to make a non-January camp appearance for the USMNT. But as his stock continues to rise with Columbus, more call-ups (and a European transfer) don't seem far away, especially with the names ahead of him on the current depth chart failing to impress.

Finally, Diego Kochen is one of the more speculative names in this roster. The 18-year-old Florida native has been with Barcelona for years now, working his way up through the academy to the second team and securing a long-term contract.

Even if this World Cup comes a few years too soon for him to play a real role, getting him some tournament exposure could be a valuable thing. He's already getting his first taste of the senior international landscape in camp with the U.S. this September window.

Defenders

Center backs

• Tim Ream, Charlotte FC
• Chris Richards, Crystal Palace
• Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati
• Mark McKenzie, Toulouse

The U.S. should be worried about its center-back pool.

Tim Ream is 36 and Chris Richards was poor at the Copa America, while Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie have never been anything more than serviceable for the USMNT.

And yet, who else on the depth chart is playing the disruptor role right now? Who else is making legitimate case that they have to be included in the 2026 squad?

At this moment, the answer is simple: No one.

For McKenzie, the idea is a summer move from Belgium to the French top flight will help him take the next step.

With chaos around him in the backline at Palace, Richards could be in line for even more minutes in the Premier League than last year.

For Ream, the hope is to stave off decline for as long as possible.

Really, though, the hope for Pochettino is that a new starting-caliber central defender emerges between now and 2026.

Fullbacks

• Sergino Dest, PSV Eindhoven
• Joe Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach 
• Antonee Robinson, Fulham
• Caleb Wiley, Strasbourg
• Kevin Paredes, Wolfsburg

The top three names on the fullback depth chart just pick themselves at this point: Sergino Dest is a starter when healthy, Joe Scally is his capable backup, and Jedi Robinson is the go-to at left back. While a shake-up isn't impossible in these outside back spots, continuity is the best bet.

In the depth spots, though, things are less clear. We've gone with a couple of left-footers in Caleb Wiley and Kevin Paredes. The former is fresh off a move to Ligue 1, while the latter has the added bonus of being able to play as an out-and-out winger.

At tournaments, versatility is key.

Midfielders

• Tyler Adams, Bournemouth
• Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis
• Tanner Tessmann, Lyon
• Weston McKennie, Juventus
• Yunus Musah, AC Milan
• Malik Tillman, PSV Eindhoven
• Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund

American defensive midfielders not named Tyler Adams are going to have every chance to earn minutes under Pochettino.

Between his injury issues and the fact that the Argentine tends to value players who are smoother on the ball than Adams, the 25-year-old may not be the in-pen starter he was under Gregg Berhalter. Still, he's too much of an asset defensively to not bring to a World Cup.

If Adams isn't the guy? Johnny Cardoso and Tanner Tessmann are both waiting in the wings. Neither has been brilliant with the national team, but Cardoso is tidy on the ball and Tessmann is downright crafty in possession.

Higher up the field, Weston McKennie will likely reprise his role as this team's go-to No. 8. Another season of improvement at AC Milan could inch Yunus Musah closer to a meaningful competition with him, though.

Finally, Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna are this team's most obvious fits at the attacking midfield position. It's not impossible that Pochettino could opt to use them together.

Forwards

Wingers

• Christian Pulisic, AC Milan
• Tim Weah, Juventus
• Luca Koleosho, Burnley 
• Cole Campbell, Borussia Dortmund

Let's skip past the obvious names here in Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah and get to the intriguing stuff: Luca Koleosho and Cole Campbell.

Koleosho, a 19-year-old winger who was born in the United States, is currently an Italy youth international. Could Pochettino be enough to tempt the Burnley attacker to play for the USMNT? We wouldn't rule it out.

Koleosho was off to a bright start in the Premier League last year before an injury derailed the second half of his season. Now he's back and looks to fit the profile of a goal-threatening winger that the U.S. desperately lacks.

Campbell also fits that profile, albeit at a lower level. The 18-year-old is currently in the Borussia Dortmund youth setup, where he's drawing rave reviews.

Born in Houston, he has been with Dortmund for a couple of years and should make his professional debut well before 2026. Without a ton of quality wingers thriving at senior level, the door is open for Campbell.

Strikers

• Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco
• Josh Sargent, Norwich City
• Haji Wright, Coventry City

Though things haven't gone swimmingly for him at AS Monaco, it feels foolish to bet against Folarin Balogun being in the 2026 squad. Few other U.S. players can rival his ability to time his off-ball movement and create his own shot.

Josh Sargent, for his part, drew transfer interest earlier in this summer window and looks the part of a goal threat up top with Norwich City in the English Championship. He should be playing at a higher level by the time the World Cup comes around.

Finally, we went with Haji Wright over Ricardo Pepi and others because the Coventry City man can do more than just be a No. 9.

He's playing as a winger these days in the Championship—and hasn't looked half-bad doing it. His right foot and lanky frame make it difficult for opponents to stop him from cutting inside. With his comfort out wide and through the middle, he is a valuable addition to a World Cup squad.