The United States men’s national team may still one day call many of the players from its 2026 World Cup squad part of a golden generation, but how many will return to the 2030 World Cup — presuming qualification — in a bid to make that description irrefutable?
MORE — What we learned, big and small picture, from USMNT’s World Cup
After all, it would’ve seemed bonkers back in 2022 to say that Yunus Musah wouldn’t be back for 2026 and there are examples of that littered through World Cup rosters — and qualifying rosters — of cycles past.
The 13 returnees on this summer’s USMNT squad for the World Cup is on the high end, nearing the 14 that played in the final 2018 qualifier in Couva from the 2014 final roster.
Yet the American roster has had as few as four returnees between similar groups and also counts six and eight returnees over their last 20 years worth of squads.
How many USMNT players could return for 2030 World Cup (presuming qualification)?
Here are the number of returnees to World Cup rosters over the last five cycles, using the final roster of qualifying for the failed 2018 cycle in order to get a better read.
2026 World Cup: 26 players, 13 returnees
2022 World Cup: 26 players, 4 returnees from last qualifier of 2018 cycle
2018 World Cup (did not qualify, using last WCQ squad): 23 players, 14 returnees
2014 World Cup: 23 players, 6 returnees
2010 World Cup: 23 players, 8 returnees
There’s no fixed and hard rule regarding when a player loses their A-game, though it’s generally agreed that the skills disappear a bit faster the further you go up the pitch.
Returnee totals usually include a goalkeeper or two but this group has no guarantees there. And just over a half-dozen players are 24 or younger: Ricardo Pepi (23), Alex Freeman (21), Malik Tillman (24), Chris Brady (22), Joe Scally (23), Giovanni Reyna (23), and Folarin Balogun (24).
The USMNT also have some very high-level players who deserve the label of top-caliber national team stars that transcend normal expectations — think past players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Carlos Bocanegra.
Who lives in that zone and how old will they be at the start of the 2030 tournament?
- Christian Pulisic (31 at 2030 World Cup)
- Tyler Adams (31)
- Chris Richards (30)
Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, and perhaps even Sergino Dest are close to that camp, too? This, sincerely, continues to be a wonderful if not golden generation of USMNT talent.
The way-way-way-way-way too early projection of who could make up a 2030 World Cup roster?
It’s a positive sign that the 2026 World Cup roster is not full of names fans wouldn’t have heard when doing a similar exercise after Qatar 2022.
Memory could betray me here, but maybe only Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, Max Arfsten, and Chris Brady would’ve been truly surprising back then.
So here’s a guess at who will be back along with a purely guess work look at filling out a 26-man team for Spain, Portugal, and Morocco (also fun to note that with Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay hosting a single game, there’s a good chance the Yanks would meet one of those six teams in the group stage).
New names in italics.
Goalkeepers (3, returnees 1): Chris Brady, Andrew Thomas, Diego Kochen
This group is almost impossible to project. We’re keeping Brady because he went to a World Cup, is a mainstay in the USYNT set-up, and there’s almost always World Cup experience in each position group. Matt Freese could also be here. Maybe Gaga Slonina can come back from the wilderness?
Defenders (9, returnees 5): Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Joe Scally, Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Josh Wynder,
The lack of established center backs make this group open for veterans like Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Mark McKenzie even though they’ll be on the other side of 30. Can Pochettino or someone woo Noahkai Banks away from Germany, or will the Augsburg back continue to grow in a manner that takes the choice out of American hands. Fullback is a tougher group to crack as Antonee Robinson, Freeman, Dest, and Scally could all realistically make it as returnees. Richards is the key piece.
Midfielders (8, returnees 4): Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah, Sebastian Berhalter, Tanner Tessmann, Johnny Cardoso, Jack McGlynn, Cruz Medina
It’s realistic that Berhalter, Weah, and Gio Reyna could all return. Berhalter has elite advanced stats in MLS this season and has a visible fire needed in the team. But Weah is in another class in terms of raw talent. Most people would love to see Reyna pull it together for club but this is closer to a “Fool me once” scenario. Will 20-year-old Cavan Sullivan sldie ahead of Medina or McGlynn?
Forwards (6, returnees 3): Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Diego Luna, Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall
Pepi’s name is so well-regarded in Europe but is it wild that we could see him dropping out of this group? That said, Haji Wright doesn’t have age on his side and they’ll need a big dog behind Balogun. Damion Downs is 22 and in U23 camp. Patrick Agyemang and Josh Sargent will be 29 and 30. And there are so many promising young attackers around — it feels like there’s a 2023 Nimfasha Berchimas moment arriving every month.
