Development pathways for 2026 USMNT World Cup team

CB, Tim Ream, Charlotte FC
Class: 1987
Age at the start of the World Cup: 38
Place of birth: St. Louis, Missouri
Development pathway: St. Louis Scott Gallagher → Saint Louis University

GK, Matt Turner, New England Revolution
Class: 1994
Age at the start of the World Cup: 31
Place of birth: Park Ridge, New Jersey
Development pathway: Clarkstown SC → St. Joseph's Regional High School → Fairfield University

CM, Cristian Roldán, Seattle Sounders
Class: 1995
Age at the start of the World Cup: 31
Place of birth: Artesia, California
Development pathway: El Rancho High School → University of Washington / Crossfire Premier

CB, Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati
Class: 1997
Age at the start of the World Cup: 29
Place of birth: Arlington, Massachusetts
Development pathway: Boston Bolts → Syracuse University

LB, Antonee "Jedi" Robinson, Fulham FC
Class: 1997
Age at the start of the World Cup: 28
Place of birth: Milton Keynes, England
Development pathway: Everton Academy (England)

W/AM, Alejandro Zendejas, Club América
Class: 1998
Age at the start of the World Cup: 28
Place of birth: Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Development pathway: Cobras El Paso / Texas Fire → FC Dallas Academy

CF/W, Haji Wright, Coventry City
Class: 1998
Age at the start of the World Cup: 28
Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
Development pathway: LA Galaxy Academy → NY Cosmos → Schalke 04 Academy (Germany)

CB, Auston Trusty, Celtic FC
Class: 1998
Age at the start of the World Cup: 27
Place of birth: Media, Pennsylvania
Development pathway: Nether United Soccer Club → Philadelphia Union Academy

CM, Weston McKennie, Juventus
Class: 1998
Age at the start of the World Cup: 27
Place of birth: Little Elm, Texas
Development pathway: FC Dallas Academy → FC Schalke Academy (Germany)

GK, Matt Freese, NYCFC
Class: 1998
Age at the start of the World Cup: 27
Place of birth: Wayne, PennsylvaniaDevelopment pathway: Philadelphia Union Academy → Harvard University

W/AM, Christian Pulisic, AC Milan
Class: 1998
Age at the start of the World Cup: 27Place of birth: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Development pathway: PA Classics → Borussia Dortmund Academy (Germany)

DM, Tyler Adams, Bournemouth
Class: 1999
Age at the start of the World Cup: 27
Place of birth: Wappingers Falls, New York
Development pathway: New York Red Bulls Academy

CB, Mark McKenzie, Toulouse
Class: 1999
Age at the start of the World Cup: 27
Place of birth: Bronx, New York
Development pathway: Delaware Rush → Wilmington Rangers → Philadelphia Union Academy → Wake Forest University

RB, Tim Weah, Olympique Marseille
Class: 2000
Age at the start of the World Cup: 26
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Development pathway: BW Gottschee → New York Red Bulls Academy → PSG (France)

CB, Chris Richards, Crystal Palace
Class: 2000
Age at the start of the World Cup: 26
Place of birth: Birmingham, Alabama
Development pathway: Hoover SC → Birmingham United Soccer Association → Texans SC Houston → FC Dallas Academy

AM, Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United
Class: 2000
Age at the start of the World Cup: 25
Place of birth: Medford, New Jersey
Development pathway: NJ Real / Shawnee Renegades → Philadelphia Union Academy

RB, Sergiño Dest, PSV Eindhoven
Class: 2000
Age at the start of the World Cup: 25
Place of birth: Almere, Netherlands
Development pathway: Almere City Academy (Netherlands) → Ajax Academy (Netherlands)

W/LB, Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew
Class: 2001
Age at the start of the World Cup: 25
Place of birth: London, England
Development pathway: California Odyssey → UC Davis

CM, Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps
Class: 2001
Age at the start of the World Cup: 25
Place of birth: London, England
Development pathway: Hammarby IF Academy (Sweden) → Columbus Crew Academy → University of North Carolina

CF, Folarin Balogun, Monaco
Class: 2001
Age at the start of the World Cup: 24
Place of birth: New York City, New York
Development pathway: Arsenal Academy (England)

AM, Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen
Class: 2002
Age at the start of the World Cup: 24
Place of birth: Nuremberg, Germany
Development pathway: SpVgg Greuther Fürth Academy (Germany) → Bayern Munich Academy (Germany)

AM, Gio Reyna, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Class: 2002
Age at the start of the World Cup: 23Place of birth: Sunderland, England
Development pathway: NYCFC Academy → Borussia Dortmund Academy (Germany)

RB, Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Class: 2002
Age at the start of the World Cup: 23
Place of birth: Lake Grove, New York
Development pathway: NYCFC Academy

CF, Ricardo Pepi, PSV Eindhoven
Class: 2003
Age at the start of the World Cup: 23
Place of birth: El Paso, Texas
Development pathway: FC Dallas Academy

GK, Chris Brady, Chicago Fire
Class: 2004
Age at the start of the World Cup: 22
Place of birth: Naperville, Illinois
Development pathway: Chicago Fire Academy

RB, Alex Freeman, Villarreal
Class: 2004
Age at the start of the World Cup: 21
Place of birth: Baltimore, Maryland
Development pathway: Weston FC → Orlando City Academy

MLS Homegrowns
The most common pathway on the 2026 World Cup Roster is going from a MLS Academies to a homegrown contract. Just under 35% of the roster took that route. I expect that number to keep climbing well above 50% for the next World Cup roster, potentially approaching 75%. This is an encouraging sign. We need our professional academy network at home to be the majority engine behind our Men's National Team, and the growth we're seeing is thanks to continued investment in talent identification, housing and development across the 27 U.S.-based MLS clubs. The mission is straightforward: identify top talent across the country and get players into the most competitive environments we have to offer.

No Professional Academy Experience
It may surprise many to learn that the second most prevalent pathway on this roster belongs to players who never spent any time in a professional academy before heading to college. This group makes up 19% of the roster. It's a pathway that marks the past, and I expect it to become nearly obsolete — though the sheer size of the United States means a few talented players may still slip through the cracks or come into their own later. The four oldest players on the roster took this route: Ream, Turner, Roldán and Robinson, each representing an older model of American development. Ream came up before MLS academies existed. Turner took a remarkably meandering path to professional soccer and remains a genuinely unique story. Roldán and Robinson were both recruited by MLS academies but opted to stay local. Nowadays, most kids who get that call go, unless there's a direct path to Europe already in view.

The only younger player who took this route is Max Arfsten. Arfsten grew up in Fresno, several hours from San Jose Earthquakes in Northern California and LA Galaxy in Southern California — LAFC wasn't operating yet. It's a clean example of a player living too far from an MLS academy that accomodates a lot of out of area players, and a reminder that college soccer still serves as a catch-all for talented players in those geographic gaps.

European Dual-Nationals
The next two most prevalent pathways both include Europe as a key component, combining for roughly 30% of the roster. First, our dual-nationals who grew up abroad and developed at a professional European academy for the bulk of their youth: Jedi Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Folarin Balogun. The quality in this group is undeniable — all four are expected to be among the most impactful players on the roster. I fully expect this pathway to hold steady for cycles to come. If you look at my class rankings, there are typically anywhere from two to five players in my top 20 who were developed entirely abroad. American families are spread across the world, and I don't expect that to change. Europe still offers a more accelerated development environment for high-level players, and the Americans who thrive within it will remain key contributors to the Men's National Team.

Europe Early
The next pathway is a blend: players who were initially developed at MLS academies, but left before signing professionally to join European academies. That list includes Haji Wright, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna. Christian Pulisic also went to Europe early but did so from his local club, not from an MLS academy. This route has also produced a lot of high level players. It typically involves players with EU passports — Weah, Reyna and Pulisic — who can make the move at 16, or players determined to reach Europe by 18 rather than sign a first professional contract in MLS (Wright, McKennie). I fully expect this pathway to stay relevant. There are plenty of high-level youth players in the United States with European backgrounds who see Europe as their best option and want to get there as soon as possible. Mathis Albert is a current example of that mindset. And there are still families willing to hold out until 18 rather than sign professionally at home. As more American players continue to prove themselves at the highest levels in Europe, top European clubs will increasingly scout and recruit American talent earlier, which should only strengthen the viability of this pathway going forward.

Professional Academies to College
Two Philadelphia Union Academy products went to college before signing homegrown contracts with the club — Matt Freese and Mark McKenzie. Sebastian Berhalter started in Europe while his father Gregg was coaching at Hammarby IF in Sweden, then moved with his family to Columbus Crew before a brief stint at the University of North Carolina ahead of his homegrown deal. This pathway does not represent a large portion of a World Cup roster, and I don't expect it will going forward. I don't think it disappears entirely either. Some positions demand more physical development time, like goalkeeper, center-back and striker, which is part of why college still occasionally produces high-level players at those spots. On top of that, plenty of families believe securing an education is the right call even when a professional contract is available. For those reasons, one or two players who take this route will likely surface on future World Cup rosters.

Where is USL?
In recent years, players have opted to leave MLS academies for USL to accelerate a path to Europe or earn their way back into MLS. A handful of high-level players have also developed entirely within USL academies. But no one who took either route cracked this World Cup roster. Diego Luna came closest — he left San Jose Earthquakes Academy young, went through Barça Residency in Arizona and then signed in USL, and would have been the first to use that path to reach a World Cup roster.

MLS Academies and homegrown contracts will continue to be the backbone of the Men's National Team, and high-level youth players with a path to Europe will keep taking it. We'll also continue to need dual-nationals developed abroad to supplement the pool. Those three pathways will make up the bulk of the roster for the foreseeable future.

The USL pathway remains largely unproven at the senior national team level, but I think there's a real possibility that one or two players on the next World Cup roster will have spent time in that system at some point. USL needs to invest more seriously in player development before that pipeline becomes a reliably high-value route to the national team. And while college will become a less common launching pad over time, it won't disappear — it'll keep catching the players who slip through the cracks or come into their own later in life.