It is officially World Cup week, and the USMNT is on notice. As the host nation during what has been dubbed the “golden generation” of talent in American soccer, all eyes are on the American team. No one really expects them to win it as a team that is currently ranked 17th in the world, but there is hope that they can make a deep run and improve on their exciting 2022 run.

The problem is, nothing has gone right since 2022. The USMNT waited far, far too long to replace Gregg Berhalter as coach, and much of their talent has been up and down at the club level. Their performances in other tournaments have been uninspiring, but the last two friendlies have given American fans reason to hope that they’ve turned a corner.

Regardless, the World Cup begins this week. Before that, let’s take a stab at projecting which 11 players will take the field for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad when they kick off against Paraguay on Friday, June 12.

Projecting the USMNT Starting XI at the World Cup

As a reminder, here’s the 26-man roster that the Americans are going with:

• Goalkeepers
  • Matt Turner
  • Matt Freese
  • Chris Brady
• Defenders
  • Sergino Dest
  • Chris Richards
  • Antonee Robinson
  • Auston Trusty
  • Miles Robinson
  • Tim Ream
  • Alex Freeman
  • Max Arfsten
  • Mark McKenzie
  • Joe Scally
• Midfielders
  • Tyler Adams
  • Weston McKennie
  • Brendan Aaronson
  • Sebastian Berhalter
  • Cristian Roldan
  • Malik Tillman
  • Alejandro Zendejas
• Forwards
  • Gio Reyna
  • Ricardo Pepi
  • Christian Pulisic
  • Haji Wright
  • Folarin Balogun
  • Tim Weah

What is impossible to predict (but worth a try anyway) is the formation the US will use. The lack of midfielders on the roster suggests that they will

The Locks

There are a few players we know for sure are going to start when the USMNT takes the pitch this week. Christian Pulisic is an absolute lock. So is captain Tim Ream at center back. Tyler Adams, the 2022 captain, will be cemented in the midfield. Antonee Robinson is going to take the pitch, too.

Most Likely

After that, we can all be pretty sure that Sergino Dest will be on the field. He should be joined by Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman, but those three are a little less likely to be locks, especially if Pochettino messes with the formation.

Question Marks

The USMNT has to field a goalkeeper, but which one will it be? Matt Turner was excellent in 2022 and after that in international competitions, but he’s been a shell of himself since. Matt Freese got the start in the final tuneup, and he was middling.

Will Chris Richards be healthy? If he is, he’s a lock. But that’s no guarantee. He didn’t play in either of the team’s final friendlies. If he isn’t healthy, who takes his place? With the shortage of midfielders, it’s hard to predict a shift to a different, less defensive formation.

Final Predictions

The US will roll with the following XI when they take the pitch against Paraguay in Group D pool play:

• Goalkeeper:
  • Matt Freese
• Defenders:
  • Tim Ream
  • Antonee Robinson
  • Alex Freeman
  • Mark McKenzie
• Defensive Midfielders:
  • Sergino Dest
  • Tyler Adams
• Midfielders:
  • Malik Tillman
  • Weston McKennie
  • Christian Pulisic
• Striker:
  • Folarin Balogun

That may be the best option Pochettino has if Richards can’t start. But if he can, pencil him in for Mark McKenzie in all likelihood. This gives the manager options off the bench, such as Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, Joe Scally, Tim Weah, and Brendon Aaronson.

Conclusion

For the first time in four years, we’ve got World Cup action. The USMNT is the host nation and has a lot of pressure on it to capitalize on the best years of the best crop of talent the country has had in a long time. 2030, when some of these players would likely have aged out, is a long time from now.