It was reasonable to expect that Mauricio Pochettino’s first United States squad after this summer’s World Cup would turn the page for a new cycle. Instead, given the youthfulness of his selections, even a fast-forward reference feels like too dated a reference.
Cavan Sullivan is poised to make his US senior debut, with the 16-year-old chosen for Pochettino’s 28-man squad for the September/October window. Sullivan is one of 13 players who could debut for the national team in the coming weeks, with four friendlies to be played across the country. Should he see the field, Sullivan would become the fourth-youngest player to represent the US, a record still held by Freddy Adu.
Several members of the World Cup squad have been omitted to make way for the youth movement. Christian Pulisic misses out after a slow start to his season with Milan, where he has been a bench option for Ruben Amorim. Weston McKennie is also absent, having missed most of Juventus’s young season with muscle fatigue. Folarin Balogun misses out too, probably due to a lack of minutes after his failed transfer to Everton.
In total, nine selections enter this window with at least 30 senior caps: defenders Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest; midfielders Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna; and striker Ricardo Pepi. Eight of those players was part of Pochettino’s 2026 World Cup squad, while Musah has been called up for the first time since before the 2025 Gold Cup.
Other returnees from the World Cup include Matt Freese, Chris Brady, Alex Freeman, Auston Trusty, and Sebastian Berhalter.
Hello, Cavan
Sullivan has been in blistering form with Philadelphia, earning a place in interim coach Ryan Richter’s lineup after MLS’s World Cup break. The Union academy product has six goals and 11 assists in 1,368 league minutes this year, stoking incredible hype. Sullivan turns 17 on 28 September, two days after the United States’ first friendly (against Peru) and on the eve of their second (against Chile). He’s joined by a pair of club teammates for their shared first camp, defenders Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield.
Fresh faces
Pochettino has picked several more of the nation’s most promising prospects. Zavier Gozo could debut after leaving boyhood Real Salt Lake for Crystal Palace this summer, while 18-year-old Peyton Miller – a possible future left-back currently playing right wing in New England – is also on the squad. Two uncapped goalkeepers join Matt Freese and Chris Brady: 20-year-old Diego Kochen, a Barcelona product earning starts on loan at Lyngby, and 25-year-old Brian Schwake, the backstop of runaway MLS favorite Nashville SC.
A pair of Red Bull New York homegrowns are also on the list. Polish-American dual national striker Julian Hall is MLS’s top-scoring teenager with nine goals and his off-ball movement could make him a factor to score immediately. Adri Mehmeti is another regular in Michael Bradley’s lineups in New Jersey; a 17-year-old midfield anchor who’s already very comfortable shepherding sequences of sustained possession with recirculation and upfield initiative alike.
Surprise selections
Other first-time selections come as a greater surprise, though few knew how wholesale of changes Pochettino would make from this summer’s 26-man roster. Justin Ellis is a 19-year-old attacker who has thrived operating off of new Orlando teammate Antoine Griezmann. Borussia Dortmund product Mathis Albert has often split billing with Sullivan as this US generation’s top prospects, but still hasn’t become a regular with the German club’s reserve team.
Brooklyn Raines, a 21-year-old midfielder for New England, could become the third US international to hail from Liberia. Doc Lawson became the first with his sole USMNT cap in 1979, while Darlington Nagbe represented the U.S. on 25 occasions.
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Looking to LA 2028
The introduction of so many fresh faces is also being done with an eye towards the 2028 Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles. Steve Cherundolo, who earned 87 caps with the US before winning MLS Cup as Los Angeles FC manager, will lead the U-23 team that summer. While Olympic rules allow teams to field three players above the age limit at the tournament, having a bevy of dependable young options affords a coach the chance to use those “over-age” players to maximize the team’s potential rather than filling gaps, as Marko Mitrovic had to do in 2024 by using two of his three over-age picks on center-backs.
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Diego Kochen (Lyngby Boldklub), Brian Schwake (Nashville SC)
Defenders: George Campbell (West Bromwich Albion FC), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Peyton Miller (New England Revolution), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia Union), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Frankie Westfield (Philadelphia Union)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough ), Zavier Gozo (Crystal Palace ), Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York), Yunus Musah (Milan), Brooklyn Raines (New England Revolution), Gio Reyna (Strasbourg), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Cole Campbell (Elversberg); Justin Ellis (Orlando City), Julian Hall (Red Bull New York), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
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