Christian Pulisic headlines official USMNT World Cup roster as Diego Luna, Tanner Tessman left out

FOX Sports World Cup Studio Host Rob Stone joins the First Things First crew to discuss his expectations for Christian Pulisic, who was cleared to resume play for AC Milan. He then dives into Gio Reyna's future and if he has a spot on the roster, along with the best, worse and most likely case for the USMNT in the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. Stone also shares one of the biggest storylines going into the World Cup, featuring Portugal being overlooked.

The United States men's national team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was officially revealed at Pier 17 in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, and the 26 men representing the Stars and Stripes are set to show out on home soil next month.

However, there were some key absences from the roster, which created quite the buzz online after it was leaked over Memorial Day weekend.

For many, two key snubs for Mauricio Pochettino’s first World Cup roster were in the midfield, as Diego Luna and Tanner Tessman weren’t among the 26 men on the stage at Pier 17.

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The U.S. Men's National Team poses during the announcement of the 2026 World Cup roster in New York on May 26, 2026. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP)

Tessman did suffer a muscle strain earlier this month while playing for Lyon, his club in France, though it wasn’t expected to affect his ability to participate in the World Cup. Many believed the 24-year-old, who had played in the past six Team USA matches under Pochettino, had a great chance of making the squad as a defensive midfielder.

Instead, only Tyler Adams, who captained the USMNT in 2022 during the Qatar World Cup, is among the defensive midfielders on the roster.

Even more surprising, though, was Luna, the Real Salt Lake star who has