How USMNT player pool has evolved since 2022 World Cup, and what it means for 2026 - ESPN

As the final whistle blew on its 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup round of 16, the U.S. men's national team faced a particularly strange 3.5 years. As co-host of the expanded 2026 World Cup, the team was already qualified and therefore wouldn't play another truly meaningful match until the World Cup began.

There would be plenty of headlines to come, of course — splitting with Gregg Berhalter, rehiring him, firing him after bombing out of the Copa América group stage, winning two Nations Leagues, losing two Gold Cups, hiring Mauricio Pochettino — and they all had meaning. But the only thing that really mattered was how the team would look in the summer of 2026.

Following Saturday's loss to Belgium in Atlanta, the U.S. has three matches remaining before that World Cup run begins: They'll host Portugal in Atlanta on Tuesday, then play Senegal in Charlotte (May 31) and Germany in Chicago (June 6), and then it's showtime. With the final run-up underway, let's take a step back and look at Pochettino's lineup selections and how the player pool has changed since the action in Qatar concluded. Plenty of 2022 stalwarts have remained in the mix, and while depth has increased nicely in a lot of positions, a lack of depth in central defense could cause problems.

So, too, could a lack of chemistry: Jeff Carlisle's most recent projected U.S. starters (all of whom are bolded in the sections below) have still never actually seen the pitch together.

Let's go position by position.

— Carlisle: USMNT handed a reality check by Belgium
— O'Hanlon: Does the U.S. finally have enough depth to compete?
— What's it like playing for Pochettino? U.S. players sound off

Incumbents who remained involved:
1. Matt Turner (31): 810