The road to 2030 starts today, and Mauricio Pochettino is handing the keys to the kids.
The U.S. Men’s National Team faces Peru in a Fan Appreciation Match at Inter.co Stadium, kicking off at 4:30 p.m. ET. It’s the first of four matches in this window and the first look at the USMNT since its Round of 16 run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The headline is the roster. Thirteen of the 28 players have never earned a senior cap, and the squad’s average age is 22 years, eight months — more than four years younger than the group Pochettino took to the World Cup.
Pochettino’s first World Cup set a new bar. The U.S. won its group outright for only the third time in program history, then beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32. That was the USMNT’s first knockout-stage win since 2002 and set a record for wins at a single World Cup.
Now he gets a full four-year cycle. Since taking over in October 2024, Pochettino has capped 62 players from 16 leagues in 12 countries. Saturday is his first chance to add new names to that list.
The experience is still there to lean on. Tyler Adams and Antonee Robinson lead the roster with 58 caps apiece, followed by Yunus Musah (47), Sergiño Dest (44), Gio Reyna (43), Miles Robinson (41), Chris Richards (40) and Malik Tillman (35). Thirteen players return from the World Cup squad, including five who scored in the tournament: Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, Reyna, Tillman and Auston Trusty.
The 13 uncapped players average just 19 years, six months old, and most of them came straight through the U.S. youth system. Five played at the 2025 U-20 World Cup: Cole Campbell, Zavier Gozo, Peyton Miller, Brooklyn Raines and Frankie Westfield. Three more — Mathis Albert, Julian Hall and Cavan Sullivan — played at the 2025 U-17 World Cup.
MLS is carrying a big share of the load. Twelve players come from nine MLS clubs, and nine of them could earn a first cap. Philadelphia Union leads the way with three call-ups, while New England Revolution and Red Bull New York send two each. Nashville SC goalkeeper Brian Schwake arrives with his club sitting first in the MLS standings.
The other 16 players are based in Europe: six in England, three in Germany, and one each in Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland and Spain.
There’s a Georgia tie in the mix, too. West Brom defender George Campbell, who has one cap, came up through the Atlanta United academy.
For Justin Ellis, this one is personal. The Orlando City forward earned his first senior call-up this window and could make his USMNT debut on his home field. He has one goal and 10 assists in 19 matches for Orlando this season.
Alex Freeman is back where it started, too. The Orlando City homegrown spent three seasons with the first team, won MLS Young Player of the Year in 2025, then moved to Villarreal. At 21, he became the sixth-youngest American to score at a World Cup. Freeman and Ellis shared the field once for Orlando, a 3-1 win over Charlotte FC that doubled as Ellis’ club debut.
Peru brings its own Orlando history. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese spent 2020 to 2025 with the Lions and owns the club records for goalkeeper minutes (18,188), saves (568), wins (89) and clean sheets (57). Yoshimar Yotún, Peru’s all-time caps leader at 134, was an MLS All-Star for Orlando in 2018. And current Orlando midfielder Wilder Cartagena, Ellis’ club teammate, is back from the Achilles rupture that cost him all of 2025.
La Bicolor is rebuilding too, just from a tougher spot. Peru missed the 2026 World Cup after a 3-0 loss to Uruguay on Matchday 17 of CONMEBOL qualifying, and hasn’t played on the world stage since 2018. Since then, it’s 1-2-1 in four matches, with Mexico and Canada still to come this window.
Brazilian manager Mano Menezes took charge in January 2026, and he’s done this before. After Brazil’s 2010 World Cup quarterfinal exit, Menezes took over the Seleção and went 21-6-6 over two years. He’s also coached Corinthians, Flamengo and Fluminense, plus clubs in China and Saudi Arabia.
Expect him to mix veterans with young legs. Gallese (127 caps), Yotún and forward Gianluca Lapadula (10 international goals) anchor the group, while midfielder Erick Noriega and Burnley defender Oliver Sonne represent what’s next.
These two haven’t met since a 1-1 draw on Oct. 16, 2018. Antonee Robinson is the only current USMNT player who appeared in that match, subbing on in the 92nd minute.
Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock. Westwood One Sports has the English radio call, and Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish call. Follow along at @USMNT on X and Instagram, on Facebook, and on the U.S. Soccer app.
The full USMNT roster:
| Position | Players (Club; Caps/Goals) |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 1/0), Matt Freese (NYCFC; 19/0), Diego Kochen (Lyngby/DEN; 0/0), Brian Schwake (Nashville SC; 0/0) |
| Defenders | George Campbell (West Brom/ENG; 1/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV/NED; 44/3), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP; 22/3), Peyton Miller (New England; 0/0), Neil Pierre (Philadelphia; 0/0), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 40/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 58/5), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 41/3), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 10/1), Frankie Westfield (Philadelphia; 0/0) |
| Midfielders | Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 58/2), Mathis Albert (Dortmund/GER; 0/0), Sebastian Berhalter (Middlesbrough/ENG; 18/2), Zavier Gozo (Crystal Palace/ENG; 0/0), Adri Mehmeti (Red Bull New York; 0/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 47/1), Brooklyn Raines (New England; 0/0), Gio Reyna (Strasbourg/FRA; 43/10), Malik Tillman (Leverkusen/GER; 35/5) |
| Forwards | Cole Campbell (Elversberg/GER; 0/0), Damion Downs (St. Louis City; 6/0), Justin Ellis (Orlando City; 0/0), Julian Hall (Red Bull New York; 0/0), Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia; 0/0) |
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