USMNT roster: Gio Reyna included despite 26 minutes of club action; Tyler Adams misses out due to injury

Here are the American players called up for the friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta

Chuck Booth

Mar 17, 2026

6:31 pm ET

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6 min read

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The United States men's national team roster for the March international break has been announced, as the path to the World Cup is firmly in sight. During March, the USMNT will have true World Cup tests facing Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta, but during that time, they'll have to do so without midfielder Tyler Adams, who suffered an injury keeping him out of Bournemouth's match last weekend with Burnley. While the injury isn't expected to be serious, Mauricio Pochettino has omitted him from the squad but did offer a big surprise.

After scoring for the USMNT against Paraguay in November, which was his first USMNT goal since March of 2024, Gio Reyna has made the cut despite only logging 26 Bundesliga minutes in 2026 for Borussia Monchengladbach. A talented attacking midfielder, Reyna will need to prove his fitness during this window, as it feels like he and Diego Luna are in competition for an attacking midfield spot alongside Malik Tillman.

But even for those who aren't in this camp, Pochettino stressed that there are opportunities. "Everyone is saying that maybe it's the last opportunity, but it's not closed," the Argentine said. "It's still open."

With questions surrounding his future and whether he'll represent Germany, Augsburg defender Noahkai Banks isn't in the squad, while mainstays Haji Wright and Luna have missed out on the March window due to injuries.

Pochettino addressed this during his roster press conference, noting that Banks wasn't picked while deciding on his future between Germany and the United States. The Argentine hopes that the decision is to stick with the USMNT, but he understands that it's a tough decision for Banks to make and that his goal is to give him the time to think about this critical decision.

"But it's in a difficult situation, and I hope, for the U.S.A., that the decision will be for our side because I think it is not only present, it is future too, Pochettino said. "I think it's important only to give time and to support him in the way that we, and when I say we, I mean the whole federation is supporting him and trying not to convince because it's not about to convince, it's about to show that we, the federation, really care about him."

Given how Pochettino is looking at this, there's every chance that Banks could make the decision to represent the USMNT and end up on the roster. You can't rule anything out, especially when players who aren't in action much for their clubs have also been called in.

Reyna may be a talented player, but since he hasn't played consistent first-team soccer since the 2020-21 season with Borussia Dortmund, there's plenty to prove in this camp, as there's a clear lack of attacking midfielders in the pool. Alex Zendejas is one who is performing well for Club America, but he's also not in the squad despite scoring for the United States against Japan last year.

Center back is another position where all eyes will be on performances, as Pochettino's shift to a back three is something that sparked their unbeaten end to 2025, and without Sergino Dest, there will be shifts to the defense. Tim Weah, Alex Freeman and Joe Scally can all play right back, but where Scally comes in is that he can operate as a third center back. Tim Ream and Chris Richards are locked in as two of the back three, but who takes the third spot is anyone's guess. Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty are both playing regularly for their clubs, but the form hasn't translated to the USMNT.

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This is why it's important for them to get World Cup-level tests, and there are few tests bigger than Portugal and Belgium coming to town. Even if Cristiano Ronaldo misses out for Portugal, this is a deep squad who are contenders for the World Cup title and will be one of the biggest matches that the USMNT has played in since facing England at the 2022 World Cup. All eyes will be on this window because of that.

Here's the roster:

Roster

GOALKEEPERS: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

MIDFIELDERS: Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan M