USA Gold Cup Player Review: Which World Cup expectation helped in their matters and hurt them?

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

While the U.S. men’s national team fell just short of claiming a trophy this summer, the squad must now shift its focus to the 2026 World Cup. For manager Mauricio Pochettino, that means honing in on 26 players who can help the team compete.

On Sunday night in front of a sold-out crowd at NRG Stadium in Houston, Mexico defeated the U.S. 2-1 to clinch back-to-back Concacaf Gold Cup titles. That signaled the last time the USMNT will play a competitive match before co-hosting the sport’s biggest event in less than a year.

The team won’t convene again until September when it hosts Korea Republic and Japan in a pair of friendlies (Sept. 6 in Harrison, N.J. and Sept. 9 in Columbus, Ohio, respectively). Whoever is called in for that camp will seemingly have an inside track to a World Cup roster spot.

But who will those players be? While Christian Pulisic, Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Sergino Dest likely would have been starters at the Gold Cup had they been part of the roster – they were not for a multitude of reasons – how will their spots be impacted by players who impressed Pochettino and his staff this summer?

There’s no doubt that after this summer’s tournament, Pochettino’s mindset is shifting. But who stood out? Who bought more time to prove themselves? And who has more work to do to stay in the mix for 2026? We take a look below:

Note: This list does not include players who were at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (Tyler Adams, Tim Ream, Luca De La Torre, Brenden Aaronson, Matt Turner), nor does it include Chris Richards, who was one of the best players at the Gold Cup.

Who Stood Out The Most?

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Diego Luna: The most talked-about USMNT player of the Gold Cup. Luna started every match except for the third group stage game vs. Haiti due to sitting on a yellow card. Luna provided a spark and energy on the pitch and scored the two goals in the semifinal win over Guatemala in the first 15 minutes. While he didn’t have enough of an impact in the final against Mexico – the side his family rooted for while he was growing up – he is an example of a guy who has taken control of an opportunity. And it should serve him well and lead to a spot on the World Cup roster.

[RELATED: Coffee Cups To the World Cup? Diego Luna’s Path to Stardom]

Malik Tilman, While Luna was the player with the most discussion, Tilman was the most talented. The 23 -year -old attacker midfielder started each game and scored three goals and added two assistance. While his rise within the national team has slowed down, he became the breakout player of the tournament team. Tilman showed his cunning, cruelty and quality, which impressed Pchethino, which “described him as one of the most talented players that I think we think we have in the USA.”

Mat freeze, Freeze stock is not rose during the Gold Cup. Pochtino chose 26 -year -old, 6’6 “, New York City FC goalkeeper in every single match. Fraz posted a clean sheet in the first two matches and was the hero in the penalty shootout win over Costa Rica in the first two matches, where he recorded a few times, which rescued a Sail Camp, but a Sail Camp was saved a few times). The adversely responded to adversity and his performance has created a fight between him and the Turner that may last several months.

Who bought some time?

(Photo by Catherine Evil – AMA/Getty Images)

Sebstian berhalter, The son of former American coach Greg Burhelter certainly earned another call up. If there is no other reason other than the quality of his service on the set pieces. The Sebastian Burhelter had assisted two in the Gold Cup – both of the free kicks who were found to be the head of Chris Richards. He has been working on him for some time with Vancouver Whitcaps, and he has brought that skill to the national team. But that part of his game is not the only reason that he is likely to bear himself for this coaching staff. He is a player who showed a fight in every match, standing for his peers and playing with aggression – the characteristics that Pochtino definitely appreciate.

Alex Freeman, The youngest player of this gold cup squad. The 20 -year -old Freeman started every game to the right. And while this was due to the fact that the Dest was not ready to play, Freeman caught the opportunity despite some nervous moments. He is uniquely suited to being a star for USMNT one day due to his sheer athletic capacity and speed. His father, Antonio Freeman, is a super bowl champion and taught him how to become a professional at an early age. The Alex Freeman back line was solid on the all tournament and scored an almost a significant goal in the final, but his header was blocked just before the face of goalkeeper Angel Malgon.

[RELATED: Who is Alex Freeman? The U.S. youngster on fútbol over football]

Max arfasten, The 24 -year -old defender, replacing Antony “JD” Robinson, started every game except one on the left, while Phulham was recovering from the Star Offsen knee surgery. While the JD will get its location back when healthy, Arfsen provides a strong option in the form of backup in a situation that requires more depth. Arfsten was above and down the tournament – such as the quarterfinal vs. Costa Rica gave a punishment, but later there was a assistance and a target. They have speed, have a powerful shot and can play more for an attacker role – similarly for JD. He had some scoring opportunities that he did not end, but know how to put himself in a position to be dangerous.

Who to work?

(Photo by Bill Barrett/ISI Photo/USSF/Getty Image)

Patrica agimang, 6’4 “24-year-old striker has scored five goals in just 12 American appearances, with two coming during two gold cups. On paper, the size, speed and materiality of the agamung seems to him what he has to have an early striker. BoyAgyemang, who has drawn interest from European clubs, has better deployed himself to consider for the World Cup roster. But Follerin Balogun and Ricardo Payi, who were not with the squad in this summer due to injuries, are still front-colored.

Jack McGlin, Often one of the first options before the bench. Like Berhalter, McGlynn has a habit for a fully placed set. He gets out of confidence when he is on the pitch and made a statement to score a goal against the Turki in a pre-gold cup friendly. The 22 -year -old midfielder, who signed just an extension with Houston Dynamo, is currently one of the top young players at MLS. But will it be enough to land it on Pochtino’s World Cup roster?

John Tolcin, Like McGlin, Tollkin was usually one of the first sub -to enter a match during the Gold Cup. Left-back played in four matches and extinguished one aid-Agayamang’s goal to Haiti-and the quarter-final shootout vs. Costa Rica was called to take a penalty during Costa Rica. If Tolkin had changed from the spot, the USMNT would have won the game there, but the 22 -year -old defender missed the goalkeeper Keeler as Navs. Pocheto showed confidence in him, but the possibility of Tollkin is still low among the guards in Peking Order.

Laken Litman Fox covers college football, college basketball and football for Sports. He first wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Indianapolis Star. She is the author of the “Strong Like a Woman”, published in Spring 2022, marking the 50th anniversary of the title IX. Come after him @LAKenlitman,