Pochettino’s USMNT World Cup roster leak includes Zendejas, omits Tessmann
Alejandro Zendejas was projected in and Tanner Tessmann out as Pochettino’s roster leak pointed to a 26-man squad built for versatility before Tuesday’s reveal.
Alejandro Zendejas’s inclusion and Tanner Tessmann’s omission point to a World Cup roster built around flexibility, not just form or name recognition. Zendejas, listed by U.S. Soccer as a forward for Club América, gives Mauricio Pochettino another attacking option with 13 U.S. appearances, two goals and one assist. Tessmann, listed as a midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais, has 14 caps and one goal, but the reported split suggests the staff valued Zendejas’s ability to fit forward roles more than another central midfield specialist.
Pochettino has framed the decision as choosing “the right 26” from a pool of more than 70 players, and the leak cycle reflects that filter. Gio Reyna, Matt Turner, Brenden Aaronson, Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Berhalter were all reported in at different points, while Diego Luna, Tessmann and Aidan Morris were among the more notable names left out. The pattern says as much about the team’s identity as it does about individual players: the coaches appear to be leaning toward a squad that can move pieces across the front line and midfield without losing shape.
The formal roster reveal is set for Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, staged as a live fan celebration at the Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City’s South Street Seaport. U.S. Soccer says the event will be free to attend and will include live entertainment, activations, appearances by U.S. Soccer legends and FOX broadcasters. It is the federation’s first live roster reveal of this kind, turning a normally private selection into a public showcase.
The announcement will land just before the U.S. finishes its last two pre-World Cup matches, against Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte and Germany on June 6 in Chicago. The Americans then open the group stage against Paraguay on Friday, June 12 in Los Angeles. FIFA says the United States automatically qualified as a co-host of the 2026 tournament, which will be its 12th World Cup and its second on home soil after USA ’94, inside an expanded 48-team field. That backdrop makes every roster choice feel larger than a standard squad call: Pochettino is not only picking names, he is defining how this team intends to play when the tournament begins.
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