How USMNT trio can claim UEFA Champions League glory before 2026 FIFA World Cup

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 action begins on March 10, and for the first time in recent memory, three American players find themselves on legitimate contenders with a real shot at reaching the Budapest-based final. For Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, and Yunus Musah, the next few weeks represent more than just a shot at historic European glory in Puskás Aréna on May 30; this is arguably the most important stretch of their United States National Team (USMNT) dreams.

Each player figures into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. How much depends largely on their club form. Cardoso (Atletico Madrid) is battling low grade muscles strains, but has been doing well in recent weeks. Tillman (Leverkusen) is suffering from a nasty ankle knock. Musah (Atalanta) is on loan from AC Milan and seemingly out of the final 26 picture going into Pochettino’s final camp.

Johnny Cardoso builds trust

Cardoso has the most momentum and arguably the most dramatic backstory. The New Jersey-born defensive midfielder joined Atlético Madrid from Real Betis last July for a reported €30 million, and it immediately looked like a gamble that wasn’t paying off. An ankle injury sustained in September 2025 kept him out for six weeks, and Cardoso managed just 18 appearances out of a possible 41 matches through mid-February.

Injuries cost him not only club time but also his standing with the national team. Cardoso (22 caps) made just four appearances for the U.S. in 2025, including two brief cameos at the Gold Cup. Then, with Atlético hosting Club Brugge in the second leg and tied 3-3 on aggregate after a chaotic first leg, Cardoso scored his first goal for the club just two minutes into the second half.

That out of nowhere strike broke open a 1-1 tie and put Atlético firmly in control. Alexander Sørloth completed a hat trick to seal a 4-1 win on the night and 7-4 on aggregate, leading to the tie with Spurs. Cardoso had five interceptions, three duels won, and two crucial recoveries late when the Belgian side pressed.

On the surface, Tottenham looks like a favorable draw. The North London side sits 16th in the Premier League and recently hired Igor Tudor as its third manager of the season after Thomas Frank was sacked. Spurs are dealing with a significant injury crisis, though they did make it this far.

Before the Tottenham clash, Atletico has a busy domestic slate. On February 28, they needed an extra-time screamer to beat Oviedo (1-0) in La Liga. Having an eye on a Copa del Rey second-leg semifinal against Barcelona on March 3 almost cost Atleti points. Cardoso came off after an hour against Oviedo; he cannot be asked to feature in all four matches, at least not for a full 90 minutes. A league match at home to Real Sociedad on March 7 will put Diego Simeone’s squad rotation policy to a real test.

Cardoso profiles as a complement to Tyler Adams in the U.S. midfield, ranking in the 93rd percentile for tackles and 96th percentile for duels among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues. He is slowly but surely staking his claim as the long-term answer in the six shirt, a role that could allow Weston McKennie to push further forward.

Pochettino is probably hoping the 24-year-old gets the starting nod in the knockout situations. Cardoso’s recent uptick means the Argentine coach will have a more complete player pool to draw from when he names his roster for March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal. Then comes the final selection in May.

Malik Tillman teasing greatness

Of the three USMNT vets still alive in the Champions League, Tillman is the most settled at his club and the most intriguing figure heading into the late stages. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder made a club-record move to Bayer Leverkusen from PSV Eindhoven last July for a reported €35 million, making it the second-largest transfer fee ever for a U.S. prospect. The move came after Tillman had back-to-back dominant seasons in the Netherlands, winning consecutive Eredivisie titles and scoring 16 goals across all competitions in 2024-25.

Tillman has largely delivered at Leverkusen by scoring four Bundesliga goals through the campaign’s midpoint. Stats only tell part of the story, but wearing the 10 jersey for a storied club says a lot. In late January, he scored twice in Leverkusen’s decisive 3-0 win over Villarreal that clinched their playoff spot, becoming the only American to score multiple goals in a single Champions League match more than once (he also did so for PSV against Shakhtar Donetsk the previous season).

Facing Arsenal in the round of 16 is a significant step up over Olympiacos, though. The Gunners topped the Champions League league phase with a perfect record and lead the Premier League. Mikel Arteta has built a fluid, pressing system that figures to test Leverkusen’s own structured build-up game. It’s the perfect laboratory to let Poch know who is ready for June’s battles.

Scoring three goals as the U.S. reached the 2025 Gold Cup final got the proper attention. Tillman emerged as a focal point of the USMNT, with his creativity and late runs into the box a key weapon against Arsenal’s disciplined defense. He has 25 caps and has displayed the sort of creativity in tight spaces that even Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey lacked. Those two stars did better when freelancing into a highlight goal.

Pochettino loves a player who can operate in the half-spaces and provide a constant threat. Tillman’s development as a dependable, near-elite hub gives the USMNT a different dimension, offering a pure playmaker to complement the box-to-box energy of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Tanner Tessmann, and Brenden Aaronson. A strong performance against Arsenal, arguably the best team on the planet right now, would significantly cement a case for a World Cup starting role.

Unfortunately, the 23-year-old suffered a knock to his right ankle, and the club indicated before the Olympiacos second leg that his availability for the near future was uncertain. He played just 26 minutes in Leverkusen’s last two league matches, though there have been no reports ruling Tillman out for the Champions League first leg (March 11) yet.

Yunus Musah shades USMNT

Yunus Musah’s Champions League opportunity arrives under entirely different circumstances than those of his fellow Americans. His path to this moment has been anything but straightforward. Finding a steady situation is starting to become a problem after the 23-year-old joined Atalanta on loan from AC Milan on an initial one-year deal.

Expectations were that a move from one of Serie A’s biggest clubs to a Bergamo side known for its attack-oriented system would result in more playing time for the dynamic midfielder. For much of the fall, it did not. Musah logged under 200 minutes across his first eight appearances with the club. He also, famously, got into Pochettino’s doghouse by declining a 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup invitation.

The moves effectively derailed any 2026 FIFA World Cup candidacy, a disappointing development for a USMNT needing quality depth. Musah started all four games at Qatar 2022, forming part of the ‘MMA’ midfield trio along with Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. However, Pochettino is going to shake things up a bit in 2026, and the decisions are largely based on full-90 form.

Only two of Musah’s 14 Serie A appearances in 2025-26 have been starts, making it difficult to justify a final 23 decision before the March friendlies. Still, lines of communication remain open.

“They’ve told me to keep working. Keep training hard,” Musah told The Athletic. “At the end of the day, they pick the team. What I can control is what I do in matches.”

Showing up is the start. Thankfully, 2026 has looked different. Musah’s role has been most natural in central midfield, where his energy and defensive contributions fit a club that plays an aggressive 3-4-2-1 and deploys disciplined double pivots in midfield. It’s working. Musah has appeared in nine of Atalanta’s league matches since the calendar flipped, with no defeats suffered.

Trust from the coaching staff is starting to show. Munsah logged 148 minutes in four recent Champions League appearances with an 86% pass accuracy rate. Those blue-collar performances helped Atalanta earn its spot in the round of 16 the hard way. Down 2-0 on aggregate after the first leg against Borussia Dortmund, La Dea staged a stunning 4-1 comeback at the Gewiss Stadium in the second leg.

Mauricio Pochettino’s bigger picture

Three Americans playing for legendary clubs in the UEFA Champions League trophy represent a genuine milestone for a program that has spent decades trying to build a reputation at European football’s highest level. The nostalgia for 1994 will get mentioned often. Bruce Arena’s 2002 run is still the high-water mark, save for that 2009 Confederations Cup final.

Champions League success would offer more than just club glory; it’d offer undeniable experience along with the success. For this trio, strong knockout performances could solidify their roles in what is the USMNT’s most analyzed and most talented FIFA World Cup roster ever. Pochettino has assembled a large player pool (71 call-ups in 2025) and has sent clear signals about the USMNT’s selection priorities.

Consistency, playing time, and demonstrated quality on the club level. Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams figure to anchor the center of the park; the question is which of Cardoso, Tillman, or Musah earns the slot under them as the triangular base. First, all three need to force their way onto the final 26-man roster.

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