Taylor Twellman goes wild about USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino keeping ‘7 center backs’ for World Cup

The USMNT 2026 World Cup roster is officially out, and the biggest surprise was manager Mauricio Pochettino keeping 10 defenders and just four central midfielders. After the announcement of the team, former national team player and current MLS analyst Taylor Twellman went off on the head coach for keeping that many defensive-minded players.

“There’s seven players on that roster that can play center back. Seven!” Twellman exclaimed during the MLS on Air show following the USMNT roster announcement. “It feels very, very safe, pragmatic, scared … Seven potential center backs. You do not need seven center backs to go into a World Cup.”

"I think the list is safe." – @SachaKljestan

The MLS Countdown crew reacts to the USMNT's World Cup roster, what are your thoughts on the 26-man squad? pic.twitter.com/pXJuTf3TK4

— MLS on Air (@MLSonAir) May 26, 2026

Of the 10 defenders, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty are primarily center backs, which makes five. Joe Scally has played 10 professional games at CB, and as for the seventh, while Alex Freeman has only played fullback on defense professionally, he does have the size and mentality to play on the right side of a three-man CB group.

Another former MLS star, Sacha Kljestan, also called the roster “safe,” while English ex-pat Bradley Wright-Phillips asked if Pochettino taking that many defenders was him being “realistic” about the USMNT’s chances of winning a shootout vs. a park-the-bus match against a top European or South American team.

That last point from Wright-Phillips likely hits the nail right on the head. Despite his contention that the USMNT can win the World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino seems to believe that their only chance to do that is to play uber-defensively against the best teams in the world.

And he may not be wrong, whether Taylor Twellman likes the roster or not.

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