USMNT insider predicts World Cup starting 11

Mauricio Pochettino won’t officially announce the USMNT World Cup roster until May 26,  but that won’t stop pundits from speculating about who the starting 11 will be when the team kicks off its tournament on June 12 in LA vs. Paraguay. FOX Sports national team insider Doug McIntyre is among the first to get his predictions out there, and here’s what he foresees.

McIntyre has a 3-4-2-1 as his USMNT starting 11 shape, with Matt Freese (NYCFC) in goal and Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), and Alex Freeman (Villarreal) across a three-man back line.

The central midfielders are Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) and Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), flanked by wingbacks Antonee Robinson (Fulham) and Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven). Up front, it is Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) and Weston McKennie (Juventus) in the attacking midfielder roles with Folarin Balogun (Monaco) as the striker.

With the opening match a month away, @ByDougMcIntyre shares his @USMNT Starting XI projection for the 2026 FIFA World Cup pic.twitter.com/9dNrjtX2Xu

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 12, 2026

While this is a solid USMNT starting 11 lineup prediction, there are two big questions: the shape and the names.

If Pochettino does go with a back three, this does seem like the most likely lineup. However, Tessman is out for the rest of the Ligue 1 season with a muscle strain. If he’s not able to go in Match 1, Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps) could be an option, but the most likely scenario is that Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen) moves into the AM role, and McKennie slides back to CM.

The other, more dramatic, option is for Poch to go with a back four. In that case, it will come down to Freeman or Dest at right back and a major decision on the right wing. In a 4-3-3, that RW spot could go to one of several players, including Tim Weah (Marseille), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), or even the ever-polarizing Gio Reyna.

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