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There’s now less than a month to go before U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino names the Americans’ 26-player roster for next month’s World Cup tuneups against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta. Just a few more club games remaining for those hopefuls who are hoping to impress enough to make the squad — and maybe even stick around for the main event this June and July.
The stakes are getting higher. The competition is getting fiercer. Here’s who’s trending up and down this week.
Stock Up
Johnny Cardoso, Midfielder, Atlético Madrid
Mostly sidelined by injuries since one of global soccer’s biggest brands dropped around $35 million to lure him from La Liga rivals Real Betis last summer, Cardoso picked a great time to score his first goal for Atléti. The New Jersey-born, Brazil-raised 24-year-old’s beautiful strike versus Belgium’s Club Brugge on Wednesday stood up as the game winner as Madrid’s other juggernaut advanced to face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The draw is on Friday.
Haji Wright, Forward, Coventry City
Wright’s match-winning hat trick versus Middlesbrough on Feb. 16 has boosted the Sky Blues, who have now claimed victory in three straight matches and opened up a five-point lead over ‘Boro at the top of England’s second-tier Championship division. The 27-year-old from Los Angeles was also on target on Wednesday, notching Coventry’s equalizer in a 2-1 comeback over Sheffield United.
Ricardo Pepi, Forward, PSV
When Pepi plays, Pepi scores. Six weeks after breaking his arm while — what else? — scoring a goal for the Dutch champions, the El Paso, Texas product returned to action against Heerenveen last Saturday and needed just 12 minutes to notch his 12th of the season across all competitions. Pepi is averaging a goal every 83 minutes in 2025-26.
(Photo by Ben Gal/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Tyler Adams, Midfielder, Bournemouth
Out since mid-December with a torn MCL, the 2022 World Cup captain made his first start since then in last weekend’s scoreless visit to West Ham. Destroyer Adams, 27, went 66 minutes before being replaced by Scottish international Ryan Christie. The New Yorker will be back in action when the Cherries host Sunderland on Saturday.
Weston McKennie, Midfielder, Juventus
A week after Luciano Spalletti deployed McKennie at center forward in the first leg of Juventus’s Champions League knockout stage playoff first leg against Galatasaray, the Italian manager shook things up again. When the second leg kicked off on Wednesday, the gregarious 27-year-old Texan was lined up at left back.
McKennie still ended up on the scoresheet again, heading home the goal that pulled the 10-man hosts level on aggregate in Turin after losing 5-2 in Istanbul. Unfortunately for him and Juve, two late strikes by the visitors sealed the two-time European champs’ elimination.
Stock Down
Diego Luna, Forward, Real Salt Lake
The diminutive Californian led the USMNT with 17 appearances last year, registering four goals and the same number of assists. But his 2026 MLS debut with RSL will have to wait until at least this weekend; Luna, 22, missed the club’s 1-0 loss in Vancouver on Feb. 21 because of a minor knee injury he sustained in training. We’ll see if Luna is able to go when Salt Lake hosts Seattle in Saturday’s home opener.
Malik Tillman, Midfielder/Forward, Bayer Leverkusen
Tillman seemed to be nursing an injury over the last few weeks, as the Leverkusen No. 10’s playing time steadily reduced in both the Bundesliga and Champions League. On Tuesday, an ankle problem kept the 23-year-old playmaker from making the match-day squad in a scoreless tie against Olympiacos. The German club advanced without him and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the last 16.
(Photo by Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Yunus Musah, Midfielder, Atalanta
Even as his nightmare season-long loan from AC Milan continues — Musah has been an unused sub 17 times and didn’t play in either leg as Atalanta advanced past Borussia Dortmund and into the Champions League round of 16 this week — the 2022 World Cup veteran is still dreaming of the 2026 event.
“I really want to go, and I believe I’ve got a chance,” Musah, who’s still just 23, recently told The Athletic.
“The manager knows what I can do. I’ve been to a World Cup. I know what it’s like. I can bring that experience into the group. If I can get myself in the right position at club level, everything becomes clearer.
“There’s still time,” he added. That’s true. But the clock is clearly ticking.
Christian Pulisic, Forward, AC Milan
Although he made his first start for the Rossoneri in more than a month, the USMNT’s most irreplaceable attacking player’s goal drought extended to an eighth straight game in the 1-0 home loss to Parma. Compare that to his form at the start of the 2025-25 campaign, when Pulisic had six goals and two assists in Milan’s first eight matches.
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