USMNT World Cup Roster...

In Mauricio Pochettino’s ideal world, every player in the U.S. national team pool would be in peak health and fitness throughout the World Cup roster selection process and into the summer’s soccer festivities.

However, reality tells a different story.

In the next six weeks leading up to his announcement of the 26-player squad, Pochettino will observe players both recovering from injuries and dealing with setbacks.

This weekend saw mixed news, mostly on the positive side.

Midfielder Tyler Adams made his return to a Premier League match for the first time since sustaining a quadriceps injury on March 3. Coming on in the 70th minute, he contributed to a pressing effort that led to a turnover, which sparked Bournemouth’s decisive goal in their surprising 2-1 win over league leaders Arsenal. The Cherries are now unbeaten in 12 matches.

As the 2022 World Cup captain, Adams is a likely starter for the U.S. when available—something he hasn’t been able to do since September due to injuries and the birth of his child. He has six matches left to regain his form and avoid further injuries.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Tyler Adams of Bournemouth during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images) — Tyler Adams of Bournemouth during the Premier League match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2026, in London, England.

(Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

Midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who has been sidelined with a leg injury since a U.S. camp two weeks ago, has resumed training with Atlético Madrid and may be ready for either the Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona on Tuesday or the Copa del Rey final Saturday against Real Sociedad.

Right back Sergiño Dest, another key U.S. player, is also on track for a return to PSV Eindhoven this season after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained on March 8. The Dutch Eredivisie champions have four matches remaining.

“From what I hear from him personally and from the medical staff, it is going very well and it is likely that he will get some minutes this season,” said coach Peter Bosz. “So I am very happy about that.”

In competition for the No. 3 U.S. goalkeeper spot, Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano has recovered from an injury that forced him to withdraw from national team camp.

While some players recover, others face setbacks. Just days after forward Patrick Agyemang was ruled out of World Cup selection due to an Achilles tendon injury, left back John Tolkin suffered a potential ACL injury while playing for second-tier Holstein Kiel.

Tolkin was a long shot for the World Cup squad and, behind Antonee Robinson and Max Arfsten, he wasn’t called up for the recent camp. Regardless, his injury weakens Pochettino’s depth in players, similar to long-term injuries to Celtic center back Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles tendon) and St. Pauli defensive midfielder James Sands (ankle).

Miles Robinson, frequently called up from a thin center-back pool, has not played for Cincinnati since straining his groin at U.S. camp last month, which kept him out of two friendlies.

For those who took the pitch this weekend …

France

Striker Folarin Balogun is in outstanding form, scoring in the 36th minute of Monaco’s 4-1 defeat against Paris FC—marking his sixth consecutive match with a goal and his eighth in the past nine, bringing his Ligue 1 tally to 11 and total to 17 across 38 matches.

Center back Mark McKenzie had a challenging weekend, receiving a red card in the 48th minute for pulling down a player, which contributed to a 4-0 loss for Toulouse against Lille.

Tim Weah played right wing back for the full match in a 3-1 victory over bottom-placed Metz, leaving Olympique Marseille just one point shy of the third and final guaranteed Champions League spot for next season.

Midfielder Tanner Tessmann entered in the 82nd minute for Lyon’s 2-0 win over Lorient.

Italy

Despite creating chances for himself and his teammates and achieving AC Milan’s best analytics score, Christian Pulisic has yet to score in 16 matches for club and country this year, logging 72 scoreless minutes in a 3-0 defeat to Udinese.

Midfielder-defender-forward Weston McKennie was suspended due to yellow cards during Juventus’ 1-0 win at Atalanta, resulting in Yunus Musah remaining on the bench for the third time in four games.

England

Following a solid performance by center back Chris Richards and Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League quarterfinals, they earned a strong victory over Newcastle, 2-1, marking their third consecutive win and improving to 6-1-3 in their last 10 games across competitions.

Antonee Robinson played 69 minutes in Fulham’s 2-0 defeat against Liverpool, marking his fourth straight start in the Premier League.

With Leeds just three points above the relegation zone, midfielder Brenden Aaronson is set to face Manchester United on Monday.

In the second-tier Championship, forward Haji Wright has gone goalless for the fourth consecutive match as Coventry City drew 0-0 with bottom-placed Sheffield Wednesday. However, he has had an excellent season overall with 16 league goals (17 in total), and Coventry is on track for Premier League promotion after a 25-year wait.

Centrale midfielder Aidan Morris played a full 90 minutes for Middlesbrough in a 1-0 loss to Portsmouth, leaving the team winless in their last six matches and now facing promotion playoff scenarios after previously being at the top of the table.

Germany

Joe Scally played the full match for Mönchengladbach in a 1-0 loss to RB Leipzig, while Gio Reyna did not see any playing time. He has only made three appearances totaling 34 minutes out of nine Bundesliga matches this year.

Midfielder Malik Tillman made a late entry in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 win against Borussia Dortmund, having only played a total of five minutes over two games since returning from U.S. duty.

Noahkai Banks, a dual-national center back considering options with the U.S. and Germany, sat on the bench for Augsburg’s 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim, marking his third time out of four matches without participating.

Spain

Right back Alex Freeman continues to find it hard to get playing time at Villarreal, remaining on the bench during their 2-1 victory at Athletic Bilbao. The former Orlando City player has accumulated just 58 minutes over five matches since his arrival in late January.

Netherlands

In his 12th league start, PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi netted his 11th Eredivisie goal during first-half stoppage time in an 83-minute performance in their 2-0 victory at Sparta Rotterdam. He has also scored three times in the Champions League.

USMNT World Cup Roster…