Countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Key Players and Their Current Form

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is barreling toward us — just 45 days away.

On June 11, Mexico and South Africa will open the tournament at Mexico City’s legendary Azteca Stadium. The next day, the U.S. will start its own World Cup journey against Paraguay at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.

The USMNT hasn’t named its official World Cup squad — that roster is expected to drop May 26 — but there are a few players whose spots are all but secured.

But who are they? What are they up to with their club teams? And how will their recent performances impact the USMNT’s World Cup journey?

Christian Pulisic, AC Milan

Strengths: Pulisic remains an excellent passer. He’s one of the top movers in Serie A, able to get touches even when he’s having a rough game.

Weaknesses: And that’s important, because Pulisic has been having rough games for a long while now. His poor run of form came to a head in Milan’s 0-0 draw with Juventus, when he managed an expected goals tally of precisely zero in 62 minutes.

Just how bad is Pulisic’s current form? In the 2025-2026 Serie A season— a season in which he got off to a blistering start — Pulisic is averaging .44 expected goals, .24 expected assists and 2.13 chances created per game. Those numbers put him in the 78th, 96th and 95th percentile in Italy.

In his past five games, though, Pulisic is averaging .07 expected goals, .23 expected assists and one chance created per game. There’s no getting around it: While his assist figures remain steady, largely on the basis of a few strong games against weaker opponents, his goalscoring and chance creation has cratered in 2026.

Bottom line: Pulisic is the USMNT’s biggest star, but he’s entering the World Cup season as its biggest potential disappointment.

Weston McKennie, Juventus

Strengths: McKennie has been through a lot with Juventus this season, from dealing with an acrimonious manager change to plenty of positional shifts. But he’s kept his head high and emerged as one of the team’s key players.

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti has played McKennie all over the field, but he’s taken to starting him in a hybrid right wingback role that seems to suit him well. That’s great news for the USMNT, because its presumed right wingback Sergino Dest is managing a hamstring injury and may not be back to full fitness in time for the World Cup.

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t used McKennie as a wingback, but he may try him there in the team’s World Cup friendlies against Senegal and Germany this summer.