Roster analysis: Breaking down the forwards

The United States Men’s National Team is going to have a monumental task ahead of them in 2026. The team will have to unite to take on the world as co-hosts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino will have the unenviable task of figuring out how to lower a player pool of about 55 players down to the 26 that will form the World Cup roster. It’s the roster that every American player worth their salt wants to be a part of, but it will end in heartbreak for many of them.

It’s a good chance to evaluate the player pool to see which players are in the mix for that World Cup roster and what they need to do individually and collectively to be at their best and help the USMNT go far in the tournament. With a little over six months until the World Cup opener, we will break down each of the main groups and what that group need to do to elevate their game to the highest level.

After reviewing the goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders, we end our analysis with the forwards.

Forwards: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Alex Zendejas (Club América), Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Damion Downs (Southampton), Paxten Aaronson (Colorado Rapids)

The biggest key to this group is a simple question: who can be a dependable scorer in the World Cup. Sure, for some of these guys, their primary role is to try and create scoring chances for others. However, the strikers need to ultimately be the guys who strike. There have been scoring ruts for the USMNT where goals have been hard to come by, but that has changed in the past couple of months. The issue is those goals have mostly come from midfielders or defenders. The only guys in this forward group that have scored in 2025 for the USMNT are Patrick Agyemang, Brian White, Folarin Balogun, and Alex Zendejas. We’ve seen injuries keep several of these guys away from camp, and health is a concern because it has disrupted the continuity.

But, that can’t be the excuse here. Some guys, namely Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright, have stepped up when their name has been called. The goal for the strikers is to put at least one in the back of the net every match and lead the team offensively. They haven’t always done that, with the offense being created behind them. Pochettino has to figure out a way to ensure that the forwards are getting involved in the offense, but it’s on the players to finish.

There’s also a weird thing that has happened in several windows without the team’s main star, Christian Pulisic: somehow, the USMNT has played better without him. It happened in October for the times he was not on the field, it happened in November when the team looked like a brand new offensive juggernaut against Uruguay and even against Paraguay. It also looked like the team took a few steps forward over the summer during the Gold Cup, when Pulisic notably opted to use the summer for rest and recovery. In his absence, it feels like the team was playing more open and free than when #10 was on the field. When he’s on the field, the offense tends to defer to him offensively, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But, they don’t want to have everything flow towards Pulisic, and Christian should want to be the guy that can get everyone free by commanding a lot of attention. He’s been lights out for AC Milan (when he isn’t injured), and the hope is that he brings that level to the field. But, he also needs to stay healthy.

No matter who’s on the field, ultimately the goal of the forwards is to score, score, score. In a World Cup, you lament the chances you leave on the shelf. And, you can be the ultimate hero by putting one in the back of the net to help the USMNT advance. As the team moves forward, Pochettino wants these strikers to be confident and maybe even a tad bit selfish. Inside the box, they need to test the opposing goalkeeper by firing off shots on goal and being ruthless on the finish. Set pieces will be a major key as well as they need to be physical enough to fight off opposing defenders to get to the ball and score. And, should a penalty situation arise, Pochettino hopes he has 11 players who are confident enough to step up and take the kick, but the strikers should lead in that area.

The 2026 World Cup will be defined in part by the moments where the ball hits the back of the net. The forwards are hopefully ready to score against the best defenses on earth, because the USMNT will be counting on goal production to help them go far in the tournament.