The 26 players going to Qatar have been chosen, leaving a slew of hopefuls short of reaching the World Cup.
The 26 players who will represent the U.S. men’s national team on the World Cup stage are now known at last. While they have plenty to celebrate from a personal and collective standpoint, that leaves a whole slew of players whose World Cup dreams have been deferred—either for good or for at least four years, when the U.S. will co-host the 2026 event with Canada and Mexico.
Whittling down the player pool, as is the case for any national team, was always going to result in those getting the short end of the stick.