ATLANTA (Oct. 2, 2025) – With the road to the World Cup continuing in October, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has selected 26 players to prepare for the upcoming matches against World Cup-bound opponents Ecuador and Australia. Players will begin reporting Oct. 4 into Austin.
The USA will first host Ecuador, presented by AT&T, on Oct. 10 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas [TICKETS]. Kickoff from the home of Austin FC is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local) and will be broadcast on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Universo, and Peacock. As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, U.S. Soccer will pay tribute to the Hispanic community, honoring both their cultural heritage and their passionate support for the U.S. team.
Four days later, USA-Australia, presented by American Airlines, will mark the USMNT’s return to Commerce City, Colorado, for the first time since 2017. DICK’S Sporting Goods Park hosts on Oct. 14 with the match against the 24th-ranked Australian side kicking off at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) and shown live on TNT, HBO Max, Universo, and Peacock.
Both matches will be carried live on radio as Westwood One Sports delivers English language commentary while longtime partner Fútbol de Primera has the Spanish language call.
Fans can follow the USMNT on X (@USMNT), Instagram (@USMNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App.
The matches against two teams ranked in the Top 25 in the world will provide the USMNT a valuable opportunity to compete against fellow World Cup-bound teams, offering a potential preview of the opponents and styles they could face next summer. Ecuador will make its fifth World Cup appearance, already having qualified and sitting in second place in the Conmebol World Cup Qualifying table behind Argentina. Australia secured its spot by finishing second in its group during the third round of Asian Football Confederation qualifiers, marking the country’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.
GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 52/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 12/1), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 19/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 9/0), Mark McKenzie (FC Toulouse/FRA; 22/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 77/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 33/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 50/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 35/3)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 53/9), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 14/3), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 60/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 9/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 39/0), James Sands (FC St. Pauli/GER; 11/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/FRA; 8/0), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen/GER; 25/3)
FORWARDS (6): Patrick Agyemang (Derby County/ENG; 12/5), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA; 19/6), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 80/32), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 45/7), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 17/5), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 13/2)
Christian Pulisic leads all players on the roster with a total of 80 appearances. Tim Ream (77), Weston McKennie (60), Brenden Aaronson (52), Matt Turner (52) and Antonee Robinson (50) round out the 50 and over club.
CP is the only player on the current roster to have stepped on the field for the United States at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. With Tim Ream in reserve, Pulisic scored both goals in the 2-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago on June 8, 2017, during final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Diego Luna has appeared in 13 of the USMNT’s 14 matches in 2025, leading the class. Both Patrick Agyemang and Max Arfsten have 12 caps to their credit this year, while the defensive duo of Tim Ream (11) and Chris Richards (10) top off the list.
A number of U.S. players are bringing goalscoring momentum into the October camp from the frontline to the backline.
Pulisic has collected six goals and two assists in seven matches across all competitions for AC Milan this season. Alex Zendejas has also impressed at club level this season, registering five goals and two assists in 11 Liga MX appearances, including a brace in Club América’s 4-1 win against Pumas UNAM on Saturday. Haji Wright bagged a brace for Coventry City in their 4-0 win away to Millwall last night, bumping his tally to seven goals in eight league matches and eight total in all competitions.
Midfielder Tanner Tessmann was the difference maker recently for Olympique Lyon, converting a long-range strike that lifted the French side past Utrecht 1-0 in UEFA Europa League play on Sept. 25. Malik Tillman has already scored two goals in four Bundesliga matches after making the big transfer to German powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen this summer. Tillman tallied three goals and two assists during the run to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final, earning a spot on the tournament Best XI.
Orlando City defender Alex Freeman has now bagged six goals this season, the most recent in the 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati. He’s now fifth amongst all MLS defenders in goal contributions this year.
2024 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year Antonee Robinson makes a welcome return to the fold after injuries have prevented his appearance in a U.S. kit for all of 2025. The Fulham-based defender has a history in Austin, appearing in four matches at Q2 Stadium since 2021. He scored the middle goal in the USA’s 3-0 shutout of Trinidad and Tobago in the first leg of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal Round.
He was also on the field for the USA’s dramatic 1-0 against Honduras on June 3, 2021, in Denver during the semifinal of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League tournament that the U.S. went on to win.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, midfielders Weston McKennie and Tanner Tessmann and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte will all make their first camp appearances since the March Concacaf Nations League window. Meantime, Aidan Morris has a chance to step back on the field for the first time since the October ‘24 friendlies against Panama and Mexico, the first matches for Pochettino as head coach. Fellow midfielder James Sands earns his first call-up under Pochettino, returning to the USMNT fold for the first time since the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.