United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino has named 10 MLS players to his 26-man roster for October friendlies against Ecuador and Australia as preparations continue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

GOALKEEPERS (4)

Chris Brady – Chicago Fire FC
Matt Freese – New York City FC
Patrick Schulte – Columbus Crew
Matt Turner – New England Revolution

DEFENDERS (8)

Max Arfsten – Columbus Crew
Cameron Carter-Vickers – Celtic
Alex Freeman – Orlando City
Mark McKenzie – FC Toulouse
Tim Ream – Charlotte FC
Chris Richards – Crystal Palace
Antonee Robinson – Fulham
Miles Robinson – FC Cincinnati

MIDFIELDERS (8)

Brenden Aaronson – Leeds United
Diego Luna – Real Salt Lake
Weston McKennie – Juventus
Aidan Morris – Middlesbrough
Cristian Roldan – Seattle Sounders FC
James Sands – FC St. Pauli
Tanner Tessmann – Olympique Lyon
Malik Tillman – Bayer Leverkusen

FORWARDS (6)

Patrick Agyemang – Derby County
Folarin Balogun – AS Monaco
Christian Pulisic – AC Milan
Tim Weah – Marseille
Haji Wright – Coventry City
Alex Zendejas – Club América

MLS call-ups are bolded above.

October friendlies

Oct. 10 vs. Ecuador – 8:30 pm ET | Q2 Stadium – Austin, Texas
Oct. 14 vs. Australia – 9 pm ET | Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colorado

This camp represents one of the final chances for players to impress Pochettino, with only three windows remaining before the USMNT convene for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The difficulty level remains high, as Ecuador and Australia are among the 18 nations already qualified for next summer’s expanded tournament. Those tests follow the September window, in which the USMNT lost against South Korea before defeating Japan.

Both matches will be played at MLS venues, starting with Austin FC‘s Q2 Stadium before heading to the Colorado Rapids‘ Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

MLS alums

Of the 16 players overseas, eight previously played for MLS clubs.

That group includes former Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang, who joined EFL Championship side Derby County this summer for a club-record fee.

Three Europe-based central midfielders have MLS ties: Columbus Crew homegrown product Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), New York City FC loanee James Sands (St. Pauli) and FC Dallas homegrown alum Tanner Tessmann (Lyon).

Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United) and center back Mark McKenzie (Toulouse) are both Philadelphia Union products.