Four years ago, the United States men's national team arrived at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as the youngest squad in the tournament. Their round-of-16 finish, achieved with an average age of just 25, sparked genuine excitement about what that core group could achieve when the World Cup returned to home soil in 2026. For some of those players, however, the promise has not been fulfilled.

With head coach Mauricio Pochettino set to name his roster ahead of the tournament, a handful of players who once seemed certain inclusions are now on the outside looking in — undone by poor form, limited club minutes, or simply a failure to win over their manager.

Josh Sargent

Sargent earned two starts at the 2022 World Cup at just 22 years old, and his trajectory looked clear. He subsequently established himself as a reliable scorer in the EFL Championship with Norwich City, but the picture has since shifted considerably.

The competition at striker has grown fierce. Folarin Balogun at AS Monaco, Ricardo Pepi at PSV Eindhoven, Haji Wright at Coventry City, and the now-injured Patrick Agyemang at Derby County have all impressed at club level. Sargent compounded his difficulties by making a lateral move to MLS with Toronto FC in February.

The underlying numbers tell a damaging story. Across his five MLS appearances and his final stretch at Norwich, Sargent ranks fifth among those five American strikers in goals per 90, shot conversion rate, non-penalty expected goals per 90, and xG per shot. A 14-game goalless run for Norwich over the winter, combined with a blank in both his U.S. appearances in 2025, has left his case looking threadbare. Even with Agyemang's injury creating a small opening, Sargent appears unlikely to claim a top-three striker spot.

Yunus Musah

Musah won U.S. Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year award in 2022 and started every U.S. match at that World Cup. Now 23, he is still searching for consistent club minutes, let alone the elevated role once predicted for him.

On loan from AC Milan, Musah has managed just seven starts across all competitions for Atalanta in 2025-26. In his past five Serie A appearances, he has accumulated a mere 14 minutes — part of a cumulative total of 529 minutes for the season. For context, U.S. teammate Weston McKennie has clocked 2,395 minutes for Juventus in the same period.

Pochettino has not called Musah up in over a year, and when asked last October why both Musah and Joe Scally were absent, the coach offered a pointed non-answer.