The United States Men’s National Team crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 6. Its 4-1 loss to Belgium ended its tournament prematurely and doomed the team to the same result it’s stomached for the last three World Cups it’s played in: a Round of 16 exit to a team from the Benelux region.
The USMNT’s performance against Belgium was regrettable across the board: there were no standout players in American navy blue that evening. But the rest of the tournament? That was a different story. This USMNT, coached by Mauricio Pochettino to a level of aggressiveness it hasn’t displayed in a long while, put in several stellar showings before its Round of 16 exit.
The majority of this World Cup USMNT was in or just past its prime; for all its energy and vigor, this was not a youthful team. Three players, though, were good enough to earn their spots in future USMNT rotations and young enough to keep doing so throughout the next World Cup cycle. They’re the players the team can build around for its next World Cup push.
Alex Freeman
Right Back – Villarreal CF – Will be 25 in 2030
Alex Freeman was the great young hope of this USMNT lineup, and he’s set to be the great young hope for US Soccer as a whole, too. The 21-year-old has been the best discovery of the Pochettino era without question. He finished 2024 with just six minutes of professional soccer to his name; he started 2026 as a locked-in starter for the USMNT. You don’t ascend that quickly without being something special.
Freeman is. He brings athleticism, intelligence and genuine on-the-ball skill to the USMNT’s back line, and his presence has considerably leveled up America’s defense. Whether he plays as a full back (as he has for his club teams) or a right-sided center back (as he has for the USMNT) Freeman has the potential to be truly world-class. We’ll be seeing him in USMNT lineups for many years to come.
