USA 2026 World Cup squad: Football agencies behind Pochettino’s players

The USA’s 2026 World Cup squad carries a different kind of pressure. As co-hosts, the United States are not just another qualified nation at this tournament. They are playing at home, under a global spotlight, with a squad shaped by Mauricio Pochettino and built around a mix of established USMNT leaders, European-based players and MLS names.

Pochettino’s 26-man squad includes familiar figures such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Matt Turner, Gio Reyna and Timothy Weah. Around them are newer or less tournament-tested players such as Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Sebastian Berhalter, Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi and Alejandro Zendejas.

Behind the squad is another story: the agencies and representatives connected with the players. In the USA’s case, the picture is more concentrated than many national teams. THE TEAM has the strongest presence by far, while YMU Management Ltd., ROOF, Roc Nation Sports, CAA Stellar and others also appear around important players.

THE TEAM at the centre of the squad

The dominant agency in the USA squad is THE TEAM. Matt Turner, Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Sebastian Berhalter, Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson are all listed with the agency.

That gives THE TEAM a major role across the structure of Pochettino’s squad. It is present in goal through Turner, across the defensive group through several full-backs and centre-backs, and in midfield through McKennie, Berhalter and Aaronson.

Its presence runs through the spine and support cast of the squad. For a national team trying to handle the pressure of a home World Cup, that kind of representation footprint says a lot about how influential THE TEAM has become in the American player market.

Pochettino, selection balance and representation

Pochettino’s squad is built around balance. The USA have Premier League experience through Pulisic, Adams, Robinson, Richards, Ream and Wright; continental European experience through McKennie, Reyna, Tillman, Pepi, Balogun, Dest and Weah; and MLS experience through Brady, Freese, Arfsten, Miles Robinson, Berhalter, Roldan and Zendejas.

The agency map reflects that mix. Some players are represented by large international groups, while others are with more specialised agencies. Chris Richards is linked with Roc Nation Sports, Tim Ream with CAA Stellar, Sergino Dest with E.F.M., and Christian Pulisic with Centre Circle Consulting Ltd..

There is a clear leading agency, but the squad is not controlled by one network. The USA’s player pool has become too spread out across leagues, clubs and career paths for that.

Pulisic and the single-star agency link

Christian Pulisic remains the most recognisable player in the USA squad. He is the face of the team, the biggest attacking name, and one of the players most closely tied to expectations around the tournament.

Pulisic is listed with Centre Circle Consulting Ltd., which gives the agency one of the most important individual links in the squad. Unlike THE TEAM, Centre Circle does not stand out because of volume. It stands out because of the player attached to it.

That is an important distinction in squad representation. Some agencies shape a national team through numbers. Others appear through one star whose importance outweighs the count.

YMU and ROOF in midfield

YMU Management Ltd. has two players in the USA squad: Tyler Adams and Cristian Roldan. Adams is one of the team’s most important midfielders when fit, bringing ball-winning, leadership and tactical discipline. Roldan gives Pochettino experience, flexibility and a trusted squad option from MLS.

ROOF is also represented by two players, Gio Reyna and Malik Tillman. Both carry creative value. Reyna remains one of the most gifted American players on the ball, while Tillman brings size, technical quality and attacking-midfield flexibility.

Together, YMU and ROOF give the squad two different midfield profiles. YMU is connected with control, experience and reliability. ROOF is linked with creativity, upside and final-third invention.

The forward group is spread across agencies

The USA’s centre-forward options are not grouped under one representative structure. Folarin Balogun is linked with Elite Project Group, Ricardo Pepi with SXI, and Haji Wright with SEG.

That gives Pochettino three different striker profiles and three different agency connections. Balogun brings movement and penalty-box instincts, Pepi brings finishing and development from the Dutch league, and Wright offers size, running power and a different physical profile.

Timothy Weah, listed with BS Group International, and Alejandro Zendejas, listed with PitZGroup, add further attacking width and variety.

Omitted players

Some of the biggest discussion around Pochettino’s squad has focused on players left out. Tanner Tessmann, Diego Luna and Aidan Morris were widely discussed omissions. Tessmann is linked with PROSPORT Management, while Morris is linked with THE TEAM. Luna is listed with Supra Soccer Agency, but I did not find a FootballAgencies profile for that agency.

Josh Sargent was another forward in the wider conversation. He is linked with THE TEAM, but Pochettino chose Balogun, Pepi and Wright as his striker group.

The wider agency picture

Beyond the biggest names, the squad includes several single-player agency connections. Remington Ellis Management is connected with Matt Freese, [Mag Mile Sport] appears with Chris Brady, CAA Stellar with Tim Ream, Roc Nation Sports with Chris Richards, and E.F.M. with Sergino Dest.

Auston Trusty is the one player in the table without a publicly listed agency. That gives the USA list one exception in a squad otherwise full of traceable representation links.

This wider spread shows how far the USMNT player pool now reaches. The squad is no longer built mainly around one domestic pathway. Players arrive from MLS, England, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Scotland, Mexico and elsewhere, and their representatives reflect that international spread.

Small agency breakdown

THE TEAM has the largest presence with 10 players.

YMU Management Ltd. has 2 players.

ROOF has 2 players.

Mag Mile Sport, Remington Ellis Management, E.F.M., CAA Stellar, Roc Nation Sports, Centre Circle Consulting Ltd., BS Group International, PitZGroup, Elite Project Group, SXI and SEG each have 1 player.

One player, Auston Trusty, is not publicly listed with an agency.

Conclusion

The USA’s 2026 World Cup squad is a football story about home pressure, Pochettino’s choices and the next stage of the USMNT project. But it is also a representation story.

THE TEAM is the clear leader, with ten players across the squad. YMU Management Ltd. and ROOF add multiple-player connections, while Pulisic, Richards, Ream, Balogun, Pepi and Wright bring other agencies into the picture.

That mix reflects where the USMNT is in 2026. It is broader, more international and more commercially mature than earlier generations. The agencies behind the players are now part of the wider story of how the United States arrives at a home World Cup.