Nine MLS players make USMNT roster for March friendlies

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino named nine MLS players to his 27-man roster for the U.S. Men's National Team's friendlies this month against Belgium and Portugal.

The MLS players on the roster released Tuesday include all four goalkeepers: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire) and Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati). Defenders Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew) and Tim Ream (Charlotte FC) made the cut, as did midfielders Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps) and Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders).

The tuneups for this summer's FIFA World Cup in North America are critical, with both opponents ranked in the top 10 in the FIFA world rankings.

The U.S., currently ranked 15th, will face No. 9 Belgium on March 28 and No. 6 Portugal on March 31, with both matches at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"We have spent the last 18 months developing the player pool so we can be prepared to make the correct decisions for the World Cup roster, and this is another valuable opportunity," Pochettino said. "We must treat these games like they are a part of the World Cup, and what is most important is that the players bring the right mentality and commitment to the group."

The USMNT will have one more camp before its June 12 FIFA World Cup opener against Paraguay.

Pochettino's team will face Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte, N.C., and will take on Germany on June 6 in Chicago.

The rest of the roster for the USMNT's first camp in 2026, with players to begin reporting on March 22:

DEFENDERS: Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Auston Trusty (Celtic).

MIDFIELDERS: Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Gio Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon) and Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen).

FORWARDS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) and Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille).

--Field Level Media