Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie lead a group that will face Paraguay in Los Angeles when the tournament opens next month.
The occasion was set up as a celebration — fans gathered in the Seaport district, players walked out one by one holding up personalised shirts to the crowd, and rapper Gunna performed between announcements. The mood inside the venue, however, fractured quickly.
A fan in the crowd held up a sign reading "Poch We Want Diego Luna" within minutes of the event going live on Fox Sports, and the backlash to the Real Salt Lake midfielder's omission spread rapidly online. Luna had featured prominently in the tournament's official marketing campaign and was widely expected to feature in the squad after a strong showing at the 2025 Gold Cup and four goals in nine MLS games this season. He has been dealing with an injury but was considered available.
Pochettino declined to address the specific omissions directly.
"I don't want to talk about the players that are not in the roster. This is disrespectful to do to players that are not here," he said, before invoking his own experience of missing Argentina's squads for the 1994 and 1998 World Cups before eventually making the 2002 edition.
"It's all about belief. It's true that it's very disappointing for the people that are not here, I didn't sleep for two weeks because we care about the people and we care about our players."
The squad contains 13 players who appeared at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and 13 making their debut on the tournament's biggest stage. Among the debutants are goalkeepers Chris Brady and Matt Freese, defenders Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty, midfielders Sebastian Berhalter and Malik Tillman, and strikers Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi.
Balogun, the Monaco forward, switched his international allegiance from England to the United States in 2023. His inclusion alongside Haji Wright of newly-promoted Coventry City gives the attack options of genuine Premier League and Champions League pedigree.
The most debated inclusion is Gio Reyna of Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 23-year-old has managed just one goal and one assist in 20 appearances this season, with minimal Premier League action since a difficult loan spell at Nottingham Forest. His inclusion ahead of Luna — whose attacking numbers were considerably stronger — has drawn scrutiny.
Sebastian Berhalter's presence adds a layer of intrigue. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder is the son of former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, who was dismissed after the United States were eliminated from the 2024 Copa America in the group stage.
The United States begin their World Cup preparations with friendlies against Senegal in Charlotte and Germany in Chicago, before opening Group A against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12.
Excerpt: Mauricio Pochettino has named his 26-man USMNT squad for the 2026 World Cup, with Pulisic, Adams and McKennie leading the group — but Diego Luna's omission overshadowed a fan event in New York City.