It’s officially one month out from the start of the 2026 World Cup, and the pressure has never been higher on players to make a last-gasp run towards the U.S. men’s national team squad for this summer.
With scouts scouring the globe for the end of some seasons and the middle of others, the latest weekend of action left plenty to ponder for manager Mauricio Pochettino and his staff, especially when it came to the North American game.
At this point, it’s likely the USMNT has a good idea of what the 26-man roster will look like, set to be unveiled on May 26 in New York City—but could players still find their way onto the team?
Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at the top three performances from USMNT players this week, all of whom sit on the fringes but stand a chance to make the squad.
Gio Reyna
Gio Reyna showed more than just potential in the race for the USMNT this week, scoring his first goal of 2026 in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 3–1 loss to Augsburg in Bundesliga action on Saturday.
While he continues to struggle for minutes, his recent production is massive as the World Cup roster unveiling approaches. As much as Pochettino has lauded Reyna’s ceiling and skillset, the midfielder had yet to show any of it at the club level, making a World Cup call a challenge for the USMNT’s staff. He played 32 minutes on Saturday, the most time he’s gotten this calendar year.
The 23-year-old entered the game in the 58th minute and was an immediate help to their attacking energy, creating a whopping six chances in addition to his goal, even if it was not enough to claim anything but consolation contributions.
While his goal, as seen above in the highlights, stands out, the moment below really showed the qualities Reyna can bring to a team. As seen in the first frame, he collects the ball, quickly scans the situation, then drives forward for several touches before passing to a wide teammate while continuing his run.
The camera shifts in its positioning, leaving the run out of video, but Reyna sprints up the pitch to get to the top of the box, where he sets up for a holdup to lay off a simple pass to Hugo Bolin, who sends a shot over the bar. That progression, however, is one that few players can successfully orchestrate and quickly breaks lines before an opponent can adapt.
Reyna is now up to 487 Bundesliga minutes this season across 18 matches. It’s not a big sample size, but it might just be enough for him to earn a World Cup spot under Pochettino.
Alex Zendejas
As the race for the USMNT striker positions heats up between the likes of Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi (who scored again this weekend), Haji Wright and even Brian White, are we all forgetting about Alex Zenedejas?
Capped three times by the USMNT, Zendejas was arguably the best U.S. player on the weekend, with a brace and an assist for Club América in a three-goal comeback against Pumas UNAM in the Liga MX Liguilla. The two-leg series ended 6–6 on aggregate, and unfortunately for eighth-seeded América, it meant Pumas advanced as the higher-seeded team, the tiebreaker instead of extra time.
23': Pumas 3-0 Club America (Agg. 6-3)...
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 11, 2026
30': Pumas 3-1 Club America (Alex Zendejas assist) ⚽️
40': Pumas 3-2 Club America (Alex Zendejas goal) ⚽️
61': Pumas 3-3 Club America (Alex Zendejas goal) ⚽️
EPIC COMEBACK FROM @CLUBAMERICA_EN IN THE LIGA MX QUARTERFINAL SECOND LEG 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZmTYb6a0pP
Yet that doesn’t diminish how strong Zendejas’s performance was, spearheading the titanic effort. First, he assisted Patricio Salas off the corner kick at the 30th minute, before scoring a penalty against Costa Rican legend Keylor Navas in the 40th minute.
Midway through the second half, he beat Navas in the air to nod in a close-range header, pulling América to level and giving them an improbable chance at advancing. He ended the night having created six chances, while bringing his form to four goals and three assists in his last five games.
Although he hasn’t played for the USMNT since scoring against Japan in September, he is undoubtedly a consideration after this weekend.
Jack McGlynn
Much like Zendejas, Jack McGlynn has been on the outside of most USMNT conversations. Yet, this weekend’s performance might have shot the midfielder up those lists, as he netted two outstanding goals in the Houston Dynamo’s 4–1 beatdown of LAFC.
McGlynn, who scored against the USMNT’s Group D opponents, Türkiye, in a pre-2025 Concacaf Gold Cup friendly, scored a trademark left-foot screamer from outside the box to open the scoring at BMO Stadium on Sunday night. He later added a side-footed finish from close in the 55th minute.
His commanding show came in front of the right eyes as well, with USMNT assistant coach Jesus Perez in attendance and at a stadium less than eight miles from SoFi Stadium, where the USMNT will open the World Cup against Paraguay on June 12.
“It’s on your mind. The No. 1 objective for any player is to play in the World Cup,” McGlynn said after the match. “Being in [LA], seeing all the signs and everything, kind of gets you up for it and gets you in the mood to have a performance like tonight.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT’s Three Best Players of the Week: Reyna’s Surprise Outing, Zendejas Dazzles in Mexico.
