The U.S. men’s national team has a host of bright, young stars coming up through its ranks, but Noahkai Banks won’t be one of them anymore. The 19-year-old prized center back, a German-American dual-national, has swapped allegiances, an unexpected change in course that manager Mauricio Pochettino has since made peace with.
Banks was originally listed as a U.S. player, having represented the Stars and Stripes at various youth levels. He even accepted a call-up to a senior USMNT camp in September 2025, amid establishing himself as a stalwart on the backline for FC Augsburg and one of the most talented young players in all of the German Bundesliga. He has since filed for a one-time change of association, though, per The Athletic, enabling him to compete in the international break for Germany’s U-21 squad in three Euro qualifying matches, marking the first time he will represent Germany at any level.
Germany U-21 manager Antonio Di Salvo confirmed Banks’s future commitment to the German national team. “We’ve been in contact with both of them for a while now and had focused our efforts on them,” Di Salvo said in a news statement on Friday, regarding Banks and German-Tunisian dual-national Louey Ben Farhat. “I’m very pleased that we have been able to lay out a future pathway with Germany for them and that they agreed with it.”
Banks’s change in course is rather unexpected. He had the USMNT tagged in his Instagram bio just a couple weeks ago, the strongest form of allegiance a Gen-Z teenager can show. Banks was also seemingly undecided less than a month ago, still “torn” between his two nationalities, which is what prompted Pochettino not to call him up for the September–October camp next week.
“We are in contact with all the potential dual-nationals,” Pochettino said to a small group of reporters before making his roster announcement. “I think it’s important for us, of course, because that is the human connection that is so important. Even if they, like in that case, [Banks], didn’t change his mind and is waiting still, no decision, and of course we cannot consider him for the next camp.”
It also comes as a major blow to the USMNT, which is light on reliable center backs and could have feasibly stuck the towering 6'3" Banks right into the starting lineup at the 2026 World Cup. He declined joining the Stars and Stripes in March, though, for one of the final meetups before the tournament, insisting that not even soccer’s grandest affair would pressure him into making a decision before he was ready.
Pochettino, though, is choosing to be unfazed by Banks’s shock swap.
‘Commitment’—Pochettino Reaffirms USMNT’s Core Values
“We want players who show commitment,” Pochettino told reporters on Friday night at Yankee Stadium ahead of the Hudson River derby between New York City FC and Red Bull New York.
“Commitment is not 50%, it’s 200%. It’s good, he was honest. We want players who want to commit and are desperate to play for the badge. That’s the most important thing.”
Added U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson, who was also present at Yankee Stadium: “We want players who want to represent U.S. Soccer. Our job is to give them the best platform to do that. We know there are millions of kids waking up in this country who are desperate to play for this national team.”
Pochettino named a 28-player roster for the expanded September–October international window, which features four friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. Twelve of those players received call-ups for the very first time.
“When some of the young players received [their first call-up], they cried,” Pochettino said. “It was very emotional. It was their dream. That’s what we want, to feel that passion.”
The international window kicks off on Monday with the USMNT first taking the pitch in Orlando on Sept. 26 against Peru.
READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
- How Can Cavan Sullivan Avoid Suffering the Fate of Fallen USMNT Prodigy Freddy Adu?
- MLS Predictions: Hudson River Derby, USMNT Call-Ups Headline Matchday 27
- USMNT Called Up Eight Teenagers—Pochettino Says It’s Not Some Silly Experiment
- USMNT’s Predicted Lineup for 2026 Fall Friendlies Following Roster Reveal
