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With the 2026 FIFA World Cup growing ever closer, the U.S. Men’s National Team will also soon be announced. But let’s back up a bit first. Soccer fans from north Texas may recall the American squad that played in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup had a strong Dallas presence. Jesus Ferreira, Walker Zimmerman, Shaq Moore and Kellyn Acosta were but a few of the North Texas-connected talents that repped the Stars and Stripes.
If you are wondering whether or not this year’s men’s team will also have a distinct North Texas vibe, rest assured, it almost certainly will. In fact, there’s a good chance it’ll have several players that have spent time playing for FC Dallas or the acclaimed FC Dallas youth academy who were not a part of the 2022 World Cup squad, a sign that the talent pool around here is deep.
“This isn’t just the result of something in the water in Texas,” Fox soccer analyst and U.S. national team legend Alexi Lalas, told Texas Monthly prior to the 2022 tournament. “The Dallas area, specifically, is just teeming with talent, and FC Dallas has leaned into developing that talent really well for many years now.”
And to be clear, not everyone on the USMNT is some kid born and raised in the suburbs. It’s perhaps slightly more complicated, but for the most part, to be eligible for the USMNT, a player more or less only needs to be eligible for an American passport, so there are players with an array of family histories and heritages on the American squad.
For added Dallas flavor a pair of FC Dallas players will be wearing the kits of their non-U.S. countries in the World Cup as well, with Petar Musa being called up to Croatia’s always stout national team and Deedson Louicius getting the nod from his home of Haiti. The USMNT roster was scheduled to be revealed during a live event on Tuesday in New York City, but instead, the roster became public. The biggest snub according to many experts has an FC Dallas history, while the roster still has plenty of local flavor.
Chris Richards
Before May 17, Chris Richards was among the few absolute no-brainer picks for the 2026 squad. But that night, the 26-year-old center-back who played two seasons as a teen in the FC Dallas youth system before heading to Germany to play in 2019, tore a pair of ligaments in his ankle.
The damage was reportedly minor and apparently not concerning enough to dissuade head coach Mauricio Pochettino, but such a scare so close to the tournament is never minor. Like fellow countrymen Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun, Richards has made a sizable splash in Europe, so for fans from North Texas and beyond, not having the reigning USMNT player of the year not suiting up is too much to bear.
Weston McKennie
Aside from Pulisic, Little Elm native Weston McKennie might be the biggest global name regularly on the USMNT roster. After spending a couple of years in the FC Dallas youth system, McKennie left for Germany just before Richards did, where he spent four years before making the major jump to join Juventus in Italy, one of the world’s chief superpower clubs. After some early turbulence with the club, McKennie has come to be known as one of Juve’s most durable, dependable players. Although he performed respectably during the 2022 Cup, he hasn’t dominated on the national team quite as much, so 2026 is the perfect time to start.
Ricardo Pepi
It was only Texas soccer observers who thought the former FC Dallas all-star was unfairly left off of the 2022 World Cup squad. As a 19-year-old, Pepi took international soccer by storm by scoring early and often in some of his first international matches, which just happened to be during the 2022 World Cup qualification. In the years since, Pepi’s skill, scoring and reputation has only grown. He’s battled through some significant injuries, but has become a star in the highly competitive Dutch top-level league. Depending on which formation Pochettino chooses for a given Cup match, Pepi could be slotted in as the starting striker for the biggest matches of his life, and perhaps American history.
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Alex Zendejas
The 28-year-old winger left FC Dallas a decade ago for Liga MX and he has made the most of his time in Mexico’s top division, especially since joining superclub America in 2022. In 2023, Zendejas grabbed headlines by choosing to play for the USMNT instead of Mexico, where he was born, following a feverish recruiting campaign by both countries. He hasn’t seen just a ton of opportunities over the past three years of national team play, which is why there has been some surprise expressed by pundits over his inclusion, but he could certainly be a high energy substitute or injury replacement should the opportunity reveal itself in 2026.
The Snub: Tanner Tessman
When the roster was leaked, much of the national reaction seemed to involve the former FC Dallas midfielder not being included. Tessman is a great example of why many have called the current generation of American soccer players “the golden generation.” He’s isn’t a marquee star like Pulisic or McKennie is, yet he was impressive enough during his years in Frisco to get some of the top teams in Europe to chase him down. Now playing for French side Lyon, Tessman’s a big player who can handle the ball with the skill of a small, speedy type, creatively and precisely passing the ball downfield with ease to put the players out front into prime scoring positions. At only 24 years old, Tessman could very well be the next Pepi by barely missing this World Cup, only to make his case undeniable four years from now.
