FIFA World Cup 2026™ is less than a month away, and as the days roll by, everyone’s refreshing Twitter (no, I’m not calling it X) in hopes of seeing their favorite players called up to their national teams. For the Loons, defender and captain Michael Boxall has already been selected to represent the All-Whites, and Carlos Harvey and James Rodríguez are expected to follow for Panama and Colombia in short order. (James, of course, was granted early leave to report to Colombian National Team training, so we’re thinking he’s a pretty safe bet to get the nod.)

This weekend, a handful of other World Cup hopefuls will take to the pitch at Allianz Field as the Black and Blue host a rising Real Salt Lake. It’s one last chance for these aspiring national team players to impress as coaches make their final roster decisions. Without further ado, let’s dive into who these guys are and what makes them good enough to stand on that global stage.

Diego Luna

Not to be confused with the actor Diego Luna who’s taking down the Empire, RSL’s Diego Luna is the most obvious choice here for the U.S. Men’s National Team (which was the name of my intramural basketball team in college, thank you for asking). With a playstyle about as unpredictable as the color of his hair, he’s a huge presence in the midfield. 

A knee injury forced him to miss the March call-up window, which has raised some doubt about his guarantee of a spot on the roster this summer. I wouldn’t count him out, though — he’s bounced back strong, logging four goals and three assists despite missing the first chunk of the season.

Luna has 18 caps, four goals, and four assists on the senior national team. He’s versatile enough to be a real asset in the midfield regardless of who he’s playing alongside, he knows how to make it count in the final third, and he brings a scrappy determination that this U.S. team is often accused of lacking. I think it’d be a mistake to leave him off this roster.

Juan Manuel Sanabria (JuanMa)

Defender Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Sanabria was called up to the Uruguayan national team during the March 2026 window. Despite being a newer addition to the Claret and Cobalt, he has quickly become a staple on the back line with his strong left foot and versatility in position. Sanabria made his debut with the senior national team on October 1, 2025, and scored just three days later in a win over Uzbekistan. He’s logged a total of five caps with the senior team but has an impressive 88 caps across Uruguay’s youth national teams, certainly not a stranger to the global stage.

Marcelo Bielsa, who has been at the helm of Uruguay’s national team since 2023, hasn’t publicly set a date to release his squad for the World Cup, but Sanabria’s place on the preliminary lineup seems promising as far as his summer selection goes.

Zavier Gozo

Here we go: the kid nobody can stop talking about. Homegrown midfielder Zavier Gozo has taken Real Salt Lake by storm this season at the ripe age of 19, scoring six goals, logging four assists, and being an all-around menace to every opponent the squad takes on. The attacking trio he forms with Luna and Sergi Solans is easily one of the strongest in the league right now, and his recent performance has been drumming up a lot of attention. How many headlines have we seen in the last month tying Gozo to the USMNT? The people love him, and they want him on Pochettino’s roster.

Though Gozo has made appearances for the national U20 team, he has no senior team caps. Adding him to the list as an impact player off the bench would be a big statement in terms of the direction American soccer is going, with a lot of the heavy lifting around MLS this season being done by the youngsters. Having someone so untested jump into the biggest soccer tournament in the world is a risk, but it might just be the creative, unexpected one the U.S. needs right now.

I mean, come on:

Is he the wunderkind who’s going to revolutionize the USMNT? Probably not yet, but he’s definitely on the right path — with interest from big-time European clubs already pouring in, this kid is not long for Major League Soccer, and everyone knows it. Plus, you literally can’t spell golazo without Gozo. Feels a little like destiny to me

We’ll find out if Pochettino feels the same on May 26, when the USMNT is set to reveal the list of 26 players who will take on the World Cup this summer.