Brenden Aaronson has been named in the latest U.S. Men’s National Team squad ahead of their upcoming March international fixtures, as preparations intensify for this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has selected a 27-player roster for the training camp, with the USA set to face European heavyweights Belgium and Portugal in a pair of high-profile friendlies.
The matches will offer the USMNT a valuable test against two sides ranked inside the top 10 of the FIFA Men’s World Rankings, serving as the penultimate fixtures before the final World Cup squad is confirmed.
The USA will first take on Belgium on March 28 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, before returning to the same venue three days later to face Portugal on March 31 in their final outing before the squad announcement for the tournament on home soil.
Aaronson’s inclusion comes as no surprise, with the Leeds United midfielder continuing to play a key role at both club and international level. The 23-year-old has earned 56 caps for his country - making him the fourth most experienced player in the current squad - and most recently featured in a commanding 5-1 victory over Uruguay in November.
At Elland Road, Aaronson has been a consistent presence throughout the 2025/26 campaign. He has made 32 appearances in all competitions so far this season, contributing seven goal involvements and providing energy and creativity in midfield.
His call-up underlines his importance to Pochettino’s plans as the USA look to fine-tune their squad ahead of the World Cup, with Aaronson set for further opportunities to impress on the international stage.
USMNT SQUAD
Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Alex Freeman (Villarreal/ESP), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon); Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Patrick Agyemang (Derby County), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille)
