Mauricio Pochettino has already trialed a whopping 75 players since taking charge of the U.S. men’s national team two years ago. Now, he faces the cumbersome task of whittling down his squad and solidifying his strongest 26-man team. Out of all the selection headaches that the Argentine manager has to contend with, perhaps none is as confounding as the midfield.

From the 2026 World Cup squad, only Cristian Roldan—who will be 35 years old in four years’ time—will likely no longer be an option for the 2030 World Cup. As for the other midfielders who have been rostered in the past 12 months, none of them will be older than 31 come 2030.

With players like Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Brenden Aaronson flourishing in Europe and Adri Mehmeti, James Sands and Timothy Tillman making their mark in Major League Soccer, Pochettino has a deep contingent of midfielders to choose from.…