From good health to Noahkai Banks’ rise - Five holiday gifts on Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT and Emma Hayes’ USWNT wish list ahead of 2026

Put this right one right at the top of the list. There would be no greater gift than the gift of health, particularly because few teams in the world ever get given that gift.

Last cycle, the U.S. lost Miles Robinson and Chris Richards for the 2022 tournament, while Gio Reyna, too, was hampered in Qatar. There will almost certainly be an injury or two ahead of next summer. The U.S. have already been spared on two injuries just this month, as Tyler Adams and Chris Richards both avoided longer-term absences and will be back with more than enough time to spare.

Let the U.S. ask, then, for all injuries, should they happen, to be minor, because anything major can greatly alter this team's ceiling ahead of next summer's tournament.

It's now been a year and a half or so since we saw Triple Espresso dominate the Olympics. In the calendar year of 2025, the members of that trio made a whopping one USWNT appearance between them. Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson are set to return after giving birth, while Trinity Rodman is hoping to put her injury issues behind her. Maybe 2026 brings the USWNT the gift of a healthy attack, then.

It would surely make things fun. With that trio out of action, we saw players like Catarina Macario, Alyssa Thompson, and Ally Sentnor take massive leaps forward, inserting their names into the competition for those starting spots. Now, with Rodman, Swanson, and Wilson set to return, the U.S. has a new-look attack, although that attack could certainly use that injection of talent given how good those players are.

The gift, then, will be for those three to have form and fitness throughout 2026 as the USWNT begins another evolution.

In an ideal world, every USMNT star will play meaningful minutes for their clubs. We're focusing on two right now, though, who have had playing time hard to come by over the last year or so.

First up is Gio Reyna, who seems to finally be on the right track at Borussia Monchengladbach. He's getting starts and is beginning to look like his old self. Now, it's all about sustaining it and, if he does, there's a legit chance he makes a run to the World Cup. If that happens, who knows? Reyna is more than talented enough to be a difference maker at next summer's tournament.

Same for Yunus Musah, who has hardly seen the field at Atalanta. He got just his second Serie A start of this season this past weekend, and the hope will be that this is a sign of things to come. Musah, too, is an elite talent, although he hasn't been able to put it all together since his big breakout at the 2022 World Cup. It would have been unfathomable at that point to imagine him not participating in 2026. Realistically, that might happen if he doesn't see the field.

Playing time may or may not change the equation for them, but they'll hope it comes so they can at least make Pochettino's decisions just a little bit harder.

For anyone who follows talent development, progress isn't linear. There are peaks and valleys, and sometimes those valleys win out, resulting in a player peaking earlier than many would expect. For a team like the USWNT, then, the hope will be that the young stars continue to trend upwards, largely because those particular players have such high ceilings to chase.

Look at Lily Yohannes, for example, who has the potential to be one of the best players in the world. So far, the progress has all been fairly vertical for her, which is great news for both her and the USWNT. How will she handle 2026, a year in which she may theoretically be given a much bigger role? It'll be one of the big storylines to watch this upcoming year.

Same with someone like Jaedyn Shaw, who had her valleys to start 2025. She played her way right through them, found herself, and regained star status towards the end of the year. Are those down moments fully behind her? What can a confident and motivated Shaw look like in 2026?

They aren't the only ones. Alyssa Thompson, Claire Hutton, Olivia Moultrie, Gisele Thompson, Jordyn Bugg, Sentnor - all young players with high ceilings that will no doubt face challenges. The U.S., then, will hope those challenges are the right ones that allow them to peak in time for the World Cup.

Speaking of young players, there aren't many who can realistically play their way into a USMNT role at the World Cup. With only two friendlies remaining, it'll be tough for a "outsider" to make a sudden rise if they haven't really been part of the group over the last year or so. That's largely because there are so many good players in that group who have proven that they are World Cup quality.

There is one, though: Noakai Banks. He was with the U.S. this fall but is still awaiting his first cap. Could it come this March, and could that be the start of a World Cup run for the teenage centerback?

It's possible. Center back is one position in a state of flux, one featuring multiple contenders for the three starting gigs. Richards is locked in if healthy, but the other two spots are largely up for grabs, with players like Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty all vying for them. If Banks keeps thriving with Augsburg, as he has for the last few months, he could be right in that mix and, if he continues his current trajectory, he might just be a player that could be counted on at this World Cup and beyond.