USMNT March squad Rondo: Has Mauricio Pochettino got his roster right? Is Gio Reyna's inclusion fair? And are there any snubs?

Tom Hindle: It looks a hell of a lot like one designed to compete at a World Cup. Save for a couple of injury absentees, this feels like a time-to-stop-messing-around lads sort of squad. A fair few have pointed out that Pochettino has gone back on his "you have to earn it" policy, but it's nearly World Cup time - so grow up. Those Belgium and Portugal friendlies now look massive.

Ryan Tolmich: About as strong as could be, given the injury absences. Are there a few decisions to nitpick or question? Sure, but this is also a pretty strong USMNT group that should look somewhat like the World Cup team. Pochettino said the World Cup begins in March; this roster indicates he meant it.

TH: It's massive. The USMNT are a good side, but they will need a true attacking maverick to break teams down when things get messy. Is Reyna a perfect attacking player? No. Can he run for 90 minutes? Not a chance. But as a spark in a 26-man squad, he makes tons of sense. He was terrific in November, and should he offer anything, then get him on the plane this summer. As for fairness... who cares? It's time to get serious.

RT: It doesn't matter if it's fair. The real question is much simpler: does he make the team better? Pochettino clearly believes he does, which is why he's here. It's easy to see why he believes it, too, given Reyna's talent. Fair or unfair, it doesn't matter; all that matters is if Reyna can meaningfully contribute.

TH: Well, it's not great, is it? The Banks' situation is interesting. Dual national panic is real in the United States, and Banks is the kind of perfectly decent young center back who can add depth at the World Cup. He is not a starting-caliber player - not yet, at least. This is a child who is, in all likelihood, not going to play for Germany anytime soon. There is a very real chance he picks the USMNT, anyway. Plus, there is a real danger of assuming that 19-year-old center backs are going to be all that good. It would be nice if he could just skip the flirtations and sort it out, though! Folarin Balogun ended up here. Maybe Banks will do the same.

RT: Pretty worried, not just for 2026 but beyond. If a spot at a home World Cup isn't enticing enough for Banks to shut the door on Germany, then he really must be conflicted, which makes this a 50-50 battle, at best. Banks is, of course, a top center back prospect, one who would instantly change the player pool for several cycles. The decision is up to him, though.

TH: Can we interest you in some Mark McKenzie propaganda? No matter which way you look at things, there is a center back spot open here. Chris Richards and Tim Ream look like locks at the moment. The third? Well, that's up for grabs. McKenzie is a reliable defender, and probably deserves that spot. He could snatch it for good here.

RT: Patrick Agyemang is the big one. He's sort of fallen back in the striker race, solely due to the nuclear form of the other three. In reality, though, Agyemang has been pretty good, too, and nothing boosts a stock quite like a good USMNT camp. If he can get minutes and then make the most of them, he can at least make that striker decision that much harder and ensure it goes down to the wire, regardless of the form of the other three.

TH: Tim Weah, show us what you can do. One of the issues with this modified 3-4-2-1 is that there is no natural width in the side. Weah has been rather misused as a wing-back for years now, and it would be a shame to see him chucked into the side in a similar spot for the U.S. Let's see where he fits here, where there isn't a spot for a natural wide attacking player.

RT: The centerbacks, whatever combination that is. Chris Richards is in. Tim Ream might be, too. As for that third spot, it's still wildly uncertain. Give Mark McKenzie a legit chance. Give Auston Trusty or Miles Robinson one, too. This is the chance to see what those three have to offer against really good teams and maybe make that decision a little bit easier.

TH: Are there really any significant ones? There will be some, no doubt, who call for Yunus Musah's inclusion. But there's already depth at his position. Otherwise, this seems just about right.

RT: Yunus Musah, for sure. He merits the same argument as Reyna, being a top-level talent who raises the team's ceiling. It wasn't enough for Musah, though, despite the fact he's been in better form than Reyna. Maybe there's a final push to the World Cup, but it'll be tougher now, for sure.