The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a mainstay of the summer sports calendar, with Team USA looking to replicate the accomplishments of the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey teams.
But does the U.S. men’s soccer roster feature as many Michiganders as the hockey rosters?
Unsurprisingly, the answer is no. The U.S. men’s hockey roster featured six players originally from Michigan, including Canton’s Jack Hughes, who scored the game-medal winning goal in overtime against Canada to give the U.S. its first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s team featured two Michiganders, including Farmington’s Megan Keller, who also scored a gold medal-winning goal against Canada in the women’s tournament.
But no Michigander will score a game-winning penalty kick for the U.S. in the World Cup − because there are no players on the U.S. team from Michigan.
The USMNT player who grew up closest to Michigan is goalie Chris Brady, who is from Naperville, Illinois (just outside of Chicago). Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, son of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, was born in London but grew up in Columbus, Ohio.
Defender DeJuan Jones, currently with the San Jose Earthquakes, is a native of Lansing and played for Michigan State from 2015-18. He has made 10 appearances for the USMMNT since 2023, but was not named to the World Cup roster.
And if you really want to stretch the definition of Michigander, forward and USMNT star Christian Pulisic briefly played for the Michigan Rush (now the Michigan Jaguars based in Novi) while he was a kid.
Are any USMNT players from Michigan?
There are no players on the 2026 USMNT World Cup roster who were born in Michigan.
The most famous USMNT player from Michigan is Alexi Lalas, a Birmingham native who played in the 1994 World Cup. Though Lalas has a storied soccer career, he has arguably become even more famous as a polarizing soccer media personality.
USMNT World Cup roster 2026
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution).
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), 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).
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen).
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América).
U.S. World Cup matches
The U.S. will play three group-stage matches, all on the west coast, to kick off its World Cup run.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The US World Cup roster does not feature a Michigan-born player
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
