Photo: Cisco’s Art/TopBin90
By Billy McGee – @iambillymcgee
As the 2026 World Cup nears, the United States’ Men’s National Team roster has been released. After beating Senegal 3-2 in Charlotte, they play one final friendly against Germany in Chicago before the World Cup kicks off.
Eight players who made the roster are former college soccer players. Here’s a look at the US internationals for the World Cup that went through the college pathway:
Matt Freese – Harvard
New York City FC’s goalkeeper played two seasons for Harvard, where he was named Second Team All-Ivy in his sophomore season before signing a homegrown contract with the Philadelphia Union. Freese has made 14 appearances for the USMNT, keeping three clean sheets and winning eight of those games.
Matt Turner – Fairfield
Turner has the most experience at the international level of any US goalkeeper, appearing in 54 games. Before his professional career, he played at Fairfield, starting his final two seasons. In his last two seasons at Fairfield, he made 37 appearances, allowed just 29 goals, made 151 saves, and had a record of 14-9-12 as the starter. Turner now plays for the New England Revolution, on his second stint there after making the move to play in Europe in 2022.
Max Arfsten – UC-Davis
The Fresno, CA native played his college ball at UC Davis from 2019-2021, but only played in two seasons due to the 2020 season being cancelled by COVID. In his two seasons playing, he started 34 of his 39 games, scored nine goals, and assisted another eight. He decided to leave college early following the 2021 season, signing on to play for San Jose Earthquakes II in 2022 before being eligible for the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected 14th overall by the Columbus Crew. Arfsten has 19 caps for the USMNT, scoring one goal and assisting another five.
Mark McKenzie – Wake Forest
The Toulouse center back played one season at Wake Forest in 2017, starting five of his 16 appearances before signing a homegrown contract with the Philadelphia Union. McKenzie played three years for the Union before making the move to join Genk in the Belgian Pro League in 2021. He has made 28 appearances at the senior international level for the United States.
Tim Ream – St. Louis
The veteran of the USMNT roster, Tim Ream, played four seasons for the St. Louis University Billikens from 2006-2009. He started 68 games across his four seasons in college before being drafted by the New York Red Bulls in the second round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. He played two years for NYRB before moving to play in Europe and eventually returning to play in MLS for Charlotte FC in 2024. He has 81 caps at center back for the USMNT, recording one goal and four assists.
Miles Robinson – Syracuse
Robinson played two seasons at Syracuse, starting all 42 games he appeared in before being selected by Atlanta United with the second pick of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. At Syracuse, he scored eight goals and assisted another from the center back position. He has played his entire professional career in MLS, signing with FC Cincinnati prior to the start of the 2024 season. At the international level, he has 39 caps for the US, scoring three goals.
Sebastian Berhalter – UNC
The son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, Sebastian Berhalter (pictured above) played a single season for the Tarheels, starting nine of his 17 games. After his season at UNC, he signed with the Columbus Crew, where he played one season, being loaned to Austin FC the next season, then made the move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he now plays. He broke out in the 2025 season, scoring four goals and assisting 12 in MLS play and earning his first USMNT call-up. Berhalter has 12 caps for the USMNT, scoring one goal and assisting three.
Cristian Roldan – Washington
The captain of the Seattle Sounders, Cristian Roldan, played two seasons in college for Washington, scoring 10 goals and assisting six, and being named to the All-PAC-12 First Team in both seasons. Since leaving college, he has been a mainstay in Seattle, making 319 appearances for the Sounders and having 46 caps for the United States, recording five assists.
