In a game that won’t be remembered for long, Detroit City continued a positive run of form with a 0-0 draw at Loudoun United last weekend. Neither team mustered much of an attack on a rainy night in Northern Virginia. Coming of a dramatic 2-1 win over Miami FC at Keyworth in midweek, DCFC had a big chance to separate themselves a little from the big pack in pursuit of Eastern Conference leading Tampa Bay.
Danny Dichio adjusted his lineup from the one that beat Miami with ten men just three days earlier. Carlos Herrera returned to play in goal, but faced only two shots on goal, neither posing much of a threat. Abdoulaye Diop’s red card suspension meant that Kobe Hernandez-Foster took his place in midfield. He put in a hard-working display next to Ryan and Rhys Williams (no relation), but produced no telling moments. Forward Alex Dalou earned his first start since the US Open Cup run.
The back four that has been so solid for Le Rouge this season kept the Loudoun attack under wraps. Defending hasn’t been a problem this season. The retirement of long time captain Stephen Carroll and the long term injury to Michael Bryant have had no discernible impact. Haruki Yamazaki has dropped back from his midfield spot to play right back and has probably been the team’s best player this year. New signing Callum Montgomery stepped in next to Devon Amoo-Mensah to add a physically imposing presence to the center of defense. Tommy Silva has been just what the team needed at left back, solid defensively and able to move the ball forward to the team’s more attacking players.
The one problem Dichio hasn’t solved it’s finding some attacking threat away from Keyworth. DCFC mustered only two shots on goal at Loudoun. They won away in the Prinx Tires USL Cup two weeks ago, but haven’t won an away league game since April 2025. This game at Loudoun was there for the taking, but they couldn’t find a single goal.
This weekend, DCFC travels to Charleston to face the Battery at Patriot’s Point. The Battery are typically at the top of the league, but are off to a slow start. They have won just one of their last five games and slipped to sixth in the Eastern Conference. They are coming off a 1-0 loss to New Mexico United out west. The formidable Luis Zamudio starts in goal, but like the rest of the team, his 2026 hasn’t been up to his past standards. He has conceded 13 goals in 9 games, indicating their defense can be breached. Colton Swan leads the team with 3 goals. Like DCFC, the Battery is undefeated at home and has struggled on the road. Chances are it will be more of the same unless Danny Dichio can figure out how to get Le Rouge to play like they do at Keyworth.
USA ROSTER LEAKED EARLY
US Soccer planned a big launch party in New York City to announce the 26 man roster for the World Cup. That bubble burst when The Guardian published what it said will be the World Cup team at the end of last week. US Soccer has not denied the story and every other news organization has taken it as Mauricio Pochettino’s selection. Here is the leaked roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire, 0 caps/0 goals), Matt Freese (New York City, 14/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution, 53/0)
Defenders (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew, 18/1), Sergiño Dest (PSV, 37/2), Alex Freeman (Villarreal, 15/2), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse, 27/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC, 80/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, 36/3), Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 52/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati, 38/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 24/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic, 6/0)
Midfielders (4): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth, 52/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps, 11/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus, 64/12), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders, 45/0)
Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United, 57/9), Christian Pulisic (Milan, 84/32), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 36/9), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen, 28/3), Tim Weah (Marseille, 49/7), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América, 13/2)
Strikers (3): Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco, 25/8), Ricardo Pepi (PSV, 35/13), Haji Wright (Coventry City, 20/7)
Like any roster release, official or not, it’s appearance sparked a lot of debate over who is in and who is not. There are few surprises on this list. At first glance, Pochettino has selected an abundance of defenders, but left little cover in central midfield. The absence of midfielder Tanner Tessman from Olympique Lyon indicates his injury prognosis did not please US Soccer’s medical staff. He could have been a backup for Tyler Adams, a player with a history of injury and a propensity to pick up yellow cards. Aidan Morris could also have provided cover in that role, but is absent.
Among the ten defenders, the biggest worries are Chris Richards’ ankle ligament injury and Tim Ream’s age. Ream provides leadership and Richards is the most accomplished defender in the squad. Everyone associated with US Soccer, fan, coach, or otherwise, will be relieved to see that Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest have recovered from long term injuries. Alex Freeman and Joe Scally give Pochettino some flexibility while he decides whether or not to play with a back three or a back four.
Goalkeeper is not a strength, but Matt Freese and Matt Turner have been playing well in MLS. Neither is great with the ball at his feet, but as long as they keep the ball out of the US goal, that won’t matter. Freese has been the starter for much of the Pochettino era, but Turner has played in a World Cup before. We will see Pochettino’s thinking on that during the two friendly games ahead of the World Cup opener.
The only surprise among the attacking pool is the selection of Alejandro Zendejas ahead of Diego Luna. Zendejas has been lighting up the Azteca for Club America for the last year. He’s been one of their top players scoring and setting up goals. Luna has recently returned to fitness from a knee injury and scored often in MLS. This looks like Pochettino picking an older more experienced player instead of a younger player with more of a future ahead of him.
Foloran Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright are the clear choices for the forward spots. The depth in that area of the field disappeared when Patrick Agyemang tore his Achilles playing for Derby County. All three of the forwards selected have had their best seasons in Europe. Balogun and Pepi scored for their clubs in the UEFA Champions League. Pepi’s PSV team ran away with the Dutch title, while Wright’s Coventry side won the English Championship and earned automatic promotion to the Premier League. This group is the most in form of any area of the squad.
US Soccer will make the roster official this week. The team will be meeting at the new Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center just south of Atlanta to begin World Cup preparations. Chris Richards will arrive late after playing in the UEFA Conference League Final with Crystal Palace. The USA will play against Senegal on Sunday in Charlotte and then meet Germany on June 6 in Chicago to wrap up the pre-World Cup camp. The big hope is that the team will come through those games injury free and ready to kick-off the tournament against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles.
