US unveils its full World Cup roster. These 3 players are from California
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s roster has been finalized, and with that come three Californians who will be participating in the World Cup on their home soil beginning next month.
California natives Max Arfsten (Fresno), Cristian Roldan (Pico Rivera) and Haji Wright (Los Angeles) will be suiting up for USMNT when they take on Paraguay in Group D play in just 17 days.
Arfsten, a 25-year-old defender, plays for the Columbus Crew of the MLS following an abbreviated college career at UC Davis cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and a foot injury. A Fresno native, Arfsten went on to win Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 before moving on to play professionally in 2022.
Roldan, 30, plays midfield and is captain for the Seattle Sounders after playing for the University of Washington. He attended El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, a short drive east of downtown Los Angeles.
Wright, 28, has spent the bulk of his playing career in Europe. He’s currently a forward for Coventry City, which recently finished first in the EFL Championship earning promotion into the English Premier League. He scored the lone goal for USMNT in their 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the Round of 16 loss in 2022.
Overall, the roster includes 13 players who played in the last World Cup, while the other 13 will be making their debuts in the event. The roster was announced Tuesday at an event in New York City.
USMNT roster
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Matt Turner
Defenders: Arfsten, Segiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Auston Trusty
Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Weston McKennie, Roldan
Attacking midfielders or wingers: Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Malik Tillman, Tim Weah, Alejandro Zendejas
Strikers: Falorin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Wright
US World Cup Group D schedule
The U.S. is the betting favorite to win Group D. If they do, they would play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, July 1.
Here are USMNT’s three group stage matches against the remaining Group D members (All times are Pacific).
- June 12 vs. Paraguay: 6 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles
- June 19 vs. Australia: Noon at Lumen Field in Seattle
- June 25 vs. Turkey: 7 p.m. at SoFi Stadium
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 1:49 PM with the headline "US unveils its full World Cup roster. These 3 players are from California."
