Here are the local Mass. ties on the U.S. World Cup roster

Morning Sports Update

Both goalkeepers vying for starting minutes have ties to the area, along with center-back Miles Robinson.

Matt Turner holds his U.S. jersey as the World Cup roster is announced on May 26. Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images

By Hayden Bird

May 27, 2026 | 11:16 AM

3 minutes to read

The local ties on the U.S. World Cup squad: The United States men’s soccer roster was officially unveiled on Tuesday, confirming an earlier report from The Guardian.

U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino made a few eyebrow-raising choices on his squad of 26, including the selection of Gio Reyna (and the exclusion of Diego Luna).

Included in his selection were a few local ties to the Boston area. Here’s a quick rundown:

Matt Turner: The most prominent local World Cup connection is Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. The 31-year-old returned to New England from his multi-year stint in Europe last summer, hoping to get more playing time in a bid to return to the national team.

Turner has responded by returning to the kind of form that led to him winning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021, with New England making a corresponding surge up the standings.

It’s the second World Cup roster for Turner, who started for the U.S. in the 2022 run to the Round of 16. Whether or not he starts again is still up in the air largely thanks to the next person on the list.

Matt Freese: There’s always a Harvard connection, and for the U.S. team it takes the form of goalkeeper Matt Freese. Now 27, Freese has been a mainstay at New York City FC, and has made an increasing number of starts under Pochetinno.

Freese could become the second former Harvard player to ever play in a World Cup, after Boston Legacy FC midfielder Josefine Hasbo was the first (playing for Denmark at the 2023 women’s edition of the World Cup).

Having displayed a strong capacity to save penalty kicks, Freese could be an important asset to the U.S. if it reaches the knockout round. His status as starter is far from certain, but if games kicked off tomorrow, Freese would likely be in net.

Miles Robinson: The FC Cincinnati center-back is originally from Arlington, eventually playing for the Boston Bolts prior to heading to Syracuse for college.

After a fairly swift rise through the U.S. system to the national team, Robinson was extremely unlucky to miss out on the 2022 World Cup after he tore his left Achilles tendon prior to the tournament.

Since then, he’s worked his way back to form playing for Cincinnati. Though he might not be included in too many of the projected starting lineups, things can change quickly during a World Cup.

Had to add 26 guys into the group chat. 📲

This is what it means. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/N3IO3ru1Fy

— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) May 26, 2026

Here’s the full U.S. squad:

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England)

Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry), Alejandro Zendejas (América)

Trivia: What future U.S. men’s national team head coach scored five goals at the 1994 World Cup as a player?

(Answer at the bottom.)

Hint: He played for a different country.

Scores and schedules:

The Red Sox lost to the Braves 7-6 on Tuesday. The two teams play again this evening at Fenway Park at 6:45 p.m.

On Saturday, Legacy FC will face the Current in Kansas City at 1:30 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

The NBA Coach of the Year: Joe Mazzulla might not love the award, but he was the deserving winner.

On this day: In 2023, Derrick White hit a buzzer-beater tip-in to hand the Celtics a dramatic 104-103 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The win tied the series at 3-3, forcing a pivotal Game 7. Boston ultimately lost to Miami, though White’s postseason moment will live on as a magical (albeit fleeting) moment of glory.

Daily highlight: Ivar Stenberg absolutely cut up the Slovakian defense before firing in a goal in Sweden’s 4-2 preliminary round win at the 2026 IIHF World Championship.

WHAT A GOAL BY IVAR STENBERG 🔥🇸🇪 #MensWorlds #IIHF @trekronorse pic.twitter.com/jE9kRFnb86

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 26, 2026

Trivia answer: Jürgen Klinsmann

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.