Four Uncapped Players the USMNT Could Call Up for Concacaf Nations League—Ranked
Last month’s September-October international camp could very well prove to be the most consequential international window in recent times for the U.S. men’s national team. A total of 13 players make their international debuts in the four fall victories under manager Mauricio Pochettino, many of whom look poised to play starring roles for the Stars and Stripes in the not-so-distant future.
After naming an extended 28-man squad last month, Pochettino could be set to cut down his numbers for the upcoming November camp, as well as eschew unproven young talents for more established players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie in light of the competitive Concacaf Nations League fixtures. Nevertheless, Pochettino is known for his love of experimentation, and there are a number of uncapped stars that he could be adamant to trial in the two-game series against Haiti.
Here, Sports Illustrated dives into four currently uncapped Americans that are dominating the game domestically and could make their way onto the USMNT’s international roster next week.
4. Santiago Castañeda (Paderborn)
We've already seen two Bundesliga youngsters make their USMNT debuts this season—Mathis Albert and Cole Campbell, and the next player to do so could be Santiago Castañeda.
Castañeda left his native Tampa for Duisburg in 2023, where he had two goals and three assists in 33 appearances. He then made the step up from the 3. Bundesliga to the 2. Bundesliga in 2024 with Paderborn, quickly establishing himself as an integral figure in midfield and helping them achieve promotion to the German top flight in 2026.
At just 21, Castañeda has shown impressive signs of maturity for Paderborn and has emerged as a leader in the center of the park, astutely reading the play and distributing the ball with poise and precision. He is likely already on Pochettino’s radar, and if he continues performing like this, the Argentine will have no choice but to make him a deputy to USMNT captain Tyler Adams at the holding midfield position.
3. Samuel Adeniran (LASK Linz)
The top-scoring American in Europe actually isn't Christian Pulisic (two goals), Folarin Balogun (zero) or Giovanni Reyna (two). It's Samuel Adeniran, who has racked up 10 goals and two assists in just 13 appearances for Austrian side LASK Linz this season, including a stoppage-time winner against Celtic to seal their progression to the UEFA Champions League main draw.
Adeniran’s journey has been far from straightforward. Born in Houston to Nigerian parents, Adeniran left for Portugal at 18 years old before bouncing around from Spain to Argentina to Germany. He returned to the U.S. in 2021, enjoying spells at various USL Championship and MLS sides, such as the Philadelphia Union, Seattle Sounders and St. Louis CITY SC.
But since heading back to Europe in January 2025, Adeniran has hit his stride with LASK, leading them to a domestic double with 15 goals and five assists in 35 appearances last season. He’s in the best form of his career at 28 years old, and he could be a wild card shout for a potential call-up next month.
2. Niko Tsakiris
The San Jose Earthquakes are headed back to the MLS Cup playoffs under Bruce Arena, and one man who has helped deliver them to the postseason is Niko Tsakiris.
Four years after making his MLS debut, Tsakiris has emerged as one of the league's creative darlings, leading San Jose in assists (eight) and chances created (54). Operating in central areas, Tsakiris has thrived at dictating the tempo and threading the needle with his passes.
At 21 years old, Tsakiris’s confidence is in full flow, exemplified by his audacious dribbles out of pressure as well as his superb left-footed trivela passes. He has already won a gold and silver medal at the 2022 and 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship—winning the Golden Ball in the latter—and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his senior debut for the USMNT.
1. Taha Habroune
The Columbus Crew were always going to struggle after losing arguably the greatest player in their entire history: Darlington Nagbe. But they've recovered from a shaky start and ascended into the playoff spots, due in no small part to Taha Habroune’s contributions.
Habroune has gradually progressed from a reserve in 2024 to a rotational piece in 2025 to an undisputed starter in 2026, putting up five goals and seven assists in 40 appearances so far. The 20-year-old midfielder has combined Nagbe’s technical security with the ambition to push the ball forward and get involved in attacking sequences, leading the team in expected goals on target (5.1) and expected assists (5.4).
In the wake of Nagbe’s departure and André Gomes’s injury issues, Habroune has stepped into the fray and emerged as a vital contributor with his measured passes and progressive passing. He sits atop Columbus’ squad for chances created (49) and big chances created (13), and the youngster is only going to keep improving.
