Captain America: Who will skipper USMNT at 2026 World Cup? Freddy Adu explains why Christian Pulisic could be overlooked in Landon Donovan comparison

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is being charged with the task of settling on one senior star to fill the role of on-field leader when FIFA’s flagship event heads to North America. A talismanic presence that continues to ply his club trade for Serie A giants AC Milan will undoubtedly come into the Argentine tactician’s thoughts.

Adu has, however, said: “I think you let a guy like Pulisic just go in there and just play. He's already being called Captain America!” That is one of the considerations that needs to be factored into the equation when settling upon a major tournament skipper - who already has enough on their plate without the need for added responsibility?

Pulisic would appear to tick that box, with the United States often looking to the all-action 27-year-old for inspiration. With that in mind, should he - like leading figures before him - be ruled out of the running?

When asked to name his captain of America, ex-USMNT Adu - speaking exclusively to GOAL via the home of World Cup betting - said: “I think Tyler did a great job when he was a captain during the last World Cup. I personally would stick with him as the captain still.

“But I can see Poch giving the captain's armband to a Pulisic or Tim Ream, for example. If Tim Ream does go to the World Cup, he has the most experience. I could see him do something like that as well, giving it to the most experienced guy. He would be the oldest guy in the team at that point. But I do think that Tyler did a really good job as captain of the team in the last World Cup. So me, personally, I would just stick with him as the captain.

“It will most likely go to Pulisic if it doesn’t go to Tyler, to be honest. That's the pros and cons you’ve got to weigh. You want him to focus on just playing and doing his thing. Or you give him the added responsibility of being captain as well.

“It's just different because during my time with a guy like Landon Donovan, who at the time was considered the best player on the team, he had the name, he had everything, but he wasn't the captain. The captain was Carlos Bocanegra at the time for the national team. That allowed Landon to just play and not have to worry about anything else, added responsibility. I think you let a guy like Pulisic go in there and just play. He's already being called Captain America!”

While being yet to settle on a captain, questions have also been asked of whether Pochettino has a favoured starting XI in mind. He has cast an eye over a huge number of players - including those that are MLS-based and playing their football further afield - with the lack of a qualification campaign allowing World Cup hosts to indulge in several experiments.

With so many names to choose from, Adu said when asked if Pochettino has a line-up pieced together that he would like to field against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12: “At this point, no. I don't think he has his best team right now. At this point, no. I think he will. There will be friendlies before the World Cup and I think he'll solidify his best XI during those friendly games.

“I do think that he has at least half the guys in mind that he knows will be starters, and the other half he has to sort. You have your regulars, you have your stamps, you have your Pulisic, you have your [Weston] McKennie, you have those. Those guys are set. Those guys are going to be the starters. But there's going to be the other guys that aren't necessarily locked down yet that are going to be fighting for a spot.

“I’ve mentioned [Folarin] Balogun before, I think he's not entrenched right now as a starter. There will be competition for that striker spot. And obviously in the midfield, there'll be a lot of competition. And in the defence, there'll be a lot of competition.”

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