It makes sense for U.S. Soccer to try to hype up a World Cup on home soil. But sometimes, you just have to read the room.
The U.S. men’s national team is coming off an embarrassing March window that saw the USMNT get outclassed in Atlanta by both Portugal and Belgium. And though this is the most talented USMNT player pool on paper, the excitement about the actual team just hasn’t been there.
So, what is U.S. Soccer’s solution? A three-hour (!!!) roster unveiling event.
On Tuesday, May 26, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino will announce his 26-player roster in a party at Pier 17 in New York. The idea of an actual party for FIFA’s 16th ranked team is a bit silly. But there really is no reason for a roster unveil to take three freaking hours … for any team. According to the USSF’s event rundown, the first two hours will be a fan festival with music and food. Then, the actual roster reveal will be on stage for the final hour.
2026 ROSTER REVEAL
🗓️ Tuesday, May 26th
⏰ 1 PM to 4 PM
📍 @RooftopatPier17
📺 @FOXSports
ℹ️ https://t.co/b7V5kCRuQVpic.twitter.com/Qcgv5sCdOE— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) April 30, 2026
All this instead of a simple social media post and press release.
Fans, of course, had plenty of jokes for the USMNT’s needlessly lengthy event.
A 3 hour roster release is wild https://t.co/dLMc1NyiRW
— Tactical Manager (@ManagerTactical) April 30, 2026
3 hours? An Instagram post with the list is all that’s needed https://t.co/nramDn9OpT
— Coin (@CoinOfMilano) April 30, 2026
not a single player on that squad deserves a 3 hour wait https://t.co/krMB5tFDbC
— ً (@luzannic) April 30, 2026
3 hours is a little excessive, right? https://t.co/fz3hquGn44
— Ashley Kowalski /co-wall-ski/ 🟧 (@kowalski414) April 30, 2026
3 hours????? https://t.co/wctO0xYhPb
— tray (@trayallday) April 30, 2026
Why do we need three hours to announce a roster ? https://t.co/uVeolI8BCm
— Dhan (@Dhaneye) April 30, 2026
Dawg we do not care enough to watch a 3 hour roster release https://t.co/S00Ou2Nnma
— KOSlice (@KOSlice60) April 30, 2026
Does that say 1 pm to 4 pm https://t.co/axYpRDdOgt
— Kevin Sullivan (@KevinSullivan9) April 30, 2026
WHY IS IT 3 HOURS LONG? https://t.co/q2GvFIYXvv
— DANI 🇳🇮 (@dvnibrixnes) April 30, 2026
That 26-player squad will take on Senegal and Germany in the final pre-World Cup friendlies.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: USMNT is holding a three-hour World Cup roster unveiling event