When the Philadelphia Union set up shop in 2010, one of the explicit goals was to tap into the wealth of talent in the greater Philadelphia area. That was the appeal for Richie Graham, who joined the Union’s ownership group with deep pockets, a background in elite ski racing and a vision for developing resources that would in turn develop talent.
Two decades on, the senior team is mired in a mess of its own making. But the proof of concept was on the stage Tuesday afternoon in New York with the unveiling of the U.S. men’s roster for the 2026 World Cup.
Four players that will represent the United States at the World Cup next month came up through the Union’s academy apparatus. They map perfectly into the Union’s sphere of influence, with two from the Pennsylvania suburbs, one from South Jersey and one from Delaware. Add in Hershey born Christian Pulisic, and five players from the region will represent the U.S.
Defenders Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie, plus forward Brenden Aaronson and goalie Matt Freese will play a role in the U.S.’s quest at a home World Cup, in what may be the biggest moment in the country’s history with the sport. They represent – respectively – the fifth, eighth, ninth and 10th Homegrown signings in Union history, all playing several years with the Union before moving on to bigger and better things.
Trusty, who will turn 28 in August, was the forerunner of the second generation of Union Homegrowns. The club had tried to acquire talent from other systems in its first five years, but in 2016 invested heavily in YSC Academy in Wayne (now relocated to Chester). Trusty was the second Homegrown of that wave, a Media native who attended Penncrest High School and signed in early 2016 with developmental club Bethlehem Steel and then that August to the first team in lieu of a commitment to the University of North Carolina.
He made 56 appearances over three seasons with the Union before he was traded after the 2019 season to Colorado. The Rapids transferred him to Arsenal, with which they share an ownership group, and while he never played a league game for the Gunners, he had successful seasons at Birmingham City (on loan) and Sheffield United in the English second division before joining Scottish giants Celtic in the summer of 2024. He played regular Champions League football last year, then this year made 26 appearances in helping Celtic win the Scottish Premier League.
McKenzie, 27, was born in the Bronx but hails from Bear, Delaware. He was a member of the Class of 2017 at YSC Academy and spent a season at Wake Forest before signing with the Union in January 2018. He played 48 games for the Union over three seasons, a vital part of the Union’s Supporters’ Shield win in 2020.
Both he and Aaronson transferred abroad at the end of that season, McKenzie to Belgian side Genk. He played more than 100 games there before a summer 2024 move to Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1. He made 30 appearances last year and 29 this year for Toulouse, which finished 10th this season. McKenzie has 27 national team caps, the first in February 2020.
Freese split his time in high school between Episcopal Academy and Union academy teams. Graduating from EA in 2017, he went on trial with Manchester United but turned down a deal, instead opting to spend two years at Harvard before signing a homegrown deal in early 2019. He made just 13 appearances over four seasons with the Union, stuck behind franchise goalie Andre Blake.
The Union allowed him to walk after the 2022 season, and he landed at NYCFC. After battling for the job in 2023, he played all 34 games in 2024 and 31 in 2025. He’s grown into the U.S. No. 1 goalie, making his debut in the 2025 Gold Cup and not yet relinquishing his hold on the job through 14 appearances. That included a return to Chester last November.
Aaronson is the youngest of the four but the most senior in terms of experience. The 25-year-old from Medford, N.J., didn’t graduate high school until 2019, at which point he was already established as a Union starter. By the end of the Union’s Shield win in 2020, he signed with Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg, an eight-figure deal sealed weeks before McKenzie’s move.
He moved to Leeds United in 2022 for a fee reported north of $25 million. Leeds were relegated after that season, and he spent the next season on loan at Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga, before returning to Yorkshire to help Leeds game promotion (46 appearances, nine goals) and then stay in the Premier League this season (37 games, four goals, five assists).
Historically, it’s a major coup for the region’s soccer community. While the World Cup teams of 1930 and 1934 had an abundance of talent with Philadelphia ties, the World Cup teams of the 1990s didn’t have any local flair.
It wasn’t until Chris Albright, Bobby Convey and Ben Olsen were part of the 2006 team that the region got a foothold again. (Albright and Convey were Philly natives who went to Penn Charter four years apart; Olsen grew up in Middletown outside of Harrisburg but rose to prominence making the trek to play for powerhouse FC Delco teams.)
That waned over the next two teams – around the failure to qualify in 2018 – until Pulisic and Aaronson made the 2022 squad. Aaronson, at 57 caps, has the fourth-most on this team already.
U.S. World Cup Roster by Position
(Club (country); caps/goals; hometown)
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0; Naperville, Ill.), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 14/0; Wayne, Pa.), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 53/0; Park Ridge, N.J.)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 18/1; Fresno, Calif.), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven (Ned.); 37/2; Almere, Netherlands), Alex Freeman (Villarreal (Spain); 15/2; Plantation, Fla.), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse (France); 27/0; Bear, Del.), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 80/1; St. Louis, Mo.), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace (Eng.); 36/3; Birmingham, Ala.), Antonee Robinson (Fulham (Eng.); 52/4; Liverpool, England), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 38/3; Arlington, Mass.), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach (Ger.); 24/0; Lake Grove, N.Y.), Auston Trusty (Celtic (Scot.); 6/0; Media, Pa.)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth (Eng.); 52/2; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps; 11/1; Columbus, Ohio), Weston McKennie (Juventus (Italy); 64/12; Little Elm, Texas), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach (Ger.); 36/9; Bedford, N.Y.), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 45/0; Pico Rivera, Calif.), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen (Ger.); 28/3; Fürth, Germany)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United (Eng.); 57/9; Medford, N.J.), Folarin Balogun (Monaco (France); 25/8; London, England), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven (Ned.); 35/13; El Paso, Texas), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan (Italy); 84/32; Hershey, Pa.), Tim Weah (Olympique Marseille (France); 49/7; Rosedale, N.Y.), Haji Wright (Coventry City (Eng.); 20/7; Los Angeles, Calif.). Alejandro Zendejas (Club América (Mexico); 13/2; El Paso, Texas)
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