There won't be many opportunities in the near future for the United States men's national team to play against competitive opposition before hosting the World Cup.
It's what aggravated many fans, pundits, and former players for the team when staple stars like Christian Pulisic opted out of taking the field at the Gold Cup this summer.
Traditionally, the Gold Cup has been more of a proving ground for the USMNT than a representative of the best team the United States can offer. Still, criticism came and doubts abounded for Mauricio Pochettino and his squad ahead of the tournament after two embarrassing defeats at the hands of Turkey in Connecticut and Switzerland in Nashville.
Fast forward to today: the USMNT is in the final of the tournament for the first time in three attempts and will face heated rivals Mexico in Houston on Sunday.
Not only will it be a second chance for Pochettino to win his first piece of silverware with the US (he lost the CONCACAF Nations League earlier this year), but it will also be the final chance for some players to prove they have what it takes to succeed in international competitive football.
Many have already (seemingly) solidified their roster spots for World Cup 2026. Some have played poorly enough that their inclusion should be debated. Others have work to do at the club level to prove that they belong at the top of positional depth charts.
In: Diego Luna
If the USMNT beats Mexico to win the Gold Cup on Sunday, there's no doubt that Diego Luna should be taking home the award for best player.
The 21-year-old Real Salt Lake star had been playing second-division soccer with the USL Championship's El Paso Locomotive just a few years ago. Now, it'd be truly surprising if a healthy Luna wasn't selected for the World Cup roster.
He scored his first international goal in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica and then followed that up with a winning brace against Guatemala in the semifinals. Add two assists to his tally and the USMNT's young talisman should have more than proven that he belongs on next summer's roster.
Work to do: Patrick Agyemang
Patrick Agyemang's rise to consistent USMNT minutes is a heartwarming story. The East Hartford, Connecticut man played Division III ball at Eastern Connecticut State before transferring to Rhode Island, becoming a first-round MLS Superdraft pick for Charlotte FC, and now is linked with a move to Derby County.
It's a great tale of perseverance and defying the odds. Unfortunately for him, there may be more odds to defy.
Much like many of these positions, striker is pretty well-set for the USMNT when everyone is healthy. First-choice option Folarin Balogun had a rough season at Monaco, but could easily rebound. PSV proved to be a perfect landing spot for Ricardo Pepi.
Add in the likes of Norwich City's Josh Sargeant and (seemingly) the most under-appreciated forward in the USMNT pipeline in Club America's Alex Zendejas, and it's clear that Agyemang needs to continue scoring at a high rate to push for a spot.
He's capable, that's not a question. But with two goals in this Gold Cup campaign, he'll need to keep pushing to clinch that roster spot.
Out: Luca de la Torre
The Gold Cup is typically a tournament where inexperienced footballers play their way in to the World Cup roster. Luca de la Torre, the seventh-most experienced member of this Gold Cup squad, may have played his way out.
While the arguments for 'work to do' or even the next person on the 'out' list could be matter of interpretation, it can't be denied that the San Diego FC signing has looked the most out-of-place of anyone on this roster.
Midfield is going to be a tough position to whittle down a roster for. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah are likely to return to their roles from 2022. Luna, as we mentioned, is set to challenge that hegemony. Others like Johnny Cardoso and Brenden Aaronson could see the roster as well.
So when faced with the chances to showcase his best, de la Torre just has not delivered. His performances in the 1-0 win to Saudi Arabia and the 2-1 win against Guatemala leave a lot to be desired.
Considering the depth in the middle of the field, it's not hard to envision de la Torre being left behind.
In: Malik Tillman
There's good reason why Malik Tillman is on the verge of a move to Bayer Leverkusen and he's showed that all tournament long.
It's not like Tillman's spot in the World Cup roster was severely in doubt, but his performances for the USMNT showed just how pivotal he can be.
With three goals and two assists across five games - including two Man of the Match performances - Tillman could be vital for Pochettino next summer.
Work to do: Matt Freese
Freese will be in the roster for the 2026 World Cup, barring injury. He's played decently enough in the Gold Cup to ensure that. Where the work lies is his role for next summer, because currently, the starting keeper spot is wide open for the USMNT.
Freese has been a net decent in this Gold Cup. Dramatic errors in the game against Haiti were followed up by penalty shootout heroics against Costa Rica.
All that's left is to continue his strong club season with New York City FC - where he's conceded 20 goals in 17 matches while keeping six clean sheets.
Whether or not that's enough to ward off efforts from Columbus Crew keeper Patrick Schulte or the currently-between-clubs Matt Turner (both of whom have more experience in net for the US) remains to be seen.
Work to do: Max Arfsten
Max Arfsten is an enigma. Watching the fullback in person shows his tendencies to push aggressively high up the wing and how it generates great offense.
You also clearly see how far he needs to track back to play defense. Arfsten's pushes up the field can often lead to exposure on the flanks that have hurt the USMNT.
That Costa Rica match was the essence of what makes Arfsten great - and what he needs to improve. After giving up a penalty on a clumsy tackle to go down 1-0, he assisted Luna's equalizer and then scored one of his own to take a 2-1 lead.
But beyond his performances, left back could be a position of luxury - with PSV's Sergino Dest and Borussia Monchengladbach's Joe Scally serving as top options when healthy. He'd need to truly shine for Columbus Crew the rest of the season to bump either of them.
Out: Tim Ream
As much as there's depth at the center back position which would push Ream out of a World Cup spot, he also simply hasn't been the greatest in this tournament.
His passing has been fine, except when it isn't. The lone goal Haiti scored is as much Ream's fault as it is Freese's. Sure, the keeper hit a poor ball, but Ream ran himself out of position - leading directly to the turnover and forcing Chris Richards to make an ill-fated attempt to cover off Don Louicius.
Ream's performance in the Costa Rica game didn't do himself any favors either. The second goal is thanks to his lack of effort to pounce on the rebound off Freese, and then not marking his man well enough to prevent a pass leading to the equalizer.
For a guy who publicly called out the USMNT's doubters, saying 'Shame on them', Ream hasn't exactly been an A+ student when it comes to calming those fears.
Just going off this tournament's performance alone, and with plenty of depth at center back capable of filling bench roles, it'd be truly surprising if Ream - who would be 38 in 2026 - made the World Cup roster.
