For years, a cloud of conspiracy has hung over the United States men’s national team: Does Major League Soccer dictate who makes the roster?
In a revealing roundtable discussion, former U.S. managers Bob Bradley, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Steve Sampson sat down with FOX Sports’ Stu Holden ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The dynamic between how coaches select European-based stars versus MLS-based talent has always been a lightning rod for the USA fan base.
Holden put the “conspiracists” front and center, asking if the coaches ever received calls from MLS commissioner Don Garber demanding a specific number of MLS players on a squad.
“I’m going to be the guy right now,” Bradley said, looking directly at his counterparts. “Did anyone ever tell you who to play?”
The answers were immediate and unanimous. “Never,” Sampson said. “No, never,” Klinsmann echoed.
“Me neither,” Bradley added. While he acknowledged there were conversations with MLS officials in New York about player progress, he insisted the responsibility of filling out the roster remained with the coach.
However, the “European” call-ups remain a complex challenge. Klinsmann recalled the era when stars like Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Clint Dempsey left top-flight European clubs to return to MLS for “life-changing” money.
“Inside, as a coach, it hurts you a little bit,” Klinsmann admitted, noting the difficulty of seeing players leave the Champions League level. “But the risk was taken by MLS. They took the risk and said, ‘We want our best players back.'”
Sampson, who coached USA during the league’s launch in 1996, noted that while coaches want players at the highest level, the domestic league’s growth was a necessary sacrifice. “If we hadn’t started in ‘96, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Sampson said. “A league that is lightyears ahead.”
Ultimately, Bradley noted, the “best league” doesn’t always equal the “best fit.” In the high-stakes build-up to a World Cup, the coaches all agreed.
The selection process remains a complicated area that Mauricio Pochettino will have to navigate, but if former coaches are correct, he will have full control of his roster this summer at the World Cup.
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The World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).