2026 World Cup is a California homecoming for three USMNT players

IRVINE, Calif.— It was a much quieter and subdued day at the United States men’s national team’s training camp Tuesday as the Americans prepared for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.But for three players wearing the crest, it carried something extra.They carried California.From the agricultural heartland of Fresno to the nearby neighborhood of Pico Rivera, and the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, defender Max Arfsten, midfielder Cristian Roldan and forward Haji Wright represent the only California-born players on the 26-man USMNT roster.In a tournament that will be played largely on American soil, and for the U.S.

mostly in Los Angeles, the journey for these three players feels uniquely personal.“When you’re a kid, you dream of this.You dream about moments like this,” Roldan told The California Post of his World Cup homecoming.

“So I’m just trying to soak it all in.It means the world to me.”For Roldan, that reality hits from multiple directions.

The veteran midfielder grew up less than 30 miles from the USMNT’s base camp in Irvine.Every day as the team drives into training, he spots familiar freeway signs and catches a glimpse of the landscape that serves as a reminder of where his story began.Team USA’s second game will also take him home.

The U.S.will take on Australia in Seattle on June 19, where Roldan went to college and became one of MLS’s most respected midfielders with the Seattle Sounders.“To be able to play our second game in Seattle, where I’ve matured a whole lot as a professional, as a human being, is special,” Roldan said.

“I hope that we have really good memories in these two special places.”Every four years, the World Cup represents a globe-spanning spectacle.Wright understands that feeling.Wright plays weekly for Coventry City in England’s Championship, but his roots are in Los Angeles where he chased a soccer ball through the youth ranks of the LA Galaxy’s academy.“Growing up in LA, it was always so...