Players from across the United States — and beyond — will be sporting red, white, and blue at the FIFA World Cup this summer. The U.S. men’s national team World Cup roster was announced Tuesday afternoon. Twenty-six players earned a spot on the squad, including national team veterans like C hristian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKennie, as well as a crop of players set to make their World Cup debuts on home soil. Weston McKennie is from Little Elm. McKennie headlines the Texans in the group, spending 2009-2016 at the FC Dallas Academy before moving to Europe. He now plays for Italian club Juventus. There are two players from El Paso, Alejandro Zendejas and Ricardo Pepi. Zendejas is a dual national who committed to the U.S. over Mexico in March 2023. The winger’s decision paid dividends Tuesday when his name was called. “I couldn’t believe it,” Zendejas told NBC News. “I was just super in shock, grateful. I actually started crying when I found out I was on the roster.” Ricardo Pepi, a striker playing in his second World Cup, said he knows there is “a lot of adversity that’s going to be thrown at us.” “But I feel we’re built for it,” Pepi told NBC News. “We have a team of a lot of experience, and we also have some young guys that are ready to fight and give all for our country.” Chris Richards is a defender from Birmingham, Alabama, who left FC Dallas’ academy for an even more prestigious program in Germany. Richards now plays for Crystal Palace of the English Premier League. Two FC Dallas players are also headed to the World Cup: forward Petar Musa and midfielder Don Deedson Louicius, for Croatia and Haiti, respectively. That’s the first time the club has had 2 players active a single World Cup. Three North Texans competed in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: McKennie, Kellyn Acosta (born in Plano), and Jesus Ferreira (of McKinney). Read more about the rest of the roster’s Texas connections from our media partners, The Dallas Morning News. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less