DAVIS, Calif. — Former UC Davis men's soccer standout Max Arfsten was named to the United States Men's National Team's 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced Tuesday. Arfsten, a defender for Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, is one of 10 defenders on the squad and the lone Crew representative on the U.S. team.
The 25-year-old joins a USMNT side preparing for the first men's World Cup played on American soil since 1994. The United States opens Group D play June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with subsequent group matches against Australia and Turkey ahead of the knockout round.
Arfsten enters the tournament with 18 senior international caps, one goal and five assists for the U.S. since making his national team debut on Jan. 18, 2025, against Venezuela. The Fresno, Calif., native scored his lone international goal against Costa Rica in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals on June 29, 2025, a tournament in which the United States finished as runners-up under head coach Mauricio Pochettino. He last suited up for the USMNT in March 2026, playing a combined 71 minutes across friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.
A two-year contributor at UC Davis in 2019 and 2021, Arfsten appeared in 39 matches as an Aggie, tallying nine goals and eight assists. He earned Big West All-Freshman Team honors in 2019 before being named the Big West Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Big West First Team selection as a junior in 2021. Arfsten left UC Davis to pursue a professional career following that junior season.
After a 2022 development season with San Jose Earthquakes II that produced nine goals across 24 appearances, Arfsten was selected 14th overall by the Columbus Crew in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He scored his first MLS goal in his debut against Atlanta United on March 25, 2023, and capped his rookie season by helping the Crew lift the 2023 MLS Cup. Arfsten has compiled 87 appearances, 14 goals and 22 assists for Columbus across all regular season competitions and has added three goals and two assists for the Crew across six playoff matches.
Arfsten was a contributor on the Crew's 2024 Leagues Cup championship squad, registering two assists across five matches, and also helped Columbus reach the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final. He earned his first MLS All-Star selection in 2025 as a manager pick by Nico Estévez.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs June 11 through July 19, with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
