First Touch '26
May 27, 2026 — Newsletter #38
Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week
James!
Headlines:
New York Mayor Zohran Mamadani secured discounted tickets for New Yorkers, which are accessible for $50 and accessible via lottery.
Despite concerns over World Cup ticket prices, the 2026 World Cup is on piece to easily break the attendance record. This would make the U.S. a host of both of the most attended World Cups of all-time.
England manager Thomas Tuchel stunned fans by leaving Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Harry McGuire out of the roster, signaling a more direct style-of-play this summer.
The U.S. announced its roster this week, with the most notable absences being Diego Luna and presumptive starter Tanner Tessman.
In their place manager Mauricio Pochettino opted for Club America star Alejandro Zendejas and Gio Reyna.
Maurico Pochettino stirred up controversy by sending emails to inform players of their roster inclusion, and not calling players like Luna and Tessman to personally inform them of their absence, as is customary.
Listen to our roster release special to learn more about the U.S. squad!
Let's Do Some Trivia!
Our new “Glory Days” series, hosted by Susannah Fuller, has you covered for a deep dive into the 1994 World Cup and Diana Ross’s performance in the opening ceremony.
A Thing We're Excited About:
The soccer starts this weekend!
We’ve been writing this newsletter about the World Cup for nearly a year, and you maybe have read it sometimes. We’ve talked a lot about ticket prices, politics, roster drama, and more about ticket prices.
Now, the rosters are finalized, and the sendoff matches begin. We’ll get the test of the U.S. squad in its final form this Sunday, against Senegal, and the focus will turn to the pitch.
There’s a lot to be said about the 2026 World Cup and what its legacy will be, with the introduction of dynamic pricing and the local and global political situation both likely to loom large.
However, nothing beats the magic of the Cup. From the drama on the pitch to the hordes of fans, it is truly the imminent global entertainment event, and arguably the thing that best brings the entire world together.
For now, let’s enjoy some soccer.
A World Cup Retrospective:
It’s a little late for predictions, so instead, we’ve got our list of biggest USMNT roster snubs (Niko Tsakiris would be top three here if not for his groin injury):
10. Yunus Musah
9. Julian Hall
8. Tristan Blackmon
7. Adri Mehmeti
6. Jackson Ragen
5. Jack McGlynn
4. Aidan Morris
3. Zavier Gozo
2. Diego Luna
1. Tanner Tessman
Episode 12 of First Touch Weekly is Out Now!
First Touch has announced its 2026 slate of soccer coverage, featuring a daily studio show every morning, live from New York!
Hosted by Susannah Fuller, Matt Doyle, and David Gass alongside a rotating cast of journalists and experts, the show delivers the sharpest coverage of matches and previews of the upcoming day. In the meantime, enjoy our weekly releases of our magazine-style show First Touch Weekly, and the most concise review of the week in soccer news, First Touch Dispatch!
Listen here (Apple) or here (Spotify) or wherever you find your podcasts!
Every World Cup Nation, Previewed!
Over at our website kickbacksoccer.com, we’ve launched a first-of-its-kind team by team preview of every participating World Cup nation!
You can find both written overviews, and special video and podcast primers for every country, all right at your fingertips.
Check it out here and tell your friends!