Alejandro Zendejas is set to stay on the bench again for the Selección de Estados Unidos when it meets Australia in its second World Cup 2026 match. Mauricio Pochettino and his technical staff decided to leave the América winger out of the starting lineup once more.
The timing matters because Zendejas already went unused in the team’s 4-1 opening win over Paraguay, and this match offers the next chance for him to get into the tournament. He had been expected to be an option off the bench, but the coaching staff still has not given him full trust, leaving him on the outside of the first-choice group for now.
That keeps the focus on a simple question that has followed Zendejas from the opening game: whether Pochettino sees him as ready for a bigger role in World Cup 2026 or only as depth. For the United States, the plan is obvious. Three points against Australia would push the team closer to the round of 16, and lineup choices now carry real weight.
Zendejas’s situation is also a reminder that being available is not the same as being used. In the debut against Paraguay, he did not play a single minute even after the United States built a 4-1 lead, and the latest selection suggests that standing with the staff still matters more than reputation or expectation. Unless the match opens the door for a late change, he remains a bench option first and a contributor only if Pochettino decides the moment suits him.
