The US national team announced its extended squad for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026, with the selection by legendary Karch Kiraly including eight Olympians and the return of big stars Matt Anderson and T.J. DeFalco.
The news is particularly interesting for Bulgaria as well, as the two teams will face each other on July 19 in Chicago in their last match of the third week of the VNL. The encounter will be played in front of an American audience in Hoffman Estates near Chicago.
Karch Kiraly, who is in his second year at the helm of the US men's national team, will also rely on Olympians Micah Christenson, Micah Ma'a, Jeff Jendryk, Taylor Averill, Kyle Ensing, and libero Erik Shoji.
The Americans will play in the preliminary phase of the tournament in Ottawa (June 10-14), Orléans (June 24-28), and in front of their home crowd in Hoffman Estates, Illinois (July 15-19). The match against Bulgaria, which promises to be one of the most interesting in the group, will also take place there.
The USA is evidently taking this year's VNL very seriously, after the team missed out on the final eight in 2025 with a balance of 6 wins and 6 losses. At the World Championship, the Americans were dramatically eliminated in the quarterfinals precisely against Bulgaria after a five-set thriller.
The selection also includes a number of other players who impressed during last year's VNL campaign
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Ethan Champlin, Cooper Robinson, Jordan Ewert, Jacob Pasteur, Nolan Flexen, Merrick McHenry, Matthew Knigge, Gabi Garcia, and Andrew Rowan.
The return of opposite Jake Hanes, who was part of the American VNL squads during the 2021-2024 period, also sparks interest.
USA Extended Squad for VNL 2026
| No. | Player | Position | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Anderson | Outside Hitter | 208 cm |
| 3 | Mason Briggs | Libero | 183 cm |
| 4 | Jeff Jendryk | Center | 208 cm |
| 5 | Kyle Ensing | Opposite | 201 cm |
| 6 | Cooper Robinson | Outside Hitter | 201 cm |
| 7 | Jacob Pasteur | Outside Hitter | 193 cm |
| 8 | TJ DeFalco | Outside Hitter | 196 cm |
| 9 | Gabi Garcia | Opposite | 201 cm |
| 10 | Kyle Dagostino | Libero | 175 cm |
| 11 | Micah Christenson | Setter | 196 cm |
| 12 | Michael Marshman | Center | 201 cm |
| 13 | Taylor Averill | Center | 201 cm |
| 14 | Micah Ma'a | Setter | 191 cm |
| 15 | Andrew Rowan | Setter | 201 cm |
| 16 | Cameron Thorne | Center | 193 cm |
| 17 | Jake Hanes | Opposite | 208 cm |
| 18 | Cole Hartke | Opposite | 213 cm |
| 19 | Zach Rama | Outside Hitter | 203 cm |
| 20 | Ethan Champlin | Outside Hitter | 191 cm |
| 21 | Daniel Wetter | Center | 196 cm |
| 22 | Erik Shoji | Libero | 183 cm |
| 23 | Nolan Flexen | Outside Hitter | 206 cm |
| 24 | Merrick McHenry | Center | 201 cm |
| 25 | Troy Gooch | Libero | 183 cm |
| 26 | Matthew Knigge | Center | 201 cm |
| 27 | Parker Tomkinson | Center | 213 cm |
| 28 | Tread Rosenthal | Setter | 206 cm |
| 29 | Jordan Ewert | Outside Hitter | 196 cm |
| 30 | Shawn Kelly | Outside Hitter | 201 cm |
| 31 | Wesley Smith | Center | 211 cm |
The American team impresses with great depth and serious physique, especially in the center and outside hitter positions. The return of Anderson and DeFalco further increases the team's class before the home tournament in Chicago, where the USA will also face Bulgaria in one of the most anticipated matches of the last week of VNL 2026.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov andusavolleyball.org
