World Cup 2026: Meet USMNT's Chris Brady, the Chicago Fire homegrown goalkeeper from Naperville
The U.S. Men's National Team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set.
Each national team has to have at least 23 players and is allowed a maximum of 26 players and at least three goalkeepers are required to be on the roster.
Meet USMNT goalkeeper Chris Brady
Illinois' representative on the men's national team roster is someone who built his soccer career in the greater Chicagoland area.
Chris Brady was born on March 3, 2004, in Naperville, Illinois. Brady plays for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, and is the team's goalkeeper.
Brady is listed as a "Homegrown" player by the MLS. A player that fits the Homegrown category is a youth soccer player who is directly signed to a MLS first-team roster from that specific club's official youth academy. The Fire acquired Brady on a Homegrown contract on March 24, 2020, the 19th Homegrown signing in Fire history at just 16 years old.
Brady originally joined the Chicago Fire Academy in 2017, and competed at the U-14, U-15, U-16 and the U-17 levels. Brady was a Naperville native, and originally attended Naperville North High School. However, he attended Naperville North for just three semesters before leaving and signing his professional Homegrown contract.
Brady made his MLS debut on Oct. 9, 2022 and has been the Fire's goalkeeper since.
In his career, Brady has started all 106 games he's played in and has 364 career MLS saves. So far, through 14 games in the 2026 season, Brady has a career-high 74.2 save percentage.
FILE-Chris Brady #1 of Chicago Fire FC reacts in pain after a tackle during the game between Chicago Fire FC v Toronto FC at Soldier Field on May 23, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
When is the World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11 and ends on July 19.
The group stage
- June 12, 2026: USA vs. Paraguay (Los Angeles Stadium)
- June 19, 2026: USA vs. Australia (Seattle Stadium)
- June 25, 2026: USA vs. Türkiye (Los Angeles Stadium)
These three matches will determine whether the Americans can advance from the group and begin a knockout-stage run in front of a home crowd.
The American team benefits from being seeded as a co-host in the expanded tournament, which could keep them from playing an elite opponent until the round of 16.
The U.S. hopes to advance far in the tournament and show it is making progress in a sport that trails the NFL, MLB and NBA in popularity at home. The Americans are 1-7 in knockout World Cup matches, the only win over regional rival Mexico in 2002.
Since reaching the semifinals of the first World Cup in 1930, the furthest Team USA has advanced was the 2002 quarterfinals. While they have lost eight straight matches to European opponents since 2022, getting outscored 22-6, the Americans have a high level of confidence.
How to watch the World Cup
Outside of watching the championship on live TV, there are several options audiences can choose from to enjoy the soccer matches.
One free option is through FIFA+ and select YouTube streams. It will also be available for free on Australia’s SBS On Demand.
Other paid options include:
The Source: Information for this story as provided by the USMT website. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.