The World Cup is underway and the U.S. men’s national team has caught your eye with a dazzling performance that has you wondering how good it might get this summer. You’re a bit green on the sport and the team, but you want to know more about the players who will be occupying your TVs, imaginations and bar conversations for the next few weeks.We get it — and we’re here to help.One of the best and most powerful things about the World Cup is the way in which it attracts new and curious fans. With two more group stage games to go and a likely place in the knockout stage awaiting — after the 4-1 win over Paraguay, the U.S. has a 97 percent chance of advancing out of the group, according to our handy World Cup tracker — there’s plenty of time to hop on the bandwagon.So to help you out, here’s a get-to-know-the-USMNT guide that takes you beyond the stats and club performances and introduces you to the players themselves (but if you’re into that other intel as well, we’ve got you covered here and here).The most prominent starsChristian Pulisic’s tiger tattoo goal celebration (Richard Heathcote / FIFA / Getty Images)Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, 27, 2nd World Cup) is often dubbed Captain America, but it’s a played-out nickname given to numerous players before him — and he’s not even the team’s captain! (To be fair, that’s miles better than him being known as “The LeBron James of Soccer,” which has become a running gag ever since a figure on an episode of Pawn Stars referred to him as that in 2021). Regardless, the team’s most accomplished player doesn’t need a proper nickname to validate his status, which he has cultivated with his stellar play on the field for the last decade. The Hershey, Pa., native did not have the typical teenage experience, moving to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund when he was 16. He didn’t miss his prom, though — he was allowed to leave a U.S. camp in 2016 to go home via private jet before returning to the team and promptly scoring his first international goal. Beyond all the accolades, endorsements and lofty comparisons, Pulisic has a tiger’s face tattoo on his arm, which he regularly holds up over his eyes for his goal celebration. Off the field, he’s an avid golfer and chess player.McKennie has been outspoken in his views on food (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Weston McKennie (Juventus, 27, 2nd World Cup) is the Harry Potter-loving (his goal celebration is a wand-waving Expelliarmus motion) source of comic relief. He’ll take playful jabs at teammates at press conferences — look no further than his calling New York native Tyler Adams a fake Knicks fan a couple weeks ago — and he’s not shy about his food takes, either. During an episode of the behind-the-scenes Amazon docuseries “All Or Nothing: Juventus,” which chronicled McKennie’s Italian club in 2021, he horrified an Italian national team legend by sharing that he put ranch dressing on his pizza.His USMNT origin story is quite something: when he was 7 and living in Germany (his father was in the military), U.S. Soccer held an event before the 2006 World Cup at an air base there, where he met U.S. greats Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra. That, he said, planted the seed for his professional dream, and 20 years later, he’s starring at a World Cup on home soil.xxx (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)The youngest World Cup captain the U.S. men have ever had when he wore the armband at 23 in 2022, Tyler Adams (Bournemouth, 27, 2nd World Cup) is a team leader regardless of the distinction. He’s become a father twice over since that tournament in Qatar, and he’s a calming presence who doesn’t seem to get awed by any moment. When a press conference before a pivotal group finale vs. Iran in 2022 turned political, he handled it eloquently, with grace and poise. He’s the team’s resident Knicks fan, despite McKennie’s assertions, and while he doesn’t score regularly, his goals typically come in the most meaningful spots or against the most prominent opponents.Weah’s father is soccer royalty (Photo: Jessie Rogers/USSF/Getty Images)Tim Weah (Olympique de Marseille, 26, 2nd World Cup) is the son of soccer and geopolitical royalty, with his father, George Weah, being one of the greatest players of all-time and widely considered to be Africa’s greatest player ever. He has 1995 world player of the year hardware to back up that claim. The elder Weah would go on to become the president of his native Liberia, as well — but he never played in a World Cup, and his son has now done that twice. As for Tim, he’s New York-born and brings plenty of aura to the table in his own right. He’s regularly cited as the USMNT’s best dresser, and he has eyes on restaurant ownership and music production as he expands his horizons. He scored the first goal for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, four years after being chill enough to hop into an NYC men’s league game as a ringer on a visit back home.Balogun was born in New York because his mother could not fly home (Getty Images)Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco, 24, 1st World Cup), the first U.S. men’s player to have a multi-goal World Cup game since 1930, is a U.S. player, in part, by circumstance. He was born in New York while his family was on vacation, with an airline denying his mother, Florence, from flying back to London given the state of her pregnancy. So he added birthright citizenship to his arsenal and wound up picking the U.S. over his other possibilities, England and Nigeria, in part due to an aggressive U.S. fan recruitment effort.Richards is a LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo stan (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, 26, 1st World Cup) hails from Alabama, not exactly the first spot you’d think of as the starting point for one of the team’s most indispensable players. After just missing out on 2022’s World Cup through injury, Richards cut it close again by overcoming a hurt ankle to feature in the opener. He’s a LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo stan who claims he’s “chronically online” and exudes the polarizing combo of being both extremely laid back off the field and supremely intense on it.Dest is a free spirit (Getty Images)If the World Cup were an And-1 Mixtape Tour, Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven, 25, 2nd World Cup) would be among the best in show. He’s supremely skillful with the ball at his feet, often citing Brazilian legend Ronaldinho as one of his footballing idols, and you can be sure that as soon as one of his matches is over, his social media team will be posting a mashup of all his touches and top moves. He’s also developing quite a legacy footprint around the globe. He has opened his own fields in his birthplace of Almere, Netherlands, and in his father’s birth nation of Suriname. He’s spoken of wanting to do the same in the U.S., and while he’s pegged as more of a free spirit, it’s clear his roots are a big part of his life.Robinson is an actual magician (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 28, 2nd World Cup) is a magician. Not only as a marauding left back with a penchant for scoring spectacular goals, but as an actual magician: the England-born star once wowed the teammates of his Premier League club Fulham with a card trick. It’d be fair enough to call that a Jedi Mind Trick, given he’s nicknamed “Jedi” after his childhood love of the Star Wars movies.Gio Reyna (Borussia Möenchengladbach, 23, 2nd World Cup) has been dubbed a “special situation” by U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino — in reference to him continuing to be called in despite hardly playing at the club level due to injuries and form — and the end of the Paraguay game showed why. In moments, he can be a breathtaking player. His family’s intersection with American soccer got quite complicated after the 2022 World Cup, but his father, Claudio, was a two-time U.S. World Cup captain, and his mother, Danielle, was a former U.S. women’s national team player. Gio revealed after the group-opening win that he and his wife, Chloe, are expecting their first child.Aaronson has been nicknamed the Medford Messi (Photo: Harry How – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Brenden Aaronson (Leeds, 25, 2nd World Cup), the player who left pre-World Cup camp to get married and then double-backed in the wee hours of the following morning to make it to training, is an intense and dedicated soul. He’s been working with NFL great Marshawn Lynch’s former trainer to channel his inner “beast mode” and he’s been nicknamed “Medford Messi” as a nod to his New Jersey hometown.Ream is the team grandpa (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Tim Ream (Charlotte, 38, 2nd World Cup), the 38-year-old captain, is the USMNT’s oldest World Cup player ever and is known affectionately as “grandpa” on a team largely run by 20-somethings. How long has he been in the national team picture? He made his debut five months after Landon Donovan’s famous World Cup goal vs. Algeria — 16 years ago. The sage leader of this group has said he turns to a childhood pastime — Legos — as a means of aiding his mental health, citing the ability to lock in and focus on the task at hand.Tillman’s brother is a soccer player too (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen, 23, 1st World Cup) is a silent assassin on this team. The German-born midfielder is humble and quiet and lets his play do the talking. To that end: when the entire team was asked to respond to a WhatsApp video from Pochettino that they’d made the World Cup team with a video of their own, the overwhelming sentiment was some loud, celebratory rendition of “LET’S GO BOYS!” Tillman’s was a quiet, yet gracious reply thanking the coaches. His brother, Timothy, plays in MLS, and both spent time coming through the academy of famed German club Bayern Munich.Freese is a Harvard grad who researched penalty kicksMatt Freese (New York City FC, 27, 1st World Cup) is only a year into his national team career, but he’s been bestowed with a traditionally powerful role: that of the U.S. World Cup goalkeeper. There have only been five other U.S. World Cup starters before him in the modern era (1990-present), putting this Harvard grad in rare company. And speaking of Harvard: Freese once wrote a college research paper on penalty kicks and has an extremely meticulous pregame routine, which he insists is less superstition, more calculated quirks based on research.The supporting castZendejas plays his club soccer in Mexico (Photo: Harry How – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)It can be argued that no U.S. player endures more weekly pressure than Alejandro Zendejas (Club América, 28, 1st World Cup) who dons the famous No. 10 shirt for Mexican powerhouse Club América. While he might not have the same national team resume as his more heralded teammates, he’s under a constant spotlight to perform in big moments, and has proven to be up for them in a soccer hotbed. He has over a decade of history with some of his teammates, dating back to the FIFA 2015 Under-17 World Cup.Berhalter is the son of the previous U.S. coach (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)If Sebastian Berhalter’s (Vancouver Whitecaps, 25, 1st World Cup) last name sounds familiar, it’s because it should. His dad was the previous men’s national team coach, yet in an unexpected plot twist, Sebastian won over the favor of his pops’ successor. He was born in England when his father, Gregg, was playing there, and he has cultivated his game in Canada, emerging as an MLS star with the Vancouver Whitecaps. But his all-American approach to the game won over Pochettino, earning him a place on the final squad.Freeman is the son of a Super Bowl-winner (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Alex Freeman (Villareal, 21, 1st World Cup) is the son of Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Antonio Freeman, surely looking for the same kind of “he did what?!” moment from his dad that inspired Al Michaels’ famous Monday Night Football call in 2000 — four years before Alex was born. He’s also become known as “Diamond’s Little Brother” after his sister went viral on TikTok.Roldan is the glue guy (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders, 30, 2nd World Cup) is the consummate vibes and glue guy, though he’ll tell you he’s far more than that — and Pochettino has even referred to him as his “perfect player.” Back for a second World Cup, he gets the added bonus of getting to take in a game at his home stadium, where he stars with the Seattle Sounders from MLS.Pepi is into anime (Photo: Jamie Squire – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven, 23, 1st World Cup), largely thought to be the most prominent snub from the 2022 World Cup team, is nicknamed “El Tren” (“The train”) due to the hype train surrounding his first days as a pro in Dallas. He’s into anime, which explains his preferred “Naruto” goal celebration.Wright has a pre-match superstition (Photo: Richard Heathcote – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Another forward, Haji Wright (Coventry City, 28, 2nd World Cup) is the scorer of the U.S.’s most recent knockout-stage goal at a World Cup doing so fortuitously against the Netherlands in 2022. He’s a quieter personality and superstitious: he always takes his first step over the white line and onto the playing field with his left foot.Auston Trusty (Celtic, 27, 1st World Cup), a reigning Scottish league champion, is the youngest of six siblings, and as a former Boy Scout has a fondness for woodworking. Mark McKenzie (Toulouse, 27, 1st World Cup), another center back, is heavy into film photography, while reserve defender Joe Scally (Borussia Möenchengladbach, 23, 2nd World Cup) is a coffee aficionado and has carved out a nice club career for himself in Germany, where he’s been since 2021. Rounding out the defense, Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew, 25, 1st World Cup) has some of the best hair on team and, like Scally, fancies himself as a quality barista. Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati, 29, 1st World Cup), meanwhile, might have the coolest factoid about him on the team: he was named after jazz musician Miles Davis.The U.S.’s 2022 World Cup starting goalkeeper, Matt Turner (New England Revolution, 31, 2nd World Cup) has endured a fascinating career path to this point. Among his off-field likes are musicals, with “Hamilton” being his favorite. As for the backup to the backup, as the third goalkeeper, it would take something catastrophic for Chris Brady (Chicago Fire, 22, 1st World Cup) to see the field. Up until the second half of the penultimate send-off friendly, he had never played for the senior national team.