The 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday in North America, jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico. Soccer legends such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be competing in their sixth World Cup, while young starlets like Lamine Yamal and Gilberto Mora will be making their World Cup debuts.
Like soccer, hockey is a global game. We witnessed that at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics and have seen countless instances of that in years prior. The Ducks have many different nationalities on their team, some of which enjoy soccer more than others.
A fun exercise I’ve come up with ahead of the first 2026 World Cup match on Thursday is to create a Starting XI comprised solely of Ducks players from the 2025-26 roster. For this exercise, I’ve decided to go with a standard 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Lukáš Dostál
This one is a no-brainer, with actual goaltender Lukáš Dostál retaining his role as defender of the net. At 6-foot-2, Dostál is a bit shorter than the average soccer goalkeeper, but his sound positioning and good reflexes should translate well to the role.
The modern goalkeeper is often tasked with being able to use his feet as well as his hands, playing a part in the build-up when he can. It’s amusing to imagine Dostál acting as a sweeper keeper, a la Manuel Neuer, and knocking away threats as he does with opposing dump-ins on the ice.
Left back: Olen Zellweger
There’s only one player on the Ducks’ roster who I could envision for this position: Olen Zellweger. Bombing down the flank as an overlapping fullback, Zellweger would be given full rein to use his offensive abilities and pace to provide support for his left winger. Height isn’t an issue here, as many fullbacks are smaller in stature.
On the defensive side, his tenacity in 1v1 situations would be hell for any attacker who tries to break him on the touchline or around the box.
Center back: Jackson LaCombe
Cool, calm and collected would be the name of Jackson LaCombe’s game at the heart of defense. Gone are the days when the center back’s role is simply to defend, hoof the ball out and get ready for the next attack.
LaCombe can use his vision to ping long balls over the top to his attackers or send surgical through balls to his midfielders to progress the attack. He’s the ideal modern-day center back.
Center back: Jacob Trouba
Mirroring the look for USMNT center back Tim Ream with the man bun that he was rocking towards the end of the season, it’s only right that Jacob Trouba is the second half of the center back pairing, alongside his actual defensive partner in LaCombe.
With the way Trouba plays on the ice, he’d be an absolute menace to play against on the pitch. A physical presence who will outfielder you for every single aerial challenge, Trouba is no-nonsense. Down a goal in the late stages of the game, he might even channel his inner Harry Maguire and push up as a target man.
Right back: Ian Moore
This season, Ian Moore demonstrated that he is the Ducks’ Swiss Army knife, meandering from defense to forward when needed. He’ll play a similar role in this formation, acting as an inverted fullback and creating almost two waves of four players in possession.
Out of possession, his task is simple. Win the ball, recycle possession and become part of the build-up again.
Holding midfielder: Ryan Poehling
Ryan Poehling had a terrific first season in Anaheim, showing that he can be a jack of all trades. His versatility earned him a four-year contract extension and it’s the reason why he’s filling the role in this formation.
Poehling bridges the gap between attack and defense, capable of dropping down between LaCombe and Trouba to become a third center back, if needed. He can also push up to the edge of the opposing box, hoping to pounce on any loose ball that might fall to him.
Playing as a pure box to box midfielder might be the better role for Poehling, who can fill in all over the pitch. But he suits this role just as well.
Central midfielder (left): Leo Carlsson
The metronome of the attack, Leo Carlsson has it all. He’s got speed, vision, strength and height. His attacking instincts are off the charts and there’s no doubt that he’ll be able to get the team clicking on a regular basis.
I compare it a bit to Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard, where Carlsson’s teammates will need to anticipate his moves before they happen. Otherwise, they’ll be behind the play by the time it happens.
Central midfielder (right): Mikael Granlund
A tireless worker, Mikael Granlund completes the three-man midfield. With his Energizer bunny-like energy, Granlund's work rate will be well-received in his team. His chemistry with Carlsson on the Ducks’ power play this season will carry over well to the pitch, with the pair reading off one another to advance the ball into dangerous areas.
And though Granlund isn’t the tallest guy at 5-foot-10, the deficiencies he has in the height department are made up for by his doggedness and instincts.
Left winger: Cutter Gauthier
Another player who retains his same position from ice to pitch, it’s easy to imagine Cutter Gauthier wreaking havoc on the left side as an inside forward. Cutting into the middle of the pitch or using his pace to get in behind defenders, it will be pick your poison with Gauthier.
The aforementioned Zellweger overlapping with Gauthier will have opposing fullbacks tearing their hair out or begging for support.
Right winger: Troy Terry
Troy Terry also retains his position from ice to pitch, acting as the touchline-hugging winger in this formation. Capable of defending as well as he attacks, Terry plays the role of provider, beating his defender before swinging in crosses for the likes of Gauthier, Carlsson or a late-arriving Poehling.
Tasked with corner duty for his side of the pitch, Terry can pick out LaCombe or Trouba at both posts for a thumping header.
Striker: Beckett Sennecke
You had to know it was coming. Dread it. Run from it. The Manchild arrives all the same. Beckett Sennecke can do it all. You need him to drop into midfield as a false nine? Sure thing. Hold the ball up as a target man? You got it. Go at a defender or get on behind him? He can do that, too.
Sennecke exceeded the expectations of many this past season, not only staying up with the Ducks full-time as a 19 and then 20-year-old, but also playing in every single game.
His prolific attacking skills are unlike anything we’ve seen in many years and while he can sometimes get too carried away, his creativity more often than not reaps bountiful rewards.
Super subs: Radko Gudas, Chris Kreider
I’ve afforded myself two super subs, one for defense and one for attack. Radko Gudas was my choice for an all-out defensive sub, while Chris Kreider was my choice for an all-out attacking sub.
Dropping Gudas in between LaCombe and Trouba makes for a menacing backline. Gudas is a true no-nonsense center back in this defense, making crunching tackles and booting the ball away any chance he can get.
He’ll have to toe the line between going hard and being undisciplined, but having him on late mitigates the amount of time he has to get into trouble. Plus, you can get two yellow cards before you get sent off anyway.
While Kreider’s late-season performances were a bit unimpressive, he was a key contributor on the power play for most of the 2025-26 season. That’s how I liken him being the sub for an all-out attack, he acts as the extra man and just needs to be a música ce around the opposing box.
In doing that, he can help open up space for one of his teammates or even be on hand to put away a rebound or loose ball in true poacher style.
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