While I can see what you are driving towards I find it very unlikely that Sacha (32.8), Benny (33.5), or Lee (31.8) will be in contention come 2018 (especially as starters).
If you're belief is that we'll be deploying a 3-5-3 or a 5-3-2 formation than the team wouldn't carry that many forwards.

On the Defensive front: I don't see Hedges making the cut....IMO the 4th CB will likely be Maizga. Also feel that Shea is likely to be in the mix.

In Midfield there are 2 names that should be included....Nagbe & Diskerud. While you may not rate them highly, IMO both are likely to be there.

At Forward I have no issue with the 4 names you've listed, but there are 2 others that most would consider to be better than fair bets....Morris and based on performances w/ the U-23's Kiesewetter is showing very well.

IMHO our best formation by 2018 would be a 4-3-3. Something like the following:
-----Zardes--------Johannson-------Wood---
--------Nagbe----------------Bradley-----
-----------------Williams---------------
--Fabian---Brooks---------Cameron---Yedlin---
-----------------Guzan-----------------

Bench Options: Howard, Hamid, Shea, Chandler, Besler, Alvarado/Maizga, Morales/Kitchen, Diskerud, Finlay, Morris, Kiesewetter, Jozy

In terms of talent and hype, yes. But Pulisic and LD are opposite ends of the spectrum in the way they play.

I'm with you on the kid though, he is talented. Next week I'm hoping he dominates and shows everyone what a player he is.

3-5-2

why:

CBs - we have not found a truly inspiring CB tandem since boca/gooch. certainly since JK axed boca its essentially been a revolving door of candidates with no final solution. we are no closer now than the beginning of last hex. i would argue the 2 best CB options (for me) - ream and brooks, would not really be a great option together in a back 4.

OBs - we are short on really good OB options. ream is not a LB. yedlin is pretty far from being a good RB. brek shea is not one of the top 30 or so US players and he is far from proving himself as a good itnl LB option.

Nagbe - he is not going to work centrally - where he needs to be - in a 4-4-2. neither do the other most talented playmaking options - benny, sacha, lee

OMs - can we stop trying to shoehorn guys into outside mid roles - fabian is probably the only guy we have that can really look good there at the highest level. bedoya? yedlin? just not great options. finlay? probably a little limited at that level. ZARDES??? PLEASE STOP

why not a 4-3-3:

first, see most of the points above

also, who is going to lead the line? altidore? please. johannsson? wood? i dont think so. MLS final tells you the kind of player that excels in the that role in a US-based type of team - a physical beast who relishes playing with back to goal... kamara, adi... we dont have one of those guys

(2016 player pool/STARTERS)
CB - besler, BROOKS, CAMERON, gonzo, hedges, miazga, parkhurst, REAM, spector

WB - bedoya, castillo, chandler, finlay, JOHNSON, lichaj, YEDLIN

CM - BRADLEY, kitchen, mccarty, MORALES, tchani, trapp, williams

AM - feilhaber, kljestan, NAGBE, nyugen

F - agudelo, altidore, DEMPSEY, johannsson, WOOD, zardes

said it a thousand times, but heres one more... absolutely ZERO point in continuing to call jones or beckerman in. past time to turn the page on those guys. how does it help us come russia?

and ill take berhalter, porter or good foreiner to coach if gulati comes to his senses

Jones doesn't help us in Russia. Neither does Dempsey. They do in Copa America though.

If you don't give a crap about Copa America, fine. I do. Mainly because it's in the US. I think we oughtta to field our best team for it. Would be embarrassing if we don't get outta the group.

I couldn't imagine Jones not being one of our best 23 in 7 months. I actually could imagine Dempsey not being one of our best 23 in 7 months, but I think it is likely that he still is.

i think 2016 will be transition year for dempsey - who is 32 to jones' 34. dempsey was EASILY the best US forward (looking at both club and country) in 2015. i expect a changing of the guard by the end of the year but somebody needs to take that spot from him and i look forward to see who steps up. as of now i think a healthy AJ is the best we've got to take his spot

not sure i totally agree that playing both nagbe and dempsey is a catastrophic problem - nagbe is actually at his best when he drops a bit into CM areas, which would make space for CD to drop underneath with wood staying high and stretching the defense...

The two matches against Guat would probably be the time JK would use Morales.

The upcoming January Camp is going to go a long way towards determining what JK's intentions are going to be for 2016 and beyond. If JK continues to call in his standard aging MLSers (Dempsey, Jones, Beckerman, Rimando, Wondolowski, Beasley, etc...) than it will clear that he and his coaches have stalled and have no clear plans for the future. There are enough players within MLS who are worthy of being labeled as "Fringe" USMNT players that none of these elder statesmen should be seen this January. Instead I would Like to see something along the following called up:

Goal Keepers: Hamid, Clark, TBD
Defense: Besler, Hedges, Miazga, Shea, Pelosi, 2-RBs TBD
Midfield: Bradley, Kitchen, Diskerud, Nagbe, Finlay, Lleget, Rowe
Strikers: Jozy, Zardes, Agudelo, Morris

There are enough players with experience (Besler, Bradley, Diskerud, Jozy, Shea, & Zardes) to provide the leadership in camp....while getting these fringe players plenty of chances to get playing time to see how they could preform at the Sr. international level.