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2 days ago
When nan US men’s nationalist squad booked Belgium and Portugal for nan last brace of friendlies earlier nan 2026 World Cup roster is named, it looked for illustration a mates coagulated tests against European teams who will expect to scope this World Cup’s business end. They should beryllium worthy tests of nan US’s readiness for large matchups that could await if they beforehand from Group D. Oddly, they are besides a brace of foes from nan US’s 2014 World Cup campaign.
This will hardly lucifer a 12-year reunion, though. Belgium arrives without Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois, 2 of nan fewer remaining members from that round-of-16 conflict that ended nan United States’ tournament. Portugal arrives without nan injured Cristiano Ronaldo, somewhat dulling nan request for what mightiness person been a basking summons successful Atlanta.
. All that’s left, then, is sorting immoderate last questions astir Mauricio Pochettino’s impending 26-man roster.
Starting astatine goalkeeper, No 1: Matt ____
Throughout his tenure, Pochettino has stopped short of naming a definitive No 1 goalkeeper. This coyness tin only proceed truthful long.
Pochettino utilized nan 2025 Gold Cup to springiness Matt Freese a proceedings by fire, starting nan New York City FC goalkeeper each nan measurement done nan final. It wasn’t owed to a deficiency of alternatives: dissimilar galore of his chap starters from nan 2022 World Cup, Matt Turner was selected and disposable throughout. Pochettino wanted to guarantee he had a 2nd action successful nett pinch big-game readiness, which Freese accrued successful good manner by outlasting nan Costa Rican awesome Keylor Navas successful a quarter-final shootout.
Since his first lucifer arsenic head connected 12 October 2024, Pochettino has fixed Turner 7 starts, astir precocious successful nan last pre-Gold Cup friends past June (a disheartening 4-0 nonaccomplishment to Switzerland). Freese has started 13 of nan US’s past 14 games, having only debuted successful nan first Gold Cup tuneup, a 2-1 nonaccomplishment to Turkey. It’s surely nan benignant of runout astir coaches only spend an inevitable World Cup starter.
The stakes present are simple. If Freese starts against Belgium and Portugal, he’ll capable Tony Meola’s cleats and gloves arsenic nan USMNT goalkeeper astatine a location World Cup. If Turner gets a start, however, it whitethorn beryllium grounds of immoderate precocious indecision.
Beyond nan spotlight lies a concluding conflict to beryllium 3rd connected nan goalkeeper extent chart. Patrick Schulte appears to person nan wrong way aft starting astatine nan 2024 Olympics and winning MLS Cup successful 2023 – sizeable big-game seasoning contempt having conscionable turned 25. At 22, Chris Brady is 1 to way for 2030 and beyond, but is still much earthy all-around than nan rest.
Which full-back leaves their post?
In September, Pochettino adapted to his team’s comparatively thin protect corps by adding an other assemblage on nan backline. The performances during that model helped found a bedrock for nan US’s style of play, which has since evolved pinch replicable patterns and off-ball activity whether he picks 2 halfway backs aliases three.
That second improvement was particularly captious fixed nan program’s comparative dearth of center-backs. Chris Richards has established himself arsenic a worthy anchor pinch nan basal movement, marking and mentality to service arsenic lead. While he often paired pinch Tim Ream, including astatine 2024 Copa América, Ream’s waning mobility has raised questions astir whether nan 38-year-old should commencement regularly astatine a World Cup.
Mark McKenzie has remained successful good shape pinch Toulouse, and his ball-playing floor plan could complement Richards nicely. Miles Robinson isn’t arsenic savvy a line-breaking passer and has struggled arsenic overmuch arsenic nan remainder of FC Cincinnati successful caller weeks, but he is simply a beardown aerial beingness and has travel done for nan USMNT successful Concacaf competitions. Auston Trusty rounds retired this camp’s center-backs, bringing sizeable acquisition against low-block opponents from his shifts astatine Celtic but conscionable 5 caps to his sanction astatine property 27.
The September modification that makes nan strategy singing is Pochettino’s willingness to fto 1 of his full-backs advancement upfield to thief pinch buildup while nan other broadside slots successful arsenic a 3rd center-back successful possession. The utilization is en vogue crossed Europe, but this is 1 of nan first committed tests of nan domiciled (once coined arsenic an “elbow-back”) for a US nationalist squad of immoderate gender.
It’s tempting to presume Antonee Robinson would service arsenic that much precocious option, but there’s logic to wonderment if nan squad would travel champion if he served arsenic auxiliary near center-back successful buildup. Robinson offers sizeable crossing chops, but hasn’t featured nether Pochettino since November 2024, leaving him untested successful nan team’s existent structure. Additionally, leaving Robinson further backmost would inquire Christian Pulisic to way backmost little often, which is mostly advisable fixed his captious domiciled successful nan US attack.
Conversely, nan correct broadside is staffed to capably execute elbows and overlaps. Tim Weah is nary alien to two-way roles aft caller seasons pinch Juventus and Marseille, and he adds different scoring threat erstwhile cutting toward nan box. Villarreal fans haven’t yet seen overmuch of Alex Freeman, but nan 21-year-old played this hybrid domiciled to awesome occurrence pinch Orlando City successful 2025.
No matter nan calibration, keeping a guidelines backmost 4 would beryllium particularly useful considering really overmuch deeper nan excavation is successful midfield.
A finely tuned motor room
Pochettino will person immoderate invited action headaches arsenic he calibrates his midfield, astir apt selecting 3 for his lineup to nexus nan backline pinch a frontline involving Pulisic, Weah and Folarin Balogun. While past cycle’s occurrence saw Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams shape nan impactful “MMA” troika, Musah hasn’t made 1 of Pochettino’s squads since March 2025.
Pochettino almost surely can’t rehearse his first-choice midfield this camp. Tyler Adams is retired arsenic he rehabs an rumor pinch his quadricep, though Bournemouth projects that he’ll beryllium fresh to play soon aft this window. Cristian Roldan has a chance to cement himself arsenic protect midfield deputy, a domiciled that conscionable mightiness see astatine slightest 1 commencement successful nan group shape fixed Adams’s injury-riddled profession to date. Roldan has rebuilt himself since nan 2022 World Cup, becoming 1 of MLS’s champion protect midfielders aft mostly filling box-to-box roles successful Seattle earlier past season.
There are fiercer competitions near unresolved successful nan bosom of nan park. McKennie is among this program’s astir important players. His on-ball crippled has travel a agelong measurement since Qatar, and he could excel arsenic nan astir precocious midfielder of a trio. He has nan positional consciousness to drift into ceded territory arsenic his teammates make their moves.
That could time off Sebastian Berhalter, who was uncapped this clip past year, arsenic nan 3rd starter. Through his prima move pinch nan Vancouver Whitecaps arsenic good arsenic his 9 caps nether Pochettino, nan 24-year-old has proved tin astatine regularly breaking lines pinch his distribution. In nan young MLS season, he’s besides roaming laterally much often to forge impromptu passing triangles crossed nan field, a motion of further betterment successful his high-level reference of nan game.
But wait, there’s more! Aidan Morris, Tanner Tessmann and Johnny Cardoso will each dream to information retired nan roster’s midfield fleet. Morris is simply a captious and accordant all-rounder astatine Middlesbrough, capable to capable a fewer different roles pinch his awesome passing and protect initiative. Tessmann captained nan Olympic squad and is comfortable garnering a precocious stock of touches pinch Lyon, besides providing an aerial threat. Cardoso has steadied into shape successful his first play pinch Atlético Madrid, but faces an uphill conflict to impressment Pochettino aft respective shaky shifts past summertime earlier and during nan Gold Cup.
If McKennie does play nan much precocious midfield spot, it could trim into minutes for Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna. Tillman was among nan champion players astatine past year’s Gold Cup but hasn’t ever delivered erstwhile he can’t play his preferred position arsenic a existent No 10. Reyna’s move to Borussia Mönchengladbach hasn’t gone arsenic planned, having played conscionable 26 minutes this almanac year.
Nonetheless, nan 23-year-old isn’t conscionable successful campy because Diego Luna isn’t astatine 100%. Reyna is nan latest successful a statement of players who look freed pinch his nationalist team, pinch nan big-game mentality to spell toe-to-toe pinch immoderate force sloppy of his caller involvement. Tack connected his singular proficiency astatine dribbling successful tight areas and unpicking defenses pinch nimble passing, and he’ll person 2 much friendlies to show Pochettino why he should make nan squad.
Lineup projections
What I’d for illustration to spot against Belgium: Freese; A. Robinson - McKenzie - Richards – Freeman; Morris - Roldan; Pulisic - Reyna - Weah; Balogun
Projected champion XI for nan World Cup: Freese; A. Robinson - McKenzie - Richards -Freeman; Berhalter - Adams; Pulisic - McKennie - Weah; Balogun
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