Three things to watch this USMNT window: goalkeepers, progressive full-backs and midfield puzzles

11 hours ago 2

When the US men’s national team booked Belgium and Portugal for the final pair of friendlies before the 2026 World Cup roster is named, it looked like a couple solid tests against European teams who will expect to reach this World Cup’s business end. They should be worthy tests of the US’s readiness for big matchups that could await if they advance from Group D. Oddly, they are also a pair of foes from the US’s 2014 World Cup campaign.

This will hardly resemble a 12-year reunion, though. Belgium arrives without Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois, two of the few remaining members from that round-of-16 clash that ended the United States’ tournament. Portugal arrives without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, slightly dulling the demand for what might have been a hot ticket in Atlanta.

. All that’s left, then, is sorting some final questions about Mauricio Pochettino’s impending 26-man roster.

Starting at goalkeeper, No 1: Matt ____

Throughout his tenure, Pochettino has stopped short of naming a definitive No 1 goalkeeper. This coyness can only continue so long.

Pochettino used the 2025 Gold Cup to give Matt Freese a trial by fire, starting the New York City FC goalkeeper all the way through the final. It wasn’t due to a lack of alternatives: unlike many of his fellow starters from the 2022 World Cup, Matt Turner was selected and available throughout. Pochettino wanted to ensure he had a second option in net with big-game readiness, which Freese accrued in fine fashion by outlasting the Costa Rican great Keylor Navas in a quarter-final shootout.

Matt Freese stops a shot during USMNT training.

Since his first match as manager on 12 October 2024, Pochettino has given Turner seven starts, most recently in the final pre-Gold Cup friendly last June (a disheartening 4-0 loss to Switzerland). Freese has started 13 of the US’s last 14 games, having only debuted in the first Gold Cup tuneup, a 2-1 loss to Turkey. It’s certainly the sort of runout most coaches only afford an inevitable World Cup starter.

The stakes here are simple. If Freese starts against Belgium and Portugal, he’ll fill Tony Meola’s cleats and gloves as the USMNT goalkeeper at a home World Cup. If Turner gets a start, however, it may be evidence of some late indecision.

Beyond the spotlight lies a concluding battle to be third on the goalkeeper depth chart. Patrick Schulte appears to have the inside track after starting at the 2024 Olympics and winning MLS Cup in 2023 – considerable big-game seasoning despite having just turned 25. At 22, Chris Brady is one to track for 2030 and beyond, but is still more raw all-around than the rest.

Which full-back leaves their post?

In September, Pochettino adapted to his team’s relatively lean defensive corps by adding an extra body along the backline. The performances during that window helped establish a bedrock for the US’s style of play, which has since evolved with replicable patterns and off-ball movement whether he picks two center backs or three.

That latter evolution was especially vital given the program’s relative dearth of center-backs. Chris Richards has established himself as a worthy anchor with the necessary movement, marking and mentality to serve as lead. While he often paired with Tim Ream, including at 2024 Copa América, Ream’s waning mobility has raised questions about whether the 38-year-old should start regularly at a World Cup.

Mark McKenzie has remained in fine form with Toulouse, and his ball-playing profile could complement Richards nicely. Miles Robinson isn’t as savvy a line-breaking passer and has struggled as much as the rest of FC Cincinnati in recent weeks, but he is a strong aerial presence and has come through for the USMNT in Concacaf competitions. Auston Trusty rounds out this camp’s center-backs, bringing considerable experience against low-block opponents from his shifts at Celtic but just five caps to his name at age 27.

The September modification that makes the system sing is Pochettino’s willingness to let one of his full-backs progress upfield to help with buildup while the opposite side slots in as a third center-back in possession. The utilization is en vogue across Europe, but this is one of the first committed trials of the role (once coined as an “elbow-back”) for a US national team of any gender.

It’s tempting to assume Antonee Robinson would serve as that more advanced option, but there’s reason to wonder if the team would flow best if he served as auxiliary left center-back in buildup. Robinson offers considerable crossing chops, but hasn’t featured under Pochettino since November 2024, leaving him untested in the team’s current structure. Additionally, leaving Robinson further back would ask Christian Pulisic to track back less often, which is generally advisable given his vital role in the US attack.

Conversely, the right side is staffed to capably execute elbows and overlaps. Tim Weah is no stranger to two-way roles after recent seasons with Juventus and Marseille, and he adds another scoring threat when cutting toward the box. Villarreal fans haven’t yet seen much of Alex Freeman, but the 21-year-old played this hybrid role to great success with Orlando City in 2025.

Alex Freeman’s progressive actions for Orlando City in 2025.

No matter the calibration, keeping a base back four would be especially useful considering how much deeper the pool is in midfield.

A finely tuned engine room

Pochettino will have some welcome selection headaches as he calibrates his midfield, most likely selecting three for his lineup to link the backline with a frontline involving Pulisic, Weah and Folarin Balogun. While last cycle’s success saw Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams form the impactful “MMA” troika, Musah hasn’t made one of Pochettino’s squads since March 2025.

Pochettino almost certainly can’t rehearse his first-choice midfield this camp. Tyler Adams is out as he rehabs an issue with his quadricep, although Bournemouth projects that he’ll be ready to play soon after this window. Cristian Roldan has a chance to cement himself as defensive midfield deputy, a role that just might include at least one start in the group stage given Adams’s injury-riddled career to date. Roldan has rebuilt himself since the 2022 World Cup, becoming one of MLS’s best defensive midfielders after largely filling box-to-box roles in Seattle before last season.

There are fiercer competitions left unresolved in the heart of the park. McKennie is among this program’s most important players. His on-ball game has come a long way since Qatar, and he could excel as the most advanced midfielder of a trio. He has the positional awareness to drift into ceded territory as his teammates make their moves.

That could leave Sebastian Berhalter, who was uncapped this time last year, as the third starter. Through his star turn with the Vancouver Whitecaps as well as his nine caps under Pochettino, the 24-year-old has proved capable at regularly breaking lines with his distribution. In the young MLS season, he’s also roaming laterally more often to forge impromptu passing triangles across the field, a sign of further improvement in his high-level reading of the game.

But wait, there’s more! Aidan Morris, Tanner Tessmann and Johnny Cardoso will all hope to round out the roster’s midfield fleet. Morris is a vital and consistent all-rounder at Middlesbrough, able to fill a few different roles with his impressive passing and defensive initiative. Tessmann captained the Olympic team and is comfortable garnering a high share of touches with Lyon, also providing an aerial threat. Cardoso has steadied into form in his first season with Atlético Madrid, but faces an uphill battle to impress Pochettino after several shaky shifts last summer before and during the Gold Cup.

If McKennie does play the more advanced midfield spot, it could cut into minutes for Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna. Tillman was among the best players at last year’s Gold Cup but hasn’t always delivered when he can’t play his preferred position as a true No 10. Reyna’s move to Borussia Mönchengladbach hasn’t gone as planned, having played just 26 minutes this calendar year.

Nonetheless, the 23-year-old isn’t just in camp because Diego Luna isn’t at 100%. Reyna is the latest in a line of players who look freed with his national team, with the big-game mentality to go toe-to-toe with any opponent regardless of his recent involvement. Tack on his singular proficiency at dribbling in tight areas and unpicking defenses with nimble passing, and he’ll have two more friendlies to show Pochettino why he should make the squad.