IRVINE, Calif. (AP) 鈥� In many previous World Cup cycles over the past three decades, the best and most accomplished players on the U.S. men’s roster were their goalkeepers.
Kasey Keller. Brad Friedel. Tim Howard. Brad Guzan. They all played on major international club stages, and their national team could always count on having elite talent in net, even when the rest of the roster wasn’t world-class.
That’s no longer the case as the current American team prepares for .
While Matt Freese and Matt Turner are both solid domestic professionals, they have yet to match their esteemed predecessors’ level of international accomplishment for club or country. Both are hoping they can summit that obstacle over the next few weeks 鈥� as soon as coach Mauricio Pochettino lets them know who’s starting Friday night, that is.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fair to say the U.S. has a great goalkeeping corps, historically,鈥� said Freese, the New York City FC keeper. 鈥淚 was a fan of that goalkeeping corps for most of my life. Still am. And so it鈥檚 an honor to be on this team and be a part of that group to hopefully continue that great legacy.鈥�
The U.S. arrived at in Orange County this week, but Pochettino has yet to announce which of his goalkeepers will start when his team opens the group stage against Paraguay in Inglewood, California 鈥� and it’s tough not to see that as an indicator of the state of the U.S. situation in net.
Freese has been the Americans’ regular starter , while Turner was their starter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under coach Gregg Berhalter. Freese seems likely to be Pochettino鈥檚 pick for Friday, but the fact that it hasn鈥檛 been made yet is interesting for both competitors for the job.
鈥淣ot a ton of clarity, but I think the messaging for me is just to always be ready,鈥� Turner said Tuesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about training really well, keep fighting, and then the decision will be made.”
No matter who gets the nod, the U.S. will have a Major League Soccer goalkeeper in net at the World Cup for the first time. That’s a coup for MLS, but the Americans are used to fielding goalies who had success beyond their shores.
The 27-year-old Freese has spent his pro career in MLS since he left Harvard in early 2019. The 31-year-old Turner is also back in North America’s top league with the New England Revolution after his European career stalled before it really got rolling.
Pochettino has split up the time in net in the Americans鈥� four matches in 2026, even working third-stringer Chris Brady into the mix. Turner started their friendly against Senegal last month, while Freese got his turn last weekend against Germany.
Turner knows he is probably behind Freese on Pochettino’s depth chart, but the lack of a starting announcement has him working just that much harder.
鈥淕iven the fact that I haven鈥檛 played a ton in the last year for the national team, of course, for me, that makes me feel like the door is always cracked,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淓veryone has a chance. But I think the coach will always pick the guy that鈥檚 playing the best, and he鈥檚 going to make the right decision for the team, and whatever my role is going to be, I鈥檓 going to be ready to do it to the best of my ability.鈥�
Turner made his U.S. debut in early 2021, while Freese only got his first U.S. callup in January 2025, finally making his debut last June. But he quickly seized the starting job and played all six Gold Cup matches, earning praise for a run that included two clean sheets and three penalty saves during a successful shootout.
鈥淚 dream of this opportunity,鈥� Freese said. 鈥淵ou work for this opportunity, but you never know if it鈥檚 going to come. I learned probably nine years ago, the ones that work hard without the promise of reward are the ones that usually succeed.鈥�
NOTES: All 26 players participated in a full practice Tuesday for the first time in this World Cup training cycle. Tyler Adams, who sat out Monday’s light workout for a maintenance day, was in the mix along with defender Chris Richards, who went through while recovering from an ankle injury he picked up last month with Crystal Palace.
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