World Cup Roster Auditions: USA Players Nervously Await ‘Painful’ Decision

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) — The booming drum beat from Portugal fans was a helpful reminder to anyone who might have been unaware: The World Cup is a mere two months away. That means it’s nervy times for players who are uneasy about making the 26-person roster, even if they don’t show it. The U.S. men’s national team wrapped its last camp on Tuesday night in Atlanta with an unimpressive 2-0 defeat to Portugal in front of an announced crowd of 72,297 people, many of whom were wearing Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys (even though he did not make the trip). The result came a few days after a humbling 5-2 loss to Belgium. USA manager Mauricio Pochettino will announce his final 26-man roster on May 26 in New York City, and now the only thing players who may be on the bubble can do is wait. And wait. And after Tuesday’s loss, players didn’t have much time to chat after the match. Many were rushing out the stadium to catch international flights back home to rejoin their respective clubs. When a few of them were asked if they found any clarity about their place within Pochettino’s World Cup plans during this past week, they seemed exhausted. “I just try to block it out,” a fairly calm Sebastian Berhalter said off to the side of a crowded mixed zone following the Portugal loss. The 24-year-old midfielder played in both games during this window and is hoping to make his first World Cup roster. “Just focus on myself,” added defender Auston Trusty, who has only made five appearances for the national team and started on the back line vs. Portugal. “I can only control what I can control.” The ‘Painful’ Process of Picking a Roster The U.S. players are all in the thick of their respective club seasons (17 of the players are based in Europe), and this was a fully packed week in Atlanta. It wasn’t just about training and games because it also included other responsibilities, like pre-tournament marketing opportunities and photo shoots. It can undoubtedly be taxing mentally to be part of those things when you don’t even know if you’re going to be on a World Cup squad. “Not too concerned with that, not too focused on that,” said goalkeeper Matt Freese, who made some quality saves against Portugal. Pochettino said the starting goalkeeper job is still open for competition, while Freese added that he has no inkling of whether it will be him or Matt Turner, who gave up five goals against Belgium. Pochettino said during his post-game press conference Tuesday night that he is still in the process of reviewing the player pool with his staff. “They know it’s going to be a competition,” Pochettino said. “They know that we are going to see [them play with their clubs] every single week, every single game, and we are going to assess one year and a half or more [of being with the team], and we are going to make the decision of 26 players being on the roster. “I think those who will be here will be happy, [and those] not on the roster will be sad.” Back in January, Pochettino said that for his team, the World Cup would begin in March. (The tournament’s actual start date is June 11, with the U.S. opening group play on June 12 vs. Paraguay in Los Angeles). That comment insinuated that he had narrowed the group down somewhat, and he probably has. But following the Portugal match, he was asked how many players in his mind are still in contention. Are there 30 guys vying for 26 spots? Maybe 35? “Yes, yes,” Pochettino said, laughing. “Maybe a few more. It’s going to be painful in that process. Emotional. It’s going to be really difficult to pick 26 from 75 players.” To Get (or Not To Get) The Call Last Friday, Pochettino described his style that he’ll only call the players who make the team and not reach out to those who don’t. It’s a different approach to four years ago when former coach Gregg Berhalter called players who were going to Qatar and those who weren’t. “I haven’t heard anything about that,” Trusty said when asked about Pochettino’s approach, sounding a bit surprised. “That’s new information to me. I don’t have an opinion on that, really. Obviously, if you don’t get the call, I mean, it’s not a good situation regardless.” Some players would like to know either way. “I would, personally,” said midfielder Cristian Roldan, who was part of the 2022 World Cup squad but didn’t play. “I think that I have so much respect for Pochettino and the coaching staff. And look, they didn’t have to bring me in back in September, and they gave me the opportunity, and I’m extremely thankful for that opportunity. And I think that respect goes a long way. “So if I didn’t make the squad, I would love to hear from Pochettino the reason why or just having that man-to-man conversation that is difficult at times. But it definitely plays a part in your entire career, and it could impact the way you look at things.” Throughout this past week, players spoke of how competitive and intense training sessions had been, as everyone knows no roster spot is guaranteed. Now, Pochettino has seen all he can from a national team perspective and will spend these next few weeks putting the puzzle pieces together. “I think this camp is very positive,” Pochettino concluded. “It was the end of our cycle in preparation for the World Cup. The next roster is going to be the roster that is going to be involved [in the tournament]. “I am more positive than I was before because, seeing the team compete, we are not far away. It’s only details we need to improve. When we match the opponent in the areas that we need to match, we are going to have a possibility to beat them.”