U.S. Males’s Nationwide Crew coach Mauricio Pochettino unveiled his 26-man roster Tuesday for a probably generational World Cup. The crew options veterans, recent faces and quite a lot of surprises.
However who made the minimize for the U.S., which opens within the World Cup on June 12 in opposition to Paraguay? How did they get there? And what are they identified for? Right here’s a breakdown of the USMNT roster, beginning with the goalkeepers:
Matt Freese: The Gentleman Scholar
Wayne, Pennsylvania | Age: 27 | Crew: New York Metropolis FC (MLS)
Nationwide crew appearances: 14 | Identified for: Ivy League intelligence
The Harvard-educated goalkeeper got his USMNT breakthrough in January 2025. He quickly became one of Pochettino’s most trusted figures thanks to his coolness under pressure and impressive shot-stopping abilities. Nobody saves penalties quite like Freese does. His approach to shootouts is downright academic.
“I actually did a very long research project in college about penalty kicks,” Freese told the media after saving three of them to ship the USMNT to the 2025 Gold Cup semifinals. “To have the ability to depend on that kind of factor and take care of a whole lot of statistics and stuff like that, learn the sport and browse their hips and issues like that, is huge.”
