USMNT competition heats up as World Cup roster decisions loom | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

ATLANTA – A tightrope awaited the 27 players who jetted in from all over the world to report to this week’s US men’s national team camp.

It’s not an unfamiliar one; some version of it is hardwired into their existence as professional athletes required to prove themselves – while still maintaining full focus and emotional equilibrium – constantly.

Yet it inevitably feels different at the national team’s final gathering before Mauricio Pochettino makes his final decisions on the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster.

“The emotions that people are going through right now, it's obviously everybody's dream to go to a World Cup. So it creates a competitive field, a competitive team,” Seattle Sounders FC and USMNT midfielder Cristian Roldan told reporters this week, ahead of Saturday’s showdown vs. Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta United (3:30 pm ET). 

“I expect competition in every camp. But this one especially, leading up to the World Cup, with the things that the coach said, no one’s spot is guaranteed.”

No guarantees

Pochettino has driven home, with relentless emphasis, that no one is assured of a place on the squad – not even the superstars, not even those who’ve participated in jersey photo shoots and other World Cup marketing materials – and that attitude seems to have permeated the culture around the team.

Hunger amid unity, and – hopefully – mutual trust via personal connections honed with Poch & Co. over the past year-plus.

“I believe that ability to truly connect is the greatest power we possess as a coaching staff,” Pochettino said in Spanish in Friday’s matchday-1 press conference, after confessing that he’s already “suffering two months in advance” of having to make his final decisions.

“When those bonds are emotional … the decisions involved become extremely difficult. From our side, we treat the players with respect; and, in turn, the players recognize that respect in us – balancing high standards with an earnest effort to be fair, which, of course, is no easy task."

Staying loose

The danger lies in motivated players losing balance, in allowing intensity to override clarity. Philadelphia Union product Auston Trusty, now at Scottish giants Celtic, described the ideal mindset as “a free-flow state in your mind” on Wednesday.

“I think 'not tightening up' is the best way to describe it. You don't want to play tight,” said US and Charlotte FC veteran Tim Ream. “You want to have a focus, you want to have an intensity, but you don't want to feel like you're gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. You have to play loose, you have to play with confidence.

“Every camp is important, every training session is important, every touch is important,” he added. “There's battles all over the field, and at the same time, we're all pushing each other. We all want everybody to be performing at their very best.”

Dreams to reality

For a group that proudly describes itself as a brotherhood dating back to the dawn of the 2022 cycle, that bond is interwoven with the urgency to perform.

“We're all competing for a spot on the World Cup roster, but each training, everything's intense,” said Joe Scally on Thursday. “There's always competition in all pro sports, but we're a team. We want what's best for the team. We're all going to play for the team before ourselves.

"And I think that's one thing that the group has shown. We've shown it in past camps. And if you try your best, you do your best, you're going to do the best, obviously, for the team and for yourself.”

The race for both places and minutes on the pitch might be keenest in center midfield and central defense, with depth and variety in the former and a paucity of obvious starters in the latter – particularly for this window’s matches, with Pochettino revealing on Friday that both FC Cincinnati star Miles Robinson and Chris Richards are dealing with minor injuries which will rule them out.

Any contribution that helps the collective should be inherently beneficial to an individual’s prospects. It’s almost impossible to escape the stress of waiting on that final word from the coaching staff, but those who’ve lived it consider it a major life milestone.

“It was definitely one of the best days of my life when he called,” said 2022 World Cup veteran Brenden Aaronson of the moment when former boss Gregg Berhalter notified him he’d made the cut. “But I can remember before, it was the moment of, you're second-guessing yourself, you're thinking to yourself, did I do enough? This or that.

“But you can always stay confident in those situations and know that I put myself in the best position and that’s how I try to think,” he continued. “When you finally get the call, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. It’s something I’ll always remember.”

Cristian Roldan inspired by Clint Dempsey & Michael Bradley