Roster analysis: Breaking down the goalkeepers

The United States Men’s National Team is going to have a monumental task ahead of them in 2026. The team will have to unite to take on the world as co-hosts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino will have the unenviable task of figuring out how to lower a player pool of about 55 players down to the 26 that will form the World Cup roster. It’s the roster that every American player worth their salt wants to be a part of, but it will end in heartbreak for many of them.

It’s a good chance to evaluate the player pool to see which players are in the mix for that World Cup roster and what they need to do individually and collectively to be at their best and help the USMNT go far in the tournament. With a little over six months until the World Cup opener, we will break down each of the main groups and what that group need to do to elevate their game to the highest level.

We start this series with the goalkeepers, and there are probably 10 of them currently in the running for one of the three goalkeeper spots on the USMNT World Cup roster:

Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (NYCFC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena), Ethan Horvath (Sheffield Wednesday), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Drake Callender (Charlotte FC)

This is the hardest group of the player pool to gauge because in 99% of matches, only one of them will see the field. We can gain some insight into what Mauricio Pochettino is thinking by some of the call-ups he has made, but one thing appears to be clear: Matt Freese is the starter. Obviously, things can change, but for now it’s Freese’s job to lose.

For all of the goalkeepers, especially the guys who are presumably fighting for the backup spots, the key is going to be playing consistently at a high level. We’ve seen the drop in sharpness when goalkeepers sit on the bench for a while and don’t get consistent game minutes. That’s how goalkeeper Matt Turner eventually lost his starting job to Matt Freese, and Zack Steffen lost his sharpness due to injury and sitting on the bench and that was how Matt Turner took his starting job. Some of the guys, particularly those who play abroad, will need to figure out a way to get on the field and stay on the field through consistent good play against the best competition. Because sharpness is going to be key for our goalkeeping crew.

The MLS-based players are going to have to figure out how to stay sharp during the winter months, as the season is almost done and they won’t play competitive soccer for the most part until late February. That will mean they will be in early season mode during the March window and will have to be able to do what they need to do to get called into that camp and excel against what is expected to be two of the best teams in the world in Portugal and Belgium.

Overall, the goalkeeping crew needs to improve their positioning and footwork on the field. Pochettino certainly wants his goalkeepers to be able to operate with the ball out of their feet and to remain calm when they have the ball. The last thing the team needs is to have a World Cup edition of When Playing It Out Of The Back Goes Wrong. Getting the ball forward to the midfielders so they can set up the attack is key, and the goalkeeper has to help by making the right decisions with the ball.

They also need to have better positioning when the opposition has the ball with a chance to shoot. The keepers being out of position hasn’t helped when there are defensive breakdowns, and strong teams in the World Cup will make the USMNT pay every time. It’s a small detail that can separate the good from the elite, and the USMNT should be focused on improving those details because that could be the difference between a chance at a deep run and an early exit. They need to be ready to defend against some of the best and most dangerous strikers in the world.

Finally, the goalkeeping crew needs to be elite at the first fundamental: stopping shots. A goalkeeper can be a lot of things, but shot stopper has to be one of them. With their clubs, and for the few who get called into the next UMNT camp, they have to show that they can be a wall when it counts. Whether It’s a penalty situation or just in the field of play, every good team needs a hot goalkeeper. The three goalkeepers who make the roster must be capable of providing that defense between the posts.

There’s still a long time between now and May when Mauricio Pochettino will name his World Cup roster, but that window will close fast. The hope is that the goalkeeping core is top notch, with each player full capable of walking out onto the field and helping the team win.