Soccer <\/p>\n
ATLANTA \u2013 A tightrope awaited the 27 players who jetted in from all over the world to report to this week\u2019s\u00a0US men\u2019s national team<\/a> camp.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s not an unfamiliar one; some version of it is hardwired into their existence as professional athletes required to prove themselves \u2013 while still maintaining full focus and emotional equilibrium \u2013 constantly.<\/p>\n Yet it inevitably feels different at the national team\u2019s final gathering before Mauricio Pochettino makes his final decisions on the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a>\u00a0roster.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d Seattle Sounders FC<\/a> and USMNT midfielder Cristian Roldan<\/a> told reporters this week, ahead of Saturday\u2019s showdown vs. Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta United<\/a> (3:30 pm ET).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI expect competition in every camp. But this one especially, leading up to the World Cup, with the things that the coach said, no one\u2019s spot is guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n “We’re all working towards a common goal.” – Weston McKennie pic.twitter.com\/7xA372RebW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) March 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Pochettino has driven home, with relentless emphasis, that no one is assured of a place on the squad \u2013 not even the superstars, not even those who\u2019ve participated in jersey photo shoots and other World Cup marketing materials \u2013 and that attitude seems to have permeated the culture around the team.<\/p>\n Hunger amid unity, and \u2013 hopefully \u2013 mutual trust via personal connections honed with Poch & Co. over the past year-plus.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe that ability to truly connect is the greatest power we possess as a coaching staff,\u201d Pochettino said in Spanish in Friday\u2019s matchday-1 press conference, after confessing that he\u2019s already \u201csuffering two months in advance\u201d of having to make his final decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen those bonds are emotional \u2026 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 \u2013 balancing high standards with an earnest effort to be fair, which, of course, is no easy task.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Why not us? pic.twitter.com\/BNGnWKfRer<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The danger lies in motivated players losing balance, in allowing intensity to override clarity. Philadelphia Union<\/a> product Auston Trusty, now at Scottish giants Celtic, described the ideal mindset as \u201ca free-flow state in your mind\u201d on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI think ‘not tightening up’ is the best way to describe it. You don’t want to play tight,\u201d said US and Charlotte FC<\/a> veteran Tim Ream<\/a>. \u201cYou 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.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery camp is important, every training session is important, every touch is important,\u201d he added. \u201cThere’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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The fellas. \ud83e\udd1d\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 https:\/\/t.co\/PYeojr56lF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re all competing for a spot on the World Cup roster, but each training, everything’s intense,\u201d said Joe Scally on Thursday. \u201cThere’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.<\/p>\n “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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 particularly for this window\u2019s matches, with Pochettino revealing on Friday that both FC Cincinnati<\/a> star Miles Robinson<\/a> and Chris Richards are dealing with minor injuries which will rule them out.<\/p>\n Any contribution that helps the collective should be inherently beneficial to an individual\u2019s prospects. It\u2019s almost impossible to escape the stress of waiting on that final word from the coaching staff, but those who\u2019ve lived it consider it a major life milestone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was definitely one of the best days of my life when he called,\u201d said 2022 World Cup veteran Brenden Aaronson of the moment when former boss Gregg Berhalter notified him he\u2019d made the cut. \u201cBut 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you can always stay confident in those situations and know that I put myself in the best position and that\u2019s how I try to think,\u201d he continued. \u201cWhen you finally get the call, it\u2019s one of the best feelings in the world. It\u2019s something I\u2019ll always remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
No guarantees<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Staying loose<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Dreams to reality<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n