With the FIFA World Cup scheduled to kick off on June 11, former US star and Fox Sports analyst Stu Holden has exposed a legitimate concern for the national team. Team USA will kick off their campaign with a match against Paraguay on June 13, and are one of the favorites to reach the knockouts from Group D, which also includes the likes of Australia and Turkey.
Regardless, Holden believes that the USMNT are still suffering due to the lack of certainty surrounding the goalkeeping position, with Matt Freese expected to be the starter for the tournament, per ESPN.
“Goalkeeping is definitely a concern. We haven’t had a standout goalkeeper now for a number of years, but yet you have an opportunity to change the perception of who you are by one tournament.”
The USMNT do have multiple options at the position. Matt Turner, who plays for New England Revolution on loan from the French club Lyon, is the more experienced pick. Turner was the starting goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup, where the USMNT were beaten by the Netherlands in the round of 16. Of course, these options still pale in comparison considering for the longest of time, Team USA banked on the legendary Tim Howard, who played for clubs such as Manchester United and Everton during his career.
However, the 27-year-old Freese, who plays for New York City FC, is expected to be the starter this time around.
“I dream of this opportunity, you work for the opportunity, but you never know if it will come. I learned probably nine years ago the ones that work hard without promise of reward are the ones that usually succeed,” he had recently said, per Yahoo Sports.
Of course, while goalkeeping might be a concern at least according to Holden, the USMNT are hardly one of the favorites in the tournament, especially considering the wealth of talent that some of the other teams boast of in the tournament. At the same time, major tournaments like the World Cup tend to throw a range of surprises, and Team USA certainly has the talent to stay competitive, especially under the tactician that is Mauricio Pochettino.
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