U.S. Men’s Team Is Back in Action: Stu Holden’s 5 Burning Questions

We’re less than a year out from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and there are still questions surrounding the United States men’s national team — and, certainly, the roster for the September international window.

Without household names like Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah left at home for these upcoming matches, there are a handful of new names at practically every position, as well as some returning faces that are hoping to re-enter the fold.

Here are five questions I have entering a crucial time for the USMNT:

1. Can Josh Sargent recreate his club form with the United States?

Josh Sargent has been red-hot for Norwich City to start the season — again — and has consistently been one of the best strikers in the English Championship for two seasons now. It was rumored he was very close to a summer move, but Sargent opted to stay and has been scoring a wide variety of goals, including a screamer this past weekend.

But get this: Sargent’s last goal for the U.S. was November 20th, 2019 — yes, almost six years ago. He only has five goals in 28 appearances for the United States, and after being left off this summer’s Gold Cup roster, this could be his last chance to leave a good impression on manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter used the No. 9 position as more of a hold up/false 9 role to get players running in behind the backline, and we wouldn’t often see Sargent in front of goal finishing off plays. Pochettino used Patrick Agyemang all throughout the Gold Cup as a player that would run in behind to stretch defenses and also take part in the build-up, but had a lot of good looks in front of the goal. Agyemang was very inconsistent in his finishing, which has been a theme for the No. 9 players as of late.

Sargent started vs. Panama in March in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals and didn’t see minutes against Canada in the 3rd/4th place match. This is a second chance to prove to Pochettino he can be the guy up front.

2. Is experimentation in the backline good?

There are a few new faces in the backline for this window — most notably Vancouver Whitecaps veteran Tristan Blackmon and 18-year-old Augsburg prospect Noahkai Banks.

We are 282 days until the World Cup, and if it was to start tomorrow, I’d predict the back line would be: Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards, Tim Ream and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson. That’s a pretty solid backline – especially if you consider the huge growth as a leader from Richards over the past year.

Ream, however, turns 38 in October. From a center-back perspective, what’s been worrisome for the USMNT is that there is nobody even close to him in terms of level of play, experience, and who can comfortably start play/pass out of the back. As much as I feel comfortable with Ream in that position, it would be great if someone else could develop over the next 8–10 months and be another dependable option.

I’ve long since felt that the USMNT would be best with a back 3 — which could allow Ream or Richards to slide into the middle and add another option for this team. Some continued food for thought for Pochettino.

3. Will we see a motivated Christian Pulisic after this summer?

Christian Pulisic heard all the noise about his absence over the summer and I believe he will have a point to prove to those that questioned his commitment.

The team missed a player of his quality in the Gold Cup final vs. Mexico, so his return to the USMNT attack bodes well. A good set of performances in these two matches will go a long way with the USMNT fan base, with whom the relationship has been a little tense since the summer.

He came off the bench to score over the weekend for AC Milan, after pushing through a bit of an ankle knock. I’ll be interested to see how he is used by Pochettino in this window and what types of performances he’ll put together because, as always, all eyes are on him to be the difference-maker for this team.

4. Will the players not at camp be noticed?

One of the big questions throughout the Gold Cup was: Could anyone from this group push themselves into a more prominent role with the “A” Group?

We saw some important contributions from the likes of Sebastian Berhalter, Malik Tillman, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Alex Freeman, and Matt Freese that have propelled them to call-ups in this window. Tillman was an excused absence as he continues to work back from injury and integrate into life with Bayer Leverkusen (he opened his account with a goal last weekend), but for the rest, this camp presents another opportunity to show they can “level up”.

The midfield will be a fascinating topic of discussion for the next 10 months. Tyler Adams will look to continue in his role at the No. 6. At the Gold Cup we saw him in a combination of two holding midfielders and, at times, as the lone No. 6 with two advanced midfielders in front. With no McKennie, Johnny Cardoso, or Yunus Musah in camp, where does Pochettino opt to go with in these games? And, how does he foresee his midfield looking in future camps?

I think these games will tell us a lot about where he is leaning, but again, with players left out for various reasons, Pochettino’s hope after the Gold Cup was that nobody was “guaranteed” a position — or at least that they felt that way. I felt the pool advanced, but it’s certainly not at the level I’d hope we are heading into the World Cup with.

5. Is the No. 1 spot now Matt Freese’s to lose?

And so begins the … Matt Freese era? Let’s see.

It was the 2021 Gold Cup where Matt Turner jumped Zack Steffen into a starting position for the USMNT. Has Freese now “Turnered” Matt Turner? All things considered, Freese had a very solid Gold Cup, with the standout moment being the three penalty saves against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.

Matt Freese’s save and Damion Downs’ PK propel USMNT to win vs. Costa Rica

We also saw a few shaky moments on crosses and the back-pass against Haiti, but what was impressive was how quickly he rebounded from that. The other two keepers on the roster — Roman Celentano and Jonathan Klinsmann — are both uncapped, so it would be a safe bet to assume that Freese will once again get the nod in goal.

Pochettino knows what he has in Steffen and Turner, who I would guess currently round out the three keepers. But with Freese set to get two more games, strong and commanding performances in both could truly start to separate him as the nailed-on starter for the USMNT.

Stu Holden, a former midfielder for the United States men’s national team, is FOX Sports’ lead match analyst for its marquee soccer coverage.

Get more from the United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more