US goalkeepers aim to live up to predecessors at World Cup, yet Pochettino hasn't picked a starter

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — In many previous World Cup cycles over the past three decades, the best and most accomplished players on the U.S. men's roster were their goalkeepers.

Kasey Keller. Brad Friedel. Tim Howard. Brad Guzan. They all played on major international club stages, and their national team could always count on having elite talent in net, even when the rest of the roster wasn't world-class.

That's no longer the case as the current American team prepares for its home World Cup.

While Matt Freese and Matt Turner are both solid domestic professionals, they have yet to match their esteemed predecessors' level of international accomplishment for club or country. Both are hoping they can summit that obstacle over the next few weeks — as soon as coach Mauricio Pochettino lets them know who's starting Friday night, that is.

“It’s fair to say the U.S. has a great goalkeeping corps, historically,” said Freese, the New York City FC keeper. “I was a fan of that goalkeeping corps for most of my life. Still am. And so it’s an honor to be on this team and be a part of that group to hopefully continue that great legacy.”

The U.S. arrived at its final World Cup training base in Orange County this week, but Pochettino has yet to announce which of his goalkeepers will start when his team opens the group stage against Paraguay in Inglewood, California — and it's tough not to see that as an indicator of the state of the U.S. situation in net.

Freese has been the Americans' regular starter since the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer, while Turner was their starter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under coach Gregg Berhalter. Freese seems likely to be Pochettino’s pick for Friday, but the fact that it hasn’t been made yet is interesting for both competitors for the job.

“Not a ton of clarity, but I think the messaging for me is just to always be ready,” Turner said Tuesday. “It’s about training really well, keep fighting, and then the decision will be made."

No matter who gets the nod, the U.S. will have a Major League Soccer goalkeeper in net at the World Cup for the first time. That's a coup for MLS, but the Americans are used to fielding goalies who had success beyond their shores.

The 27-year-old Freese has spent his pro career in MLS since he left Harvard in early 2019. The 31-year-old Turner is also back in North America's top league with the New England Revolution after his European career stalled before it really got rolling.

Pochettino has split up the time in net in the Americans’ four matches in 2026, even working third-stringer Chris Brady into the mix. Turner started their friendly against Senegal last month, while Freese got his turn last weekend against Germany.

Turner knows he is probably behind Freese on Pochettino's depth chart, but the lack of a starting announcement has him working just that much harder.

“Given the fact that I haven’t played a ton in the last year for the national team, of course, for me, that makes me feel like the door is always cracked,” Turner said. “Everyone has a chance. But I think the coach will always pick the guy that’s playing the best, and he’s going to make the right decision for the team, and whatever my role is going to be, I’m going to be ready to do it to the best of my ability.”

Turner made his U.S. debut in early 2021, while Freese only got his first U.S. callup in January 2025, finally making his debut last June. But he quickly seized the starting job and played all six Gold Cup matches, earning praise for a run that included two clean sheets and three penalty saves during a successful shootout.

“I dream of this opportunity,” Freese said. “You work for this opportunity, but you never know if it’s going to come. I learned probably nine years ago, the ones that work hard without the promise of reward are the ones that usually succeed.”

NOTES: All 26 players participated in a full practice Tuesday for the first time in this World Cup training cycle. Tyler Adams, who sat out Monday's light workout for a maintenance day, was in the mix along with defender Chris Richards, who went through his second straight full practice while recovering from an ankle injury he picked up last month with Crystal Palace.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks to reporters after the national team's first practice at its World Cup soccer tournament training base in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

FILE - United States goalie Matt Freese (25) directs his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)

The Minnesota Wild signed center Michael McCarron to a six-year, $20 million contract on Tuesday, taking one of their impending free agents off the market after his productive arrival following a midseason trade.

“He’s become an integral part of the team. I know in the locker room he’s a very popular guy with his teammates, and most importantly the way he performed on the ice proved to us that he was somebody that we wanted to be in business with for the foreseeable future,” general manager Bill Guerin said. “Between the way his teammates feel about him, the way the coaching staff feels about him, the way I feel about him and his desire to stay here, it just made it a perfect fit.”

The 31-year-old McCarron played in 20 regular-season games for the Wild after he was acquired from the Nashville Predators for a 2028 second-round draft pick on March 3. The 6-foot-6 McCarron had his best NHL season between Nashville and Minnesota in 2025-26, setting career highs with 109 shots on goal, 205 hits and 77 blocked shots. He had two goals, two assists, 27 hits and a team-leading 14 blocked shots over 11 games for the Wild in the playoffs. He also won 54.5% of his faceoffs.

After the Wild lost stalwart center Joel Eriksson Ek to a broken foot in the series-clinching win over Dallas in the first round, McCarron's role increased while playing on the second and third lines during the second-round series loss to Colorado. Even if his long-term fit is best on the third or fourth line, McCarron showed Guerin and the Wild coaches he won't be a liability if asked to take on more responsibility.

“Size, right shot, penalty killing, his faceoffs, all those things. Mike’s just a center. That’s what he is,” Guerin said on a video conference call with reporters. “If I’ve learned one thing over the last 15 years on this side of the business, it’s that anybody can play wing.”

Drafted in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, the late-blooming McCarron made $900,000 this season on his expiring contract. The new deal through the 2031-32 season will carry an annual average value against the salary cap of $3.33 million. He'd never signed a contract longer than two years until now.

“Everything from top to bottom was right up there with the top of the league, I would say,” said McCarron, a native of Michigan who spent five-plus seasons with the Predators. “From my very first step in there to my last, it was a great experience for me, and there was no point in looking elsewhere in free agency.”

With McCarron signing in advance and Marcus Johansson having opted to return to his roots and play in the Swedish Hockey League, the Wild have two unrestricted free agents of significance remaining: forwards Nick Foligno and Vladimir Tarasenko. Guerin has promised to be aggressive this summer in continuing to try to upgrade the roster in pursuit of a Stanley Cup with their core of stars — forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber — in their prime years.

“I think we’re in a great window right now, and that’s why I did want to stay," McCarron said. “With the Minnesota Wild, it gives me and my teammates a great opportunity to go chase that thing.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

FILE - Minnesota Wild's Michael McCarron skates during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, April 13, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Connor Hamilton, File)