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Following their confidence-boosting victory over Senegal on Sunday, the U.S. men's national team has just one remaining warm-up friendly before launching into 2026 FIFA World Cup action on home turf, giving manager Mauricio Pochettino one final chance to nail down his starting lineup for soccer's premier global event.
The Stars and Stripes will take on European giant Germany on Saturday before a sold-out crowd at Soldier Field in Chicago. It represents a crucial opportunity for Pochettino to cement his tournament strategy, while also allowing the Stars and Stripes to further establish themselves as a genuine contender this summer — a narrative they began building with their 3–2 triumph over the No. 14-ranked West Africans last week. Should the No. 16-ranked Americans manage a draw or victory against the No. 10-ranked Europeans, it would signal real promise heading into a potentially landmark summer.
While the USMNT delivered an impressive overall performance last week, several players still need to make their case in the friendly against Germany if they want to leave a meaningful mark on the World Cup stage.
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Matt Freese
Matt Freese, 27, is widely expected to be the USMNT's starting goalkeeper this summer; however, Pochettino's decision is far from finalized. The Argentine manager deployed both New England Revolution's Matt Turner and Chicago Fire's Chris Brady in goal against Senegal, and even if that choice was largely made to preserve New York City FC's Freese for the tougher of the two week's opponents, the fact that Pochettino continues to audition all three rostered goalkeepers suggests he remains determined to evaluate each of them in live match situations.
Turner, 31, also shared minutes with Freese during the March international window, playing a full 90 minutes against Belgium while Freese handled the complete Portugal friendly.
Turner also benefits from seasoned experience with 54 caps to his name, having debuted for the senior side in 2021 before becoming a key figure at the 2022 World Cup. Freese, by contrast, only made his debut last year, taking advantage of Turner's dip in form during the 2025 Concacaf Nations League and claiming the starting spot at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Freese has accumulated just 14 caps for the U.S. so far and will need to deliver a standout performance against Germany to fully persuade Pochettino that he is the undisputed starter, despite his limited experience under soccer's biggest spotlight.
Haji Wright
Haji Wright, 28, was one of only three fit players in the USMNT squad who did not see action in Sunday's friendly. Pochettino opted for Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun ahead of him in the No. 9 role, though the striker is expected to earn some playing time on Saturday.
Pepi started against Senegal, with the PSV Eindhoven forward linking up brilliantly with USMNT talisman Christian Pulisic in the attacking third and registering an assist on the second goal. Balogun came on in the second half, and the Monaco striker netted the winner in the 63rd minute, having also created two additional goal-scoring opportunities that were ruled offside.
The outstanding displays from Pepi and Balogun will be a tough act for Wright to follow, but the Coventry City forward must make his mark against Germany if he hopes to feature at all this summer. Wright is certainly capable of brilliance, having scored 17 goals in the Championship this season to help secure the Sky Blues' first Premier League promotion since 2001 and finish third in the Golden Boot standings.
Auston Trusty
Auston Trusty, 27, has a genuine opportunity to lock down a starting role this summer at center back, regardless of whether Pochettino opts for a three-back or four-back system.
On Sunday, Pochettino reverted to a three-back setup — a formation that brought the U.S. considerable success last fall before being temporarily shelved in the March international window in favor of a more conventional four-back arrangement. Although Trusty did not start, he entered the match at halftime in place of veteran captain Tim Ream and immediately made a more encouraging impression along the backline.
Where the 38-year-old Ream appeared hesitant, lacked mobility and struggled under pressure in possession, Trusty was noticeably composed, dynamic and influential in second-half build-up play. He also contributed three significant defensive actions, painting a clear picture for Pochettino that Ream may not be the automatic starting choice despite his captaincy.
Particularly given the ongoing injury concerns surrounding defensive cornerstone Chris Richards, who reportedly trained apart from the group on Tuesday, Trusty must build on last week's showing with another strong outing against Germany to convince Pochettino that he is the more dependable and consistent option.