- Friedel acknowledges significant issues at both striker and goalkeeper
- Praises young goalkeepers Schulte and Brady
- Veteran keeper approves of Steffen’s return to MLS
With the 2026 كأس العالم less than 10 months out, legendary U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel admits he’s concerned about the team’s chances to succeed due to the uncertainty of two positions: striker and goalkeeper.
“I think the two most important situations on this team are unresolved, which is unfortunate a year out,” Friedel said on The Cooligans podcast. “I think the striker and the goalkeeping situation, I think a lot of the other positions are resolved and or getting resolved…But there are players out there that I think most fans would be like, ‘Oh, that’s okay. If he starts and he doesn’t, that’s fine.'”
As a result, Friedel is choosing to have a wait-and-see approach as new head coach Mauricio Pochettino evaluates his options. Friedel admitted he doesn’t have clear solutions for either position, but admits that he’s curious to see what does happen.
“The striker situation is a little bit of a problem at the moment. And we have to wait and see if it’s going to be [Ricardo] Pepi’s job, if Balogun can stay fit, if Josh Sargent’s going to be the guy. As you said, I am a fan now and looking at it. I don’t have answers for that,” he said.
When discussing goalkeepers specifically, Friedel identified five core options currently in the pool: Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte, Chris Brady, and Matt Freese. The former الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز veteran noted that while Turner and Steffen are quality goalkeepers, both have struggled with limited playing time at their clubs during their time in إنجلترا – which prompted a return to MLS.
“I also don’t have answers for the goalkeeping situation. You know you have Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, and Chris Brady, in my رأي, who are the core. I really like what I’ve seen from Schulte and Brady at young ages, playing consistently. I think Zack and Matt are both excellent goalkeepers, but they found themselves in situations where they weren’t playing at their club level.
“I think it was a really good move by Zack to come back to get games on a consistent basis., Unfortunate that he has some injury issues along the way. Matt Freese, who I also had in it the on their 19 وطني team, has continued to progress really well…But there’s some work to do for the strikers and for the goalkeepers to impress Mauricio over the next 12 months.”
The goalkeeping position has historically been an area of strength for American soccer, producing world-class talents like Friedel himself, Kasey Keller, and Tim Howard. However, the current generation has struggled to establish similar consistency at the highest levels, with there being no clear No. 1 one year out from the 2026 World Cup.
Both the goalkeepers and strikers will need to impress Pochettino during upcoming international windows and through consistent performances at club level. The USMTN will gather next during the September international window where they will face كوريا الجنوبية و اليابان.
