ATLANTA (AP) — Now, wait, it’s football’s ultimate FOMO.
American players in the United States and Europe will be counting down the eight weeks until coach Mauricio Pochettino selects his 26-man World Cup squad.
Bypassed people will not receive calls.
“It’s going to be painful,” Pochettino said. “There’s always a connection, an emotional connection, in that process, but it’s hard to pick 26 out of 35, 40 players.”
24 players were used during the match Lost to Belgium 5-2 and Lost to Portugal 2-0 They played the last two friendlies before Pochettino announced his squad at an event in New York on May 26. A total of 38 players have appeared in the last eight games through September.
Twelve players appear to be locks when healthy: goaltenders Matt Freeze and Matt Turner; Right-back Sergiño Dest. central defenders Tim Ream and Chris Richards; Anthony Robinson, left-back. Midfielders are Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman. The attackers were Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah. and Folarin Balogun.
About 24 other players could be considered, including goaltenders Chris Brady, Patrick Schulte and Jonathan Klinsmann. central defenders Mark McKenzie, Myles Robinson and Auston Trusty; The outside backs are Max Arksten, Alex Freeman, Joe Scully and John Tolkien. Midfielders Brenden Aaronson, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Aiden Morris, Gio Reyna, Cristian Roldan, Tanner Tessman. and forwards Patrick Agyeman, Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright and Alejandro Zendejas.
The players will focus on their club careers and try not to dwell on their World Cup chances as May 26 approaches.
“Hopefully that’s the time when I can play in the (Scottish) Cup final with Celtic. That’s the only thing I’m focused on,” defender Trusty said.
The failure to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the professional visiting team crowds in the United States caused anxiety among fans and former player pundits over the summer, but confidence grew after finishing the season undefeated in five games.
Skepticism soared after this month’s losses.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction. I think it’s obviously difficult to say we’re where we want to be with a result like this, but I think we took a lot of positives from the games we played,” McKennie said. “We know we can catch up. I think we need to think about how we can stay in the game if we don’t convert the chances we got early on.”
Pulisic has not scored in a career-high eight consecutive games for his national team, and has not scored in 12 games for AC Milan since December 28.
“He just needs one shot to get back on that wave,” said Clint Dempsey, co-leader in U.S. career scoring. “Everyone experiences some slump.”
Pochettino warned that American players are not as good as some American fans think, citing recent results.
“We are the United States and we are competing with Belgium and Portugal,” he said. “I certainly think Belgium and Portugal have very few players in the top 100 or only a few players who play in the top 100. I don’t think we have any.”
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has warned against over-analyzing the friendly.
“I’ve been involved in international football for 10 years, and what I’ve learned is that you shouldn’t judge teams in March,” he said. “The mindset of the players is that some players are trying to get into the national team, while others are trying not to get injured because they had important games against their clubs. I think what I’ve seen in America is a very well-working team.”
Pochettino pointed out that the World Cup squad will have three weeks of training ahead of their World Cup opener against Australia on June 12, and will be able to solve problems such as being caught on the counter or leaving opponents free with corner kicks.
“I’m more positive now than I was before because I see the teams competing and we’re not far away,” he said. “The only thing you need to improve on is the details. If you match your opponent in the areas you need to match, then of course you have a chance of winning.”
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
