USMNT notebook: Richards update, Aaronson's wedding and more

Chris Richards GFX

GOAL takes a look at the big storylines and takeaways from camp in the latest installment of the USMNT notebook.

ATLANTA -- It's back to business at the National Training Center. Two days after starting World Cup preparations with a 3-2 win over Senegal, the U.S. men's national team has resumed training to kickstart another week of preparation. The next step? This weekend's friendly against Germany in Chicago, but that comes after a few more days of work in Atlanta.

Two players spoke to media on Tuesday: Brenden Aaronson and Miles Robinson. Both had very different emotional experiences this past weekend. Aaronson is riding the high of a lifetime. Robinson? Less so after a mistake on the field. Both had a similar message, though: last week is over, and this one is the start of something new.

These are the big storylines, talking points, and little moments of fun from USMNT camp...

Chris Richards USMNT

Training update

While 24 USMNT players, and some extra training players, were training, there were two notable absences from the start of Tuesday's session.

Both Chris Richards and Tyler Adams remained in the gym during the initial warm-ups at the National Training Center. Adams' absence, according to U.S. Soccer, was due to load management following this weekend's match against Senegal. Adams had not been training fully with Bournemouth for portions of the spring after tearing his MCL in December and battling a quadriceps injury in April.

As for Richards, U.S. Soccer says that the center back continues to do individual work. Richards is "progressing", according to a federation spokesperson, as he eyes a return from his recent ankle injury.

FBL-WC-2026-US-SQUAD

Wedding logistics

Aaronson arrived back in USMNT camp last week as a married man. The process of putting together a wedding is hard. Putting one together during a World Cup? Where could Aaronson begin?

As it turns out, the wedding wasn't supposed to be during World Cup preparation. For some time, the plan was for the USMNT's World Cup camp to open on June 1 and, on that timeline, Aaronson's May 29 wedding would have been at the perfect time for a pre-tournament send-off.

Plans changed, though. Once the pre-tournament schedule was put together, the players' report date became May 26. Players found that out in December, and by that point, wedding plans had been finalized and, as Aaronson jokingly put it, "the bank account was a bit rough." Suddenly, the biggest day of Aaronson's personal life directly conflicted with the biggest moment of his professional life. When he was told the schedule change by his brother Paxten, his heart sank.

"When we got those friendly schedules, when he learned we were going to be reporting then, when she learned we were going to be reporting at that time, I saw her reaction," Aaronson said of that moment with his brother and his now-wife. "Her face was flush. My face was flush. We were freaking out because you put so much time and effort, and I mean, she put so much time and effort into doing the wedding.

"It was scary, but being able to have that conversation with the coach, being able to go into his office, he's very good at those kinds of conversations. He's a human being, too, so he knows it isn't easy being a footballer. It was just a really easy conversation to have with him."

In the end, it went off without a hitch. Well, almost. Aaronson trained on Thursday, flew to Philadelphia, and was a few hours late for his own rehearsal day. The wedding went as planned, though, including Aaronson's planned 2 a.m. flight back to Atlanta to be with the team for Saturday's sessions.

"It was perfect," he said. "It was a great, great day."

It was important, Aaronson says, to get back to camp quickly, though, because, as incredible as his wedding was, it is also time for a World Cup.

United States v Belgium - International Friendly

Turning the page

The Leeds United midfielder did not feature in the USMNT's 3-2 win over Senegal. He was one of only three rostered players not to play, alongside Haji Wright and Matt Freese. The Germany game this weekend takes on added importance, then, as Aaronson looks to turn the page on last week and set the tone for the weeks to come.

"The season that I've come off of, I think it's the best of my career," he said. "Playing at the level that I was, I'm really just looking forward to being able to hopefully show myself against Germany, and if not, going to the training and showing what I can and making sure that I can do whatever I can to get on the pitch. If not, supporting the guys the best I can always because that's the kind of guy I am. I want to support the guys, but still go out there and, whenever I get a chance, do my thing."

"I'm really grateful that I was able to do that," he continued, "And now, I'm just ready to get ready for this World Cup, because it's a really, really exciting time."

Miles Robinson

'I put my hand up'

There was no hiding from it: Miles Robinson messed up. His giveaway directly led to Senegal's second goal. There wasn't much else to say.

Now, a few days removed from the game, Robinson spoke on that mistake. He also spoke on how thankful he was that his teammates picked him up afterwards.

"I think it showed the character of the group, the willingness to push for that game-winning goal," he said. "Obviously, we've got great offensive talent in the group, so I think they're hungry for that third goal. There were some moments where they could have had the fourth or fifth.

"Obviously, yeah, there are mistakes. I put my hand up, for sure, but it's one of those situations that you kind of just have to learn from and recognize that the best is yet to come with the group. Every opportunity is an opportunity for growth, so it's just a matter of shaking it off, recognizing I'm here for a reason, and just kind of pushing forward."

He'll have to keep pushing, for sure, if he wants to contend for a role in this summer's tournament.

United States World Cup Roster Reveal

The center back situation

Mistake or no mistake, Robinson is one member of a very crowded center back group. Richards is still dealing with his injury, of course, but Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty are in camp as defined central defenders. Alex Freeman, meanwhile, started as a third center back against Senegal. Joe Scally, too, got play in a back three, adding another option to a key position.

So what is it like playing in that competition? What is it like switching from a back two to a back three and sometimes back again, depending on personnel? According to Robinson, the competition is good. It's healthy, of course, but tense enough given the stakes.

"I think, at the end of the day, we're all just trying to compete," Robinson said. "When we go out there in training, when it's 11 to 11, there's a lot of different formations or ways to press or ways to defend in different situations.

"At the end of the day, I think we're all just trying to stay focused on each and every session and try to compete and show the coaching staff, show ourselves, our teammates, what we're capable of, just try to continue to push the group forward in any way we can."