USMNT notebook: 5,500 fans welcome squad, Richards trains fully

USMNT Training in Irvine

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

IRVINE -- After spending the last few weeks making their new training facility feel like home, the U.S. men's national team arrived at their new World Cup lodgings this weekend. Monday was their first training session in Irvine, which means the World Cup has officially arrived as the team turns its full focus towards Paraguay.

It was an eventful day, one headlined by the thousands of fans in attendance. The training session itself was relatively muted, one focused more on recovery than tactics or game strategy.

Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the media about the team's new lodgings, while several other players also met reporters to open the week of World Cup prep. These are the big storylines, talking points, and little moments of fun from the first day in Irvine...

WC training part 2

A new home

The USMNT's first day in their new home was a unique one, largely because they didn't come alone.

In total, 5,500 fans were in attendance for the team's first training session of the week, and those 5,500 were the lucky winners of a draw that included 32,000 entries. They weren't treated to anything revolutionary as Monday's session was something of an easy one two days on from the match against Germany.

There were fun moments, though. Antonee Robinson won a mini-crossbar challenge, drawing a chant from the crowd to do his signature backflip, which he did not do. Pochettino, after several calls from fans to shoot from 40 yards out, put his initial shot just wide before making a second, drawing applause. After the session, players signed autographs for those in the stands, with Alex Zendejas, in particular, drawing quite a crowd of fans carrying both USMNT and Club America jerseys.

Overall, it was a warm welcome, which is exactly what Pochettino wanted.

"It's more than we expect, and not only the facilities, but the people that are here working," the manager said. "I think great facilities and great people is an amazing combination. Sometimes you can see a great facility, but people are not so great. I prefer always less quality of facility, but great people. Here we have great facilities, great people, and we are so, so grateful.

"I want to say a big thank you to all the people who are involved in that facility, because the way that they prepare everything is with love, that is the most important thing."

Chris Richards USMNT 2026

Status updates

The most important aspect of Monday's session wasn't what happened on the field but rather who was on it. Among them was Chris Richards, who went through the whole session without incident alongside the substitutes from the Germany match. It was his first time participating in full since arriving in camp.

"It's his first time with the team," Pocettino said. "We have nearly everyone ready to be selected for the game."

The one player who did not train with the group was Tyler Adams, who initially came out to greet the crowd to start the session before heading back to the gym. Adams' absence, much like his absence from last week's initial session post-Senegal, was due to "load management", per a U.S. Soccer official.

The rest of the group trained in full throughout the session.

United States v Paraguay - International Friendly

Freese on GK situation

Matt Freese was asked the question straight up: does he know if he's starting against Paraguay? He doesn't, he said. He was later asked why he should start.

"As a competitor, you always want to be on the field, always want to help the team in whatever capacity, and this doesn't change in this moment, I'm called upon to do, I'm ready to do," he said. "I derive a lot of my confidence from the hard work that I've put in, and I've worked quite hard, so I know now's a time to be confident."

The goalkeeper competition remains a talking point. Matt Turner started against Senegal before being replaced by Chris Brady at halftime. Then Freese got the nod against Germany, going a full 90. Even now, a few days out from the World Cup, there's no concrete indication of who starts in goal.

It's a different situation than years past. For years, the U.S. had a defined No. 1, and one of the criticisms of this particular group is the lack of a clear-cut goalkeeper. As someone who grew up following legends like Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, and Tony Meola, Freese understands the dynamic but hopes for his chance to cement his place among them at a World Cup.

"I'm not really listening to anyone outside of the guys with me and the coaching staff," he said. "Obviously, I'm focused on just doing my thing each and every day, being present. With that in mind, it is fair to say that the U.S. has had a great goalkeeping corps. Historically, I was a fan of that goalkeeping corps for much of my life, and I still am. It's an honor to be on this team and be part of that group to hopefully continue that legacy."

Ricardo Pepi Folarin Balogun USMNT 2026

Compliments for strikers

One of the more fun, and sometimes awkward situations at a press conference is when a player is asked to talk about the person next to them. That happened twice on Monday with two of the USMNT's star strikers.

Freese was asked about Ricardo Pepi's game as the PSV star sat next to him. Pepi played a starring role against Senegal, doing his part to set up both goals as he looks to push for a starting gig.

"All three of them are pretty good at scoring goals, I would say," Feese said of the strikers. "I see that every single day in training. Obviously, there are a myriad strengths and characteristics of each player, and Pepi obviously had a huge, huge role in the game. in Charlotte. He did a fantastic job setting up some different things. I think the entire attacking group, strikers, wingers, 10s, etc. have done a great job these last two friendlies of creating chances and being fluid."

Captain Tim Ream, meanwhile, was asked about Folarin Balogun as he sat next to the Monaco star.

"I think it's just how sharp he is," Ream said. "His movements, left, right, being able to hold the ball up and bring other players in, and then his movement in behind, being in positions and putting himself in goal-scoring positions, is something that we've been crying out for for a long time with the team in the group. He's probably the most annoying striker for me to have to deal with in training because he is so quick with his movements, physically strong, and able to seemingly glide past people.

"Obviously, the other guys are different. They're all different profiles, different types of players, and we saw Pepi bringing Christian [Pulisic] into the play, and being able to lay balls off and dishing out assists in that way. They all bring different challenges, and I think that, as defenders, you want to see that in training. You want to be able to play against different types of strikers, and they all bring something different."

United States v Belgium - International Friendly

World Cup reality

As a player, the focus is always on the next game. At this point, though, that next game is the World Cup. It is suddenly very, very real.

For Balogun, this Friday is the culmination of a three-and-a-half-year journey. It began with a recruiting visit to Orlando that, ultimately, was made with Friday's match in mind. After all this time, Balogun is a USMNT regular and, perhaps, a World Cup starter. So what's it like arriving at that moment?

"I think it's probably gonna start to feel more real to me when I line up and we get the fans, when we go onto the pitch, shouting and screaming," Balogun said. "I definitely think it'll be real to me the closer I get. This is the first opportunity for me to play in the World Cup, so I don't really have any expectations. I'm just trying to stay present, stay in the moment, and I'm enjoying the experience so far."

As for Ream, this is his second World Cup. It's already much different than his first. The buildup has been longer and more intense. More importantly, though, it's at home, which means even the most senior member of the USMNT squad doesn't fully know what he's walking into.

"It's not our first rodeo, but it's our first one on home soil, so it kind of is our first rodeo in a way," he said. "It's exciting. I'm old enough that I remember bits and pieces of 1994. I've tried to tell guys and tried to convey the message in the media that this is a once-in-a-career opportunity, and that with that comes more expectation or more pressure. At the same time, we have to enjoy it. There's nobody putting more expectation, more pressure, on us than ourselves, and that's the way that it should be.

"It's about just opening your eyes and taking everything in, because this is unique, this is different. This is completely different from anything that any of us as players have experienced, so take it in, enjoy it, and embrace everything that it is, because it's so unique. It's so special."