USMNT roundup: Matt Freese tested by Lionel Messi before camp opens in Atlanta

U.S. players from across Europe and Major League Soccer began arriving in Greater Atlanta on Sunday for the first training camp of the year and final soiree before Mauricio Pochettino announces his World Cup squad in late May.

Before they boarded flights, though, there was a weekend full of club activity featuring a few goals, a few assists, a goalkeeping injury, a red card and an MLS showdown with Lionel Messi.

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Instead of the usual breakdown by league of all 40-some contenders in the player pool, this week’s roundup will go through the 27-man camp roster by position:

Goalkeepers

Matt Freese, Pochettino’s undisputed starter, was plenty busy for New York City FC on Sunday at Yankee Stadium against Messi and Inter Miami.

He saw two Messi bids strike the woodwork and was left helpless on Messi’s deflected free kick that zipped behind him. Freese also made a sterling first-half save on the Argentine wizard but conceded the go-ahead goal on a 74th-minute header across the 6-yard box for a 3-2 defeat — NYC’s first after three wins and a draw.

Miami finished with 22 shots, including eight on frame, and seven corner kicks.

Matt Turner, the 2022 World Cup starter and Freese’s probable back-up, also conceded three goals, including a stunner by St. Louis’ Marcel Hartel that sealed New England’s 3-1 setback.

Based on Pochettino’s invitations, Chicago’s Chris Brady and Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano are the finalists for the third and final World Cup slot (even though neither has played for the USMNT).

But Celentano was forced to withdraw from the camp roster Sunday after missing the match against Montreal with muscle tightness. Columbus’ Patrick Schulte (three U.S. appearances) will replace him.

It was a quiet end to a rough week for Celentano, who was under siege in a 6-1 loss at New England and a 5-1 setback at Tigres (Mexico) in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Over the weekend, Brady made two saves in a 2-1 victory over winless Philadelphia, while Schulte manned the net in a 2-1 loss at Toronto.

Center backs

Chris Richards and Crystal Palace were scheduled to play a Premier League match at Manchester City, but because of City’s League Cup final against Arsenal, the Eagles were off.

In France, Mark McKenzie made his 22nd start for Toulouse in a 1-0 win over Lorient — the 15th time in his last 16 appearances he has played the entire match.

In Scotland, Auston Trusty, a regular starter for Celtic until a red card a month ago sidelined him for several league games, remained rooted to the bench for a 2-0 loss at Dundee United.

In MLS, Tim Ream, who has struggled this season, went the distance in Charlotte’s 6-1 romp over Red Bull New York. Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson received a 60th-minute red card in a 4-3 win over Montreal for a foul from behind on a scramble for a rebound in the penalty area.

Fullbacks/Wing backs

On the left side, Antonee Robinson (61 minutes) made his third consecutive Premier League start as Fulham defeated Burnley, 3-1. With the World Cup drawing closer, regular starts are an encouraging development for “Jedi,” who has battled injuries for multiple seasons.

His back-up, Max Arfsten, assisted on Columbus’ goal with a cross against Toronto.

With Sergiño Dest sidelined by a hamstring injury, Pochettino could very well use Tim Weah on the right side. Traditionally a forward or wing — he’s listed as a forward on the current U.S. roster — Weah has been playing a deep role for Olympique Marseille. That was the case again Sunday in a 2-1 loss to Lille.

Another option is Alex Freeman, though the former Orlando City standout didn’t play in Villarreal’s 3-1 win over Real Sociedad and has not left the bench in four of the past five matches. Since arriving in Spain in January, he has made four appearances totaling 38 minutes.

Joe Scally, meantime, made his 22nd Bundesliga start for Mönchengladbach in a 3-3 draw with Köln.

Defensive midfielders

Tyler Adams’ quadriceps injury has opened opportunities for Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Cristian Roldan to form partnerships in what figures to be a two-man set-up.

Cardoso has never shown his qualities for the national team, yet remains in the conversation because he is playing regularly for Spanish power Atlético Madrid. This camp offers his last and best chance to prove he belongs not only on the World Cup squad but in the starting lineup.

On Sunday, in his seventh start across all competitions in four weeks, Cardoso played 57 minutes in Atleti’s 3-2 loss to archrival Real Madrid. He is the only USMNT player on a club still in Champions League contention.

Tessmann had been starting regularly for Lyon before coming off the bench in the past two matches, including an 85th-minute entrance in a 2-1 loss to Monaco.

Morris logged 90 minutes for the sixth consecutive match, a 0-0 draw at Blackburn Rovers that left Middlesbrough in second place in the chase for two Premier League promotion berths.

Roldan has started six of seven matches over all competitions for Seattle, including a 90-minute effort in the 0-0 draw at Minnesota.

Attacking midfielders

Christian Pulisic has gone 12 straight AC Milan matches — and 14 of 15 — without a goal. Pochettino, though, says he’s not worried.

“For me, it’s not only to score goals,” he said last Tuesday. “For me, I am happy in the way he is performing, his commitment [to] the team and in the time he’s playing.”

Nonetheless, Pochettino and U.S. fans welcomed Pulisic’s contributions to a 3-2 victory over Torino on Saturday — a quality assist on the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute. It was his first helper since Sept. 28. His eight goals remain second on the team, one behind Rafael Leão.

Weston McKennie is among Juventus’ most important players, playing a wide variety of roles, ranking third in goals, tied for second in assists and fifth in minutes played. He put in another 90 minutes in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sassuolo.

“It’s true that Juventus is Weston McKennie plus 10 players,” Pochettino said. “We’re happy for that because that means that he’s an important player for Juventus. Another thing that I celebrate is that he can play in every single place. … He’s playing, and he’s playing in different positions. It’s good for him and it’s good for us.”

Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman (82 minutes) scored the opening goal in a 3-3 draw at Heidenheim — his fifth in the Bundesliga and seventh overall.

Because of a heavy workload in MLS and the Concacaf Champions Cup, Sebastian Berhalter was held out until the 75th minute of Vancouver’s 1-0 loss at San Jose.

In his 24th Premier League start, Brenden Aaronson struggled over 68 minutes of Leeds’ 0-0 draw with Brentford.

And then there’s the peculiar case of Gio Reyna, who was invited to camp despite having appeared in two Mönchengladbach matches totaling 28 minutes in 2026. Because of an injury and later the coach’s decisions, he hasn’t played in more than two months.

Pochettino, though, calls him “special,” and those qualities came out in his long-awaiting return to the national team in November.

Strikers

It’s nice to have a hot scorer coming to camp, and Folarin Balogun is just that: seven goals in seven matches in all competitions and one in each of his past five Ligue 1 games, including a second-half penalty kick that helped Monaco defeat Lyon, 2-1.

Balogun has nine league goals plus four assists and 15 goals overall. Barring an injury or drastic drop in production, he will start in the World Cup.

With Haji Wright sidelined with a groin injury, PSV Eindhoven’s Ricardo Pepi and Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang will angle for No. 2 on the depth chart.

Pepi, who played 65 minutes in a 3-1 loss to Telstar, has 10 goals in 20 Eredivisie appearances (11 starts), plus three Champions League goals.

In his first season overseas, Agyemang has 10 goals and three assists for a club seeking a spot in the English Championship’s promotion playoffs. He’s in a rut, though, with no goals in seven matches.

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