Chris Richards decision appears to be made as Mauricio Pochettino faces midfield dilemma

The 2026 World Cup is set to serve as a defining moment for US soccer.

Mauricio Pochettino has named his 26-man roster for a rare tournament on home soil, and the time for talking is almost over.

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The USMNT begin their quest against Paraguay in Los Angeles, off the back of two warm-up games which saw a win against Senegal and tight loss to Germany, in which Antonee Robinson starred.

In the build up to the World Cup, much has been made about ‘troubling’ ticket prices and off-field issues.

But that noise is being kept well away from Pochettino and his players.

Having already enjoyed the New York Knicks wild NBA Finals Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs together, team spirit is building, selection decisions are being made and the countdown is on.

talkSPORT’s USMNT correspondent Ben Jacobs is in Los Angeles – having been in Chicago for the final friendly – and on his way back from the US training camp in Irvine delivered the following update.

“You wouldn’t actually think it’s a home World Cup,”

“There’s no noise around the camp. The players feel calm.

“But of course, it will be a completely different atmosphere when they walk into the SoFi Stadium.

“And don’t rule out those Paraguay fans, who are extremely raucous and vocal, also making a tremendous atmosphere.

“So the US national team in good spirits. No new injury concerns. Everybody seems to be gearing up and focused on Paraguay.”

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While Pochettino will have a full roster at his disposal, the same can’t be said for Paraguay, who suffered a huge injury blow on the eve of the World Cup.

“The US men’s national team will go into the game against Paraguay as favorites, and not just because they’ve got home advantage, but because Julio Enciso is out for Paraguay,” Jacobs continued.

“That injury is a massive blow because he’s such an important player.

“The USMNT have been training in Irvine. They did a community event yesterday where fans and media got to watch over an hour of training, and then today they had a more private session.

Richards headache eases but questions remain

“Chris Richards has been part of all of the sessions and the expectation therefore is that he will start against Paraguay in a back three.”

Pochettino, though, has some big decisions to make, both in midfield and over his goalkeeper.

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“The big question still remains who is going to be Tyler Adams’ midfield partner? I think many insiders are split when you ask them,” Jacobs explained.

“Some feel it’s better to have Sebastian Berhalter and push Weston McKennie further forwards. And yet really the only way that Mauricio Pochettino can get all of his weapons into a starting 11 is to stick with both (Malik) Tillman and McKennie.

“And still, there’s a debate as to whether Tillman will play deeper, or McKennie. Either way, that allows Pochettino to be more fluid and flexible.

“So my expectation is that Tillman and McKennie will both start against Paraguay as they did in the final warm-up game against Germany.

“There’s still no clarity over who’s going to be the No. 1 goalkeeper. Usually your last warm-up game before a major tournament you stick pretty close to your starting 11.

“So Matt Freese hasn’t been informed that he’s the No. 1, but it would be a surprise if Matt Turner starts in goal and equally, Mauricio Pochettino is not expected to rotate his goalkeepers throughout the tournament — barring any grave errors.

“As a consequence, who he names as No. 1 will, if all goes according to plan, stay as No. 1.”

While a starting 11 is still to be decided, Pochettino has worked hard to keep morale high ahead of what the US will hope is a long summer.

The Argentine’s man management has also been on show, too.

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“Brenden Aaronson is in good spirits, having got married in late May,” Jacobs explained.

“Pochettino said that he had given Aaronson permission to leave the camp and miss a training session to have his wedding, which was actually booked two years ago before he even got the job.

“Then FIFA changed the rules and allowed national teams to play friendlies in May rather than June 1 or onwards and Aaronson naturally wanted to keep his wedding (date) — Pochettino was very happy to let him do that.”

Other players, meanwhile, have been connecting with fans.

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Jacobs added: “Yesterday, Chris Richards was speaking to fans at the community event and he was asked what it was like to win a European trophy with Crystal Palace.

“He just smiled and said, ‘It was absolutely crazy.’ Aaronson met a West Ham United fan who said: ‘West Ham suck at the moment, but if we get promoted back to the Premier League, please consider signing for us.’

“So fans have made pitches to players to try and get them to join (their clubs), and there’s just a really relaxed atmosphere in the camp at the moment.

“I expect the starting 11 — bar Chris Richards who missed the game against Germany — to be very similar to that match in the final warm-up game.”

A happy, relaxed camp on the eve of a home World Cup is perhaps a rarity.

Soon, the USMNT will get down to business, and will be looking to begin their tournament with a big win against Paraguay.

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