5 big questions facing the USMNT ahead of 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup | OneFootball

Perhaps it's poor results in a pair of friendlies or the absence of many star players, but there doesn't seem to be much optimism surrounding the U.S. men's national team heading into the Gold Cup. There are many questions before they kick off their Gold Cup campaign on Sunday.

To be fair, this isn’t the first time the USMNT has brought a B squad to the Gold Cup, and a roster that includes many young and inexperienced players doesn’t necessarily foreshadow problems. On the other hand, Tuesday’s loss was a new low for Mauricio Pochettino and the team. The USMNT is now on a four-game losing streak, scoring just two goals in those four losses. That could be cause for concern, even with the Gold Cup a step down in competition compared to Türkiye and Switzerland.

Nevertheless, here are five pressing questions facing the USMNT heading into the 2025 Gold Cup.

Who will play in goal?

In theory, Matt Turner is still the top choice. However, Pochettino has made it clear that regular playing time at club level matters, and Turner didn’t have that during his loan with Crystal Palace this past season. He’s also to blame for at least one of the goals he gave up against Switzerland, spilling a rebound on a shot he should have been able to hold.

Meanwhile, Matt Freese got the start against Türkiye. While he gave up two goals, he can hardly be blamed for either. With Freese, the U.S. played out of the back, which is a huge weakness in Turner’s game. If Pochettino wants to play out of the back or give Freese a serious audition for the job, it may not be Turner protecting the USMNT’s net throughout the Gold Cup.

Can Johnny Cardoso bounce back?

Cardoso had a nightmare of a game against Türkiye. Most notably, one of his passes while playing out of the back was deflected by a Turkish player and directly set up Türkiye’s first goal. Things didn’t get much better against Switzerland, as he picked up a yellow card and played defensive midfielder while the U.S. gave up four first-half goals.

On paper, Cardoso should be one of the best players on the Gold Cup roster, especially amidst rumors of a move to Atletico Madrid. With Tyler Adams dealing with an injury that kept him out of the Switzerland match, Cardoso could have an even bigger role than expected during the Gold Cup, making it imperative for the USMNT that he bounces back quickly.

Are the fullbacks ready for this stage?

The good news is that there is more than enough experience to go around among the USMNT center backs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said at fullback.

Before the two friendly matches with Türkiye and Switzerland, the quartet of John Tolkin, Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, and Nathan Harriel had a combined seven caps. Freeman and Harriel both got their first cap in the loss to Türkiye, giving the U.S. no previous experience in a competitive match at right back. Even worse, the fullbacks were exposed during Switzerland’s four-goal first half against the U.S. Based on that, it’s hard to be confident that any of the USMNT fullbacks are ready to play a string of competitive matches during the Gold Cup.

Who will score the goals?

Giving up four goals in the first half to Switzerland took the headlines, but the USMNT’s lack of scoring chances in its two Gold Cup warmup matches shouldn’t be overlooked. Patrick Agyemang and Brian White have looked overmatched, while Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright were disappointing in limited minutes in the Türkiye and Switzerland friendlies.

To be fair, Malik Tillman and Diego Luna have had decent performances, showing signs of helping create scoring chances. But there has been an overall lack of ideas on the attack and no obvious goal-scoring threat, making it fair to wonder how the USMNT is going to score goals during the Gold Cup, especially during the knockout stage.

What’s the worst that can happen?

This is more of an existential question, but it’s worth pondering. In one way, the results of the Gold Cup aren’t that big of a deal. If the World Cup were to be this summer, only a small fraction of players on the Gold Cup roster would make the squad, much less be likely to start the opening match.

On the other hand, after the two Nations League losses in March and two poor results in the recent friendlies, the USMNT needs something positive for morale's sake. They need to cruise through the group stage like normal and at least look competitive in the knockout stage. Anything short of that could give U.S. Soccer even more reason to question whether Pochettino is the right coach to lead the U.S. at the World Cup.