With roughly eight months until the 2026 World Cup begins, Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen may be slipping out of contention for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s starting job.
The notion was solidified by Mauricio Pochettino’s omission of the 30-year-old from the October camp roster and international friendlies on Thursday. One friendly is scheduled against Australia at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, where Steffen and the Rapids play home games, on Oct. 14.
Instead, the four goalkeepers called up were longtime No. 1 Matt Turner, breakout star Matt Freese, up-and-comer Patrick Schulte and uncapped Chris Brady. All four hail from within the MLS, a growing trend within the entire USMNT player pool since Pochettino’s appointment.
At this stage, camp rosters will increasingly mirror what the actual World Cup roster will look like, as there are only so many camps and matches left for the group (and their newly tenured coach) to gel. That’s why perennial U.S. stars like Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah and Antonee Robinson, among others, will join for October camp after missing the Concacaf Gold Cup back in June.
Pochettino snapped back at reporters asking why certain players were omitted from camp during a media availability discussing the roster. Most notably, he said he “never gives explanations” to players included on or excluded from the roster because, “deep down, (they) know why.”
Digging deeper into Steffen’s omission, it’s hard to find an obvious answer.
He, like any goaltender, is not immune to making mistakes, like a first-half mishandling against FC Dallas a couple of weeks ago that slipped through his hands for a goal. Steffen made up for it in that game alone with a pair of spectacular saves in the second half. Moreover, he routinely makes eye-popping stops.
He’s also got the volume to stack up to any MLS goalkeeper, let alone the ones called up for October camp. Despite missing 11 games this season, he’s still in the top 10 for total saves in the league. Per game, he’s averaging just more than four saves. The closest of the call-ups is Brady, with 3.5 per contest.
Over the course of the season, Steffen has evolved his game to more closely match what Pochettino’s staff wants. That has included largely doing away with a sweeper-keeper role and becoming more comfortable with staying glued at the penalty spot or closer to the goal, and helping build possession with his feet.
That said, the Pennsylvania native has had painful luck when other call-ups have come around. Back in March, a bad mistake by Turner in the semifinal, which led to a Panama victory and a U.S. relegation to the third-place game, had Steffen firmly in line to start against Canada to prove himself worthy of the No. 1 role. He had been playing some of the best soccer of his career at that moment, but fell ill and couldn’t play in that game.
The other opportunity ground to a halt due to a right meniscus injury that required surgery in June. It was early on in the camp, and his performance in MLS play regressed a bit, so a starting role wasn’t certain for the Gold Cup. But an injury like that could not have come at a worse time.
It’s likely his name is first up if a goalkeeper has to depart, but Steffen’s next opportunity for a call-up will be in November for the final international window of the calendar year.
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