The year began for Matt Freese and Max Arfsten at the U.S. national team’s training camp in South Florida, two players largely unknown outside of Major League Soccer who had been invited to the annual winter meeting derided as “Camp Cupcake” by cynical fans.
Freese was a Harvard graduate with one season as a full-time starter in MLS, Arfsten a three-year professional who had gone through the league’s developmental pathway.
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The 2026 World Cup loomed on the horizon, but for most of the fringe players called to that January camp, the sport’s quadrennial spectacle was light years away.
Never mind the World Cup; Would Freese and Arfsten wear an American uniform again?
See you at the last camp of the year, this week in greater Philadelphia, before two friendly matches. This is a full international window and, although several American stalwarts are absent for various reasons, many of Mauricio Pochettino’s regulars have reported it.
But so did Freese and Arfsten, who not only received constant call-ups, but also became fixtures in the lineup.
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Arfsten, a 24-year-old winger for the Columbus Crew, leads the national team in starts this year with 12. He is tied for first in assists with four and second in appearances with 14, one behind forward Diego Luna, another MLS prospect who debuted for the U.S. team in 2024.
Freese, New York City FC’s 27-year-old goalkeeper, is tied for second in U.S. starts with 11, despite only making his international debut in June. Since that first appearance, he has started all but one game and 10 in a row, rising to the top of a seven-man depth chart to make six Gold Cup starts this summer.
Matt Freese of New York City FC faces Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on November 7, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
(Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images)
“After the first (call-up), I kind of thought it would never be this exciting again, but somehow, every time, it’s just as exciting. It’s just as big an honor,” Freese said this week. “I’m very grateful to have been called up as a group this year. … It’s been an exciting year and a year with a lot of opportunity and growth, but there’s more in sight.”
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Freese appears certain to start Saturday against Paraguay in Chester, Pennsylvania — 16 miles north of where he attended high school (Episcopal Academy) and in a stadium (Subaru Park) where he began his MLS career.
He will likely be recalled next Tuesday against Uruguay in Tampa – the last of six autumn friendlies that have helped Pochettino narrow down the player pool. The U.S. team won’t regroup until late March for final camp before Pochettino announces his World Cup roster decisions in May.
Barring injury or a sharp drop in performance, Freese and Arfsten are on track to make the 26-man squad. Beyond that, Freese is on track to start the World Cup. Matt Turner, the primary starter since 2021, has been No. 2 on the list since June but was not called up to this week’s camp, left out for Freese, Columbus’ Patrick Schulte, FC Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano and Italy-based Jonathan Klinsmann. (Of the latter three, only Schulte, with three appearances, played for Team USA.)
Arfsten’s situation is very different from Freese’s. He filled the void left by Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, an assured starter who has not played for the national team since injuring his knee a year ago. Robinson returned to the US camp last month but suffered a setback and remains away from Premier League club Fulham.
Max Arfsten (#27) of the Columbus Crew fights for the ball against Samuel Gidi of FC Cincinnati during an MLS playoff game at TQL Stadium on November 8, 2025, in Cincinnati. (Photo by Chris Carter/Getty Images)
(Chris Carter via Getty Images)
Pochettino does not have great depth on the left side – in this side, John Tolkin is the natural replacement – but could shift World Cup veteran Sergiño Dest to the right or use versatile winger Tim Weah, who was not called up this week due to fitness concerns following a thigh injury.
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Despite not playing in the World Cup, Arfsten has gained valuable international experience and become an option in Pochettino’s new preferred system, which features full-backs instead of traditional full-backs. (Arfsten is a fullback for Columbus.)
At the Florida camp, “I felt like I did everything I could in practice to show what I could do,” he said. “And then all I really wanted was to do everything I could at the club level to get involved in the upcoming camps. That was really my mentality.”
Arfsten has excelled with the Crew this year, making 37 appearances in all competitions and registering seven goals and 10 assists – remarkable numbers for a player coming from a deep position. His eight assists in the regular season were tied for first on the team.
Pochettino’s calls continued. He started five of six Gold Cup matches and scored against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.
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“It helped me become a more complete player,” Arfsten said. “I’ve been a little more specific at times. Just being involved in these camps and having our coaching staff here express confidence in me and give me advice on certain things has definitely helped me become more confident and grow a lot as a player.”
It’s been a gradual process for Arfsten, whose first professional contract after two seasons at UC Davis came with the San Jose Earthquakes developmental team in the third division MLS Next Pro. Unaffiliated with San Jose’s first team, he entered the 2023 MLS Draft and was selected 14th overall by Columbus.
Freese left Harvard early to sign with the Philadelphia Union. After 13 regular season starts over three seasons, he was traded to NYCFC. A backup role in 2023 gave way to the starting position in 2024 and 2025. Pochettino noticed this.
“It’s been the last six months, but to continually have this opportunity from the coaching staff means a lot,” Freese said. “Having that confidence is really important to me, and it allows me to play like myself and grow over these last 10-11 games. … It’s important to take any opportunity — and every opportunity — to continue to grow.”
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Freese cited his work with U.S. goalkeeping coach Toni Jiménez, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist with Spain whose ties to Pochettino date back to 2009.
“We obviously stay in touch when we’re not together at camp,” Freese said. “He had a very successful playing career before his coaching career and he knows the right personality that you have to bring, to be that rock for your team, to be that stability and handle the tough times, the tough crowds, and also to handle the good times and stay humble and work for the next stop. It’s amazing to work with him.”
Arfsten noted the strengthening chemistry among the mix of veterans and newcomers – and the roster changes from camp to camp – after the team’s rocky start this year.
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“A lot of us have played together a lot now and have just built that chemistry and understand better what coach wants us to do,” he said.
As collective ambition continues to improve between now and next summer – the Americans have won three straight against other teams en route to the World Cup – individuals have their eyes on a roster spot.
“We all want to be there next summer, but to get there we have to focus every day on training at camp, as well as with your club,” Freese said. “Focus on training, focus on development, focus on performing on game days. I like to forget about summer and every time I wake up and I’m in camp I want to show what I can do and impress.”
