Top 5 Unsung USMNT Heroes | Unfiltered Soccer

Summary

Episode Overview:

"Top 5 Unsung USMNT Heroes | Unfiltered Soccer"
Date: April 24, 2026
Hosts: Landon Donovan & Tim Howard

In this episode, Landon and Tim move beyond the big names to spotlight the Unsung Heroes destined to play pivotal but quiet roles for the US Men's National Team (USMNT) in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. They break down their top five lesser-known contributors, comparing today’s glue guys to previous generations, and debate who could step up at crucial moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to the Unsung Heroes Theme

• The conversation centers on players who don’t get the headlines but may be vital as the tournament unfolds.
• “They’re gonna serve a vital purpose as the tournament goes on,” Tim stresses, underscoring the tradition of unexpected heroes in World Cups. ([00:21])

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#5: Timothy Weah – Out-of-Position Asset

• Tim Weah’s transition from attacker to right wing-back is examined, with comparisons to DeMarcus Beasley’s similar career arc.
• Tim calls attention to Pochettino’s options in the right-sided defensive positions:
  • “Most people do [get exposed by Doku].” ([01:05], Howard)
  • “He could score a goal or two... because he’s playing sort of an unnatural position.” ([01:20], Donovan)
• They agree Weah’s versatility is a big asset, possibly appearing both as a defender and in his natural attacking role.

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#4: The Rotating Center Backs – McKenzie, Robinson, Trusty

• Grouping Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, and Austin Trusty, the duo discuss the importance of depth and defensive solidity.
  • “There's been a hole in that spot for a while." ([02:50], Donovan)
  • They acknowledge Chris Richards and Tim Ream are likely starters, but one from the trio could be the difference if the team advances.
  • Tim leans towards McKenzie: “Feels like it right now.” ([02:55], Howard)

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#3: Alex Freeman – Meteoric Riser with Versatile Skills

• Freeman gets praise for his flexibility (right back, wing back, right center back) despite limited recent club minutes.
  • “Love the move to Villarreal, hate the timing.” ([02:55], Donovan on Freeman’s club situation)
  • The USMNT’s unique tendency to select out-of-favor club players is highlighted:
    • “We’re a little bit of a different bag... you’ll get one or two players who just aren’t in favor with their club team, but they’re still one of the better US players.” ([03:50], Donovan)
  • Donovan’s insight: National team camps can rejuvenate even less-used club players, who quickly prove themselves in friendlies ([04:35]).

Sidebar: The Value of “Glue Guys”

• Kyle Beckerman and Steve Cherundolo are name-checked as previous unsung glue guys.
  • Tim: “He [Cherundolo] was so good on the ball. He was a great defender, like, great 1v1... so you could get out of pressure because he could make the right pass.” ([05:44], Howard)
  • They stress that strong teams aren’t just about talent but about chemistry and cohesion ([06:20], Howard).

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#2: Diego Luna (with Mention of Aidan Morris) – Super Sub Potential

• The duo debate between Diego Luna and Aidan Morris, both under-the-radar contributors.
  • Tim: “Aiden’s a guy who, if he plays next to Tyler Adams, you won’t notice him...but if the team does well, that means he’s doing well. But Diego has the chance to do something special.” ([06:40])
• Luna’s super sub potential:
  • “He’s going to be a guy who comes on 65th minute…that’s when tired legs happen, that’s when managers are making substitutions for, like, instant spark and sort of ideas. And he has ideas, clearly has a nose for a goal.” ([07:02], Donovan)
  • Tim praises Luna’s unpredictability, likening him to a young Dempsey.
    • “He’s so unpredictable... Clint was like that at times, but nobody knew... you can pull off really special plays because you do the unexpected.” ([07:52], Howard)

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#1: Haji Wright – Poised for a Breakthrough

• Circumstances (Ajamong’s injury, Pochettino’s tepid view on Ricardo Pepi) are setting up Haji Wright to get meaningful minutes as a striker.
  • “With Ajamong out, I think Pochettino’s not super high on Pepi. So Flo [Balogun]’s gonna start... but you're gonna need a sub. And Haji feels like he’s the guy who’s gonna make an impact.” ([08:29], Howard)
  • Haji’s recent honor:
    • “Wasn't he just named the Sky Bet? ...That’s a big honor. Hard to do, bro, by the way. 46 games, very hard to do.” ([08:43], Howard & Donovan)
  • Landon champions goal-scorers in form, emphasizing the value of club success carrying into national team play:
    • “Scoring is scoring. Yes, the windows open and close quicker at the international level... I want goal-scorers who are scoring goals, because if you’re scoring... you feel like you can put the ball anywhere, and that’s important.” ([09:16], Donovan)
  • They suggest Wright could even lead the team in scoring depending on minutes and form.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tim Howard on Weah:
  “Most people [get exposed by Doku].” ([01:05])
• Landon Donovan on flexibility:
  “DeMarcus Beasley is a perfect example. You and DeMarcus came through together... and there’s a whole host of people that only remember Bees as a really good left back.” ([01:20])
• Donovan on World Cup Camp Effects:
  “All of a sudden, you get into World Cup training camp...you get selected for one or two friendlies, and now all of a sudden... almost forget that you didn’t play for half a season.” ([04:35])
• Tim Howard on Cherundolo:
  “He was also so good on the ball and so you could get out of pressure... a central midfielder playing right back in the way he passed the ball.” ([05:44])
• Landon Donovan on Luna:
  “He’s going to be a guy who comes on 65th minute… that's when magic in football happens.” ([07:02])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:20 – Introduction to “unsung heroes” concept
• 01:05–02:01 – Discussion of Tim Weah’s position switch and versatility
• 02:01–02:55 – Center back group analysis: McKenzie, Robinson, Trusty
• 02:55–04:35 – Evaluation of Alex Freeman and club vs country scenarios
• 05:19–06:27 – Reflection on past USMNT glue guys: Beckerman & Cherundolo
• 06:28–07:52 – Diego Luna vs. Aidan Morris: super sub value
• 08:29–10:33 – Haji Wright’s opportunity, club form, and potential World Cup breakout

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Summary

This episode is an engaging, informal deep dive into the USMNT’s inevitable reliance on lesser-known but crucial players. Landon and Tim, drawing on personal and contemporary insights, explain not only who these unsung heroes are, but why and how such players have—and will—rise to the big occasion. The tone is warm, slightly nostalgic, but always forward-looking, delivering a clear view: greatness in a tournament isn't always about stars; it's about the right call at the right moment—often from the “unsung.”

Transcript

[A]

Foreign this bonus content is brought to you by Coca Cola and Carnival Cruise Line. Okay, LD A couple weeks ago, we gave you our top five most important US Men's national team players at this summer's World Cup. So today we're going to dig into our top five USMNT unsung heroes.

[B]

So I like this.

[A]

Yeah. So guys might not get the headlines, the names aren't in. In lights, but they're gonna. They're gonna serve a vital purpose as the tournament goes on.

[B]

So in every World cup, they're like, somebody shows up, you're like, oh, I didn't know that. You know, I remember John Brooks scoring the header, John O' Brien scoring in 02. Clint burst onto the scene in 2006. Right. Like all that stuff. So let's start number five, a guy that. He's been an attacking player most of his national team career, but now he's moved to the right back position. And I think Pochettino sees him as a right wing back. I don't think he can play a right back. He got a little bit exposed by Doku in the Belgium game. Tim Waya.

[A]

Most people do.

[B]

Yeah. Most people do, yeah. So I think as a wing back, though, it gives now a lot of options because you have Serginio d', Est, you have Alex Freeman, and you have Timothy Weyer. So I think he's a guy that has enough about him where he could score a goal or two, actually and

[A]

burst on and people go, wow, yeah, unsung. Because he's playing sort of an unnatural position, but one. But one that a lot of players can transition to easily. DeMarcus Beasley is a perfect example. You know, DeMarcus, you and DeMarcus came through together. You sort of had these parallel paths, and Bees was on one wing, you were on the other, and Beas was a tricky winger. And then. And then there's. There's a whole host of people that only remember Bees as a really good left back. Right. So. So what? Big credit to him and. And Timothy Way can be that. Right? We know him as a. As a winger, but he has a role to play, probably as a wing back for this team.

[B]

Well, it could be an interesting one, too, like if Alex Freeman ends up playing or Seginio Destin's up playing. You could also have Way on the field, of course, further up the field, because he's capable of all that. So he's going to be an interesting one to watch. All right, at number four, I'm going to group the center backs Together, not all of them, but the following three. Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson Austin trustee. Now, there's a good chance that one or two of them don't make the team. Right. But one of them or two of them or maybe three of them make the team and one of them is going to play. Because you have Chris Richards.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

You have Tim Ream. Now, could Alex Freeman maybe play as a right center back? Maybe. But I feel like one of these guys is going to play and if the team does well and goes far into the tournament, it's because they've played

[A]

well defensively for sure.

[B]

Defensively for sure.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Because it's been a, there's been a hole in that spot for a while.

[A]

So I think it could be Mark McKenzie.

[B]

Yeah, feels like it right now. It does feels like it. Okay, number three guy, we just talked about Alex Freeman. Now I've said this over and over, Tim. Love the move to Villarreal, hate the timing. He's playing sparingly here and there. I think if this guy was playing regularly for Orlando City right now, you would say if he kept continuing to perform, you'd say he's a guy who is probably gonna start or have a very good chance to start now. Could he still. Yes. I think his rise has been meteoric and if he is fit and maybe plays in the few friendlies leading up to the World cup and Pochettino is happy with him, trusts him, I think he could really soar.

[A]

Yeah, I mean he's one of these rare and every, I think every cycle you probably with the US Anyway, like in English team, if you're not, if you're not playing for your club team, good luck getting on a World cup team.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But we, we, we're a little bit of a different bag where you'll get one or two players who just aren't in favor with their club team, but they're still one of the better US players. And I think Freeman is that I, I'd be interested with him. Does he play right sided center back, as you mentioned? Does he play as a wing back? If they play in a four, clearly he can play right back. So yeah, I'm, I think he has a role to play and I sort of think the games leading up to the World cup, it's funny how you know when the season ends and you haven't had a good run and you just haven't been in your in, you haven't been selected for your club team, all of a sudden you get into World cup training Camp, and it's like you're training every day with the team. You get selected for one or two friendlies, and now all of a sudden people, like, almost forget if you perform well, almost forget that you didn't play for half a season.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Like, oh, looks fit, looks. Looks sharp. And so you can sort of turn that on its head. And I think you could be number in that top five. Just real quick there, midway through, I'm thinking of guys on, like, our teams who were glue, guys who are unsung heroes. And like, if I think about sort of between like 2010 to 2014, Kyle Beckerman was that guy. He was that guy for. For me who, who, like, when you're looking at your best teams, he was on the field, you know, and in big moments, big performances, he was on the field. Who would you say, like, on our 2010 or that stretch between like 2006 and 2010 was a guy there.

[B]

There are a few come to mind. Trundle comes to mind just because, like, you don't hear a lot about him. You don't. But he. He was so good on the ball. He was a great defender, like, great 1v1 defender, always connected his back. But he was also so good on the ball and so you could get out of pressure because he could make the right pass. He was kind of like a central midfielder, playing right back in the way he passed the ball and saw the field.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So Stevie comes to mind for sure. He had that about him. And just to your point, about, like, glue guys like Beckerman, the. The. One of the hardest things about putting a team out on the field. And I see this now, like with Man City, it feels like pep with Man City has gotten the team on the field that meshes best together. And for our national team, it's not just putting out the best 11 players. It's who are the 11 that really connect. And part of the challenge has been that we haven't seen that. Right. And we've talked about that over and over, but that is going to be a big piece because there's going to be a guy or two who you're like, oh, he's not better than that guy on the bench, but he makes the whole thing better.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So he makes the whole thing better. There are two guys I'm going to lean towards Luna here because Unsung Hero is. I think he's a guy who could actually come in and score a goal and do something really special.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

If he's on the roster but another guy who I think may end up playing because he's just playing consistently with Middlesbrough is Aiden Morris, too. So I was toggling back and forth between these two. Aiden's a guy who, if he plays next to Tyler Adams, you won't notice him. You'll never hear about him, nobody will be talking about him. But if the team does well, that means he's doing well. But Diego has the chance to do something special.

[A]

Here's why I think Diego, because I think Diego Luna, whether he starts a game in the World cup or not, I don't know. He's going to be a guy who comes on 65th minute, right? And you and I both know that magic in football happens after the 65th minute, after the 70th minute, right? That's when tired legs happen. That's when. When. When managers are making substitutions for, like, instant spark and sort of ideas. And he has ideas, clearly has a nose for a goal. You know, he's going to get put on the field to do one thing, drive forward, get the ball forward, pass forward, make a play. So if he's do. If he does that in, like, let's say, I don't know, one or two games at the back end of a game, then you're going to look at that. You're going to look at him, and he's really going to stand out.

[B]

You know why he's so good off the bench, too? He's so unpredictable and it's. It's. Sometimes it's challenging even for his teammates, right, because you don't know where he's going to do, what he's. How he's going to move all those things. Like, Clint was like that at times, but nobody knew. And so when you do that, you can pull off really special plays because you do the unexpected. You do things that you're not expecting. So he's also rounding into form right now. He's scored a few goals. He. He had gone a long stretch with where he's injured. He wasn't playing, he wasn't scoring. But now he's scoring some goals and he looks more confident. So I agree. I think he could be okay. Hot take?

[A]

No, it's good.

[B]

I think the guy. Because ajamong went down, the guy who's going to get a lot of minutes because of it is Haji Wright. And wasn't he just named the sky bet? Yeah, I mean, that's. That's a big honor.

[A]

Hard to do, bro, by the way.

[B]

Very hard. 46 games, very hard to do. So I think with ajamong out, I think Pochettino's not super high on Pepe. So Flo's gonna start. Flo Baligan is gonna start. He's gonna play the games, but you gotta get him off field at some point, right? And so you're gonna need a sub. And Haji feels like he's the guy who's gonna make an impact. And I think he. I mean, there's a world where he could end up leading this team in goals. You know, you said after the 65, 65th minute, it's hot. Teams wear out, he comes in fresh and he could score some goals.

[A]

Well, two. Two quick things. Three, again, it's so hard to make team of the season when you make a best 11 for any league. It's so hard. So congratulations to him. You know, one of the things is. And because of that, my second point is I'm not sure what else he has to do to impress Pochettino. I mean, other strikers outside. Outside of Flo Baligan haven't really had. Had a ton of opportunity under Poch, but I don't know what else he has to do. And. And then the other part of that is Flo is the number one striker, but there are worlds where. Where the sub, a substitute 9, can come on and bang a goal in. And it's just sort of that feeling that manager's like. He feels like he's informed. Maybe I start him next game, you know, like. And then when you do that, then it just gives you more opportunities to be on the field, be in front of goal and get goals. And I just. I've said this to you a long time about strikers. Scoring is scoring. Yes, the windows open and close quicker at the international level. But like, we've talked about this over the last year. I just want. I want goal scorers who are scoring goals, because if you're scoring goals in the championship or the Premier League or any other league in the world, mls, you feel like you can put the ball anywhere, and that's important. And right now, that's the sort of run he's in.

[B]

Yep. And I could. I could definitely see a scenario where Flo plays 60, 65, Haji comes in, and then they switch the next game right where Haji starts, and then flow comes in when teams are tired and score. And by the way, Flo's scoring goals right now for fun teams, of course, that. That would be a good situation to have. That is our hot take, hot takes, cold coke, open seas. Your Carnival cruise is waiting. Visit carnival.com unfiltered and enter for your chance to win a Carnival Cruise.

[A]

Sam.