Top 5 USMNT Questions | Unfiltered Soccer

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard

Episode: Top 5 USMNT Questions | Unfiltered Soccer

Release Date: May 1, 2026
Hosts: Landon Donovan (A), Tim Howard (B)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard dive into their “Top 5 USMNT Question Marks” as the US Men’s National Team prepares for the 2026 World Cup group stages. With the tournament looming and pressure mounting, the two Hall of Famers debate the biggest uncertainties facing the squad—from fitness and form concerns to tactical cohesion and star performances. It's an honest, insightful, and occasionally nostalgic conversation for anyone invested in US soccer’s future on the world stage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Can We Expect from Antonee “Jedi” Robinson?

(00:34–02:08)

• Robinson’s fitness after injury is a major question. At his peak, he was “possibly our best player,” starring for Fulham and even being linked to Liverpool.
• Landon Donovan: “I think the question mark is does he play left sided center back or does he play left wing back? … Tend to think he’s gonna play left wing back.” (01:04)
• Is he fully fit to handle potentially four high-intensity matches? Both hosts hope his recent club form bodes well but admit uncertainty remains.

2. Are the Center Backs Good Enough?

(02:08–05:58)

• Chris Richards is seen as a lock, but can the rest (including aging veteran Tim Ream) rise to the occasion?
• The group-stage opponents (Australia, Paraguay, Turkey) lack world-class attackers, so the US might not be truly tested until the knockout rounds.
• Tim Howard: “If they're just good enough, we’re going to struggle... I don’t know if our defensive unit is good enough to compete at the highest level.” (03:24)
• The possibility of tactical adjustments—shifting to more defensive lineups in tougher matches—is discussed.

3. Can Matt Freese Produce Elite Goalkeeping Moments?

(06:06–08:23)

• Tim Howard, drawing on his own experience, breaks down the thin margins at the World Cup level, citing that elite goalkeepers “put the team on their back” with game-saving performances.
• Freese has shown promise—“two, maybe three” big saves in recent friendlies—but lacks a defining, match-winning moment for the USMNT.
• Tim Howard: “We have seen nearly every top US goalkeeper basically put the team on their back... We only won today because that guy back there stood on his head... Because of the small body of work, we haven’t seen that from Matt.” (07:25–07:58)

4. Will the Team’s Lack of Shared Experience Hurt Them?

(08:23–11:29)

• Lack of continuity and in-game cohesion could cost the team, especially in high-pressure moments.
• Tim Howard: “I think there are going to be some moments where the connection and the partnership breaks down for a second. And you know how it is, man. One second and it's in the back of your net.” (08:31)
• Memories from previous World Cups highlight that US teams tended to “build resiliency” through tough matches and tournaments before the main tournament, which this group hasn’t done.

5. Which Version of Christian Pulisic Will Show Up?

(11:29–12:56)

• Pulisic hasn’t scored since December—creating concern—but continues to earn minutes and perform well overall for club and country.
• Landon Donovan: “He likes the big moments. … He hasn’t had a lot of these purple patches in his career.” (11:58)
• Both believe if Pulisic nets an early World Cup goal, he’ll transform into the “star that we all want him to be.”
• Tim Howard: “When he does [feel free and able to just play], man, he’s electric to watch. … I really do. I feel that in my bones.” (12:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jedi Robinson’s upside:
  “They were talking about him going to Liverpool to replace Andy Robertson, right? So for a while he was really elite.” – Tim Howard (02:08)
• On US center backs:
  “If they're just good enough, we’re going to struggle. … I don’t think our defensive unit is good enough to compete at the highest level.” – Landon Donovan (03:24)
• On defining US goalkeeping moments:
  “We have seen nearly every top US goalkeeper basically put the team on their back…Because of the small body of work, we haven’t seen that from Matt.” – Tim Howard (07:25–07:58)
• On lack of team chemistry:
  “One second and it's in the back of your net. Good teams, they prey on that.” – Tim Howard (08:31)
• On Pulisic’s World Cup prospects:
  “Just one tap in and it’ll all take off. And if he does, he’s going to have a phenomenal World Cup.” – Tim Howard (12:56)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:34 – Jedi Robinson’s form, fitness, and position
• 02:08 – USMNT center back quality and tactical options
• 06:06 – Matt Freese’s shot-stopping and historic context for US goalkeepers
• 08:23 – Concerns about team continuity and joint experience
• 11:29 – Christian Pulisic’s scoring drought and expectations for WC26

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Tone and Style

Throughout, Landon and Tim banter like veteran teammates—honest, occasionally blunt, but overtly supportive of the players. There’s nostalgia, concern, and genuine hope woven through their analysis. Their message: US soccer’s World Cup prospects hinge on a handful of big, unanswered questions, and how those are resolved will shape their fate on home soil.

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Transcript

[A]

This bonus content is brought to you by Coca Cola and Carnival Cruise Line. LD over the past month, we've been bringing you a series of top five lists pertaining to the US Men's national team. As we get closer to the World Cup. These are fun. So today we're listing our top five USMNT question marks.

[B]

Mmm, these are good.

[A]

As we head into June's group stages of the tournament. So these are going to be just. Those are good top five collection of like, what are we going to get? Big question marks. Hopefully we get loads of answers for this. Okay. Okay, go.

[B]

Let's start. Number five. This is good. What can we expect from Anthony Robinson from Jedi? Because he was at one point last year we were saying, I think he's our best player. He was playing every week for Fulham wearing the armband, top player, best player on the field every week. And then he got injured and he missed the summer last year. He played recently in some of the friendlies. What do you think we're going to get? What do we expect from him?

[A]

So I think the question mark with, with Anthony Robinson is which I'm loving seeing him every week at Fulham again. That's a great sign. I think, I think the question, I think the question mark is does he play left sided center back or does he play left wing back? Tend to think he's gonna play left wing back. I think.

[B]

Well, I think that because that means then Max Ar is starting at left wing back. Right? And then it's hard because then you also don't. Who are you gonna bring in if one of them, I guess, I think

[A]

plays left wing back and then sort of the, you know, is his, is his knee okay? Is, you know, is he, is he fit enough to be an impactful? I hope it seems like he is. But you know, you got to play your three first round games. The expectations, they get through. So that's round of 32, you know, that's four games over. Over the course of I don't know how many weeks that is a couple weeks. Right. And so it's a question mark. I mean, I, I think that question mark will. That question will be answered. I think he will.

[B]

Well, he, he's going to play, I think, I mean, knock on wood, he seems like he's healthy. Question is, is he going to get back to where he was? Because he was elite, man, like he was. They were talking about him going to Liverpool to replace Andy Robertson, right. So for a while he was really elite. So we're going to find out in the Next few months, just how good his knee is and we'll do some digging behind the scenes too. But if he plays well and he's at the top of his game, that's a big, big plus for us. Okay. Can our center backs simply be good enough? I don't think anyone is expecting, you know, 38 year old Tim Ream, bless his heart, but like to be outstanding. Right. If he's solid, great. We know Chris Richards is going to be great. And then whoever's playing with them, can they be good enough to get us through? I think they can, I do. But it's going to be tough. And I only say, Tim, all due respect to Australia, they don't have any world class attacking players. Paraguay not really like world, world, world class Turkey have Arda Guler once you get past that. Now if you're playing a team with a really world class striker, can they handle that?

[A]

Yeah, so. So the answer to the question is can they be good enough? The answer is no. If they're just good enough, we're going to struggle. I don't know if our ba. I don't know if our defensive unit. Gotta call that a back three and goalkeeper back three and wing backs. I don't think our defensive unit is good enough. Right. To compete at the highest level. That being said. And there's pieces of that defensive unit that I really like. So I have to say that, that being said, I don't know if in the opening three games end the round of 32, if they're going to be tested to a level that their weaknesses get exposed. Now I think if they get to the round of 16, definitely they've got some questions that need to be answered. But I don't know if the first four games of this World cup will test them to their breaking point.

[B]

That just made me think of something. So what if in the first three games there's a version of three center backs, Waya Arsten or Jedi Robinson, and it's just more attacking. But then you get to a round of 32 or round of 16, you bring in Alex Freeman, you play Jedi Robinson and now you're much more just saw and you play like two like Aiden Morris and Tyler Adams together versus one of them and two more attacking guys ahead of them. I wonder if Pochettino considers that because when you play, we saw this with Belgium and Portugal, when you play real players, we got exposed. We did, right? We did.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I mean this is sort of, we're sort of going off here but like what, what Sort of stands out for me when I look at, you know, past iterations of the national team. Because of the way you had friendlies and you had summer tournaments lined up, you were able to sort of mimic these things, right? You were able to sort of like, go into the Belgian game with a back three, get a decent result, and then change versus Portugal, right? And so you're sort of mimicking, like, what does it feel like to do this back to back? This current team hasn't. Hasn't been able to have the consistency where you go, we're going to play this way, get a good result against a good team. Doesn't have to be a favorable result, just a good result. And then we're going into the next game like a World cup against a really good opponent and we have to switch. And what does that look like? Like you said, like, I don't. I like Alex Freeman, but I sure as heck don't want him not playing for Villarreal and then having to come in tactically for a game as, like a center back in a. In a big. In a big moment.

[B]

Like, I don't know if he's rarely done right.

[A]

Yeah. So I don't know. I don't know. It's. Again, there's question marks for me with the back. With the back unit. So, yeah, there you go.

[B]

And part of that unit is Matt Freeze. Right. And so do you think he can be elite in the World Cup? Can he save one or two shots that we don't expect and keep us in games and get us, you know, a notch further than we might have otherwise?

[A]

You're asking me about. About a question that is very fine margins. Very fine margins. You know, I often times say, like, the difference between, like, a ball getting just thumped past you and you getting a fingertip to it is. Is, you know, centimeters. What I would say is he has consistently grown for me, he's done the job that he was supposed to do. Right. So he's steady. I think I saw in the Portugal game, I want to say I saw like two saves, maybe three saves that. I thought those were big saves. They're big save. They were. They're what you see a top goalkeeper at the international level making right snap down to your right, sharp. I saw that. So that's starting to tick some boxes for me and answer some questions so that I like that. You know, what we haven't. And maybe Portugal's a little bit. You know, when you see a goalkeeper, and I mentioned this, when you see one of our US Goalkeepers in a firefight and basically, like, win us the game. Right. And I don't. And because he has such a small body of work. What do we say if we get to the World cup and plays a certain. He probably play like 15, 17 games. We. If you go back through the course of history, you've heard me say this, you've been on the field for some of this. We have, we have. We have seen nearly every top US goalkeeper basically put the team on their back and. And go. We only won today. Yeah, we squeaked a goal and that person got man of the match. But we only won today because that guy back there stood on his head and we. Because of the small body of work, we haven't seen that from that. We've seen him play good. We've seen him win games. We haven't seen that. And I think there's going to be a moment, or possibly two in the World cup where he has to do that.

[B]

Yeah, let's hope he does. Yeah, but you're right. We don't know yet. Okay. We touched on this earlier. Will the team's lack of experience in playing together come back to bite them? I hate to say this, I really do, but I think it will. I think there are going to be some moments where the connection and the partnership breaks down for a second. And you know how it is, man. One second and it's in the back of your net. And that's. I mean. And good teams, like, they prey on that. And that Portugal, the Bruno Fernandez shot. No, sorry. The goal that he ended up back. Healing Tower, who scored. That was just one moment of a breakdown and it was in the back of the net and there was just a little miscommunication. One player out of, out of position. That stuff's so crucial in a World cup, man. You have to be able to rely on the guy next to you and know exactly where he's going to be. It's crucial.

[A]

This, this is a question mark that I don't think will get answered. I hope it does. But I, I, you know, I think about, like 2006, we stunk, right? That was the young that, that was for everybody who doesn't remember, we trained all week and said, like, match up in the box. Get a hold of young Kohler. First cross, bang dunk at the near post, right? So that was just a bad World cup for us. Go back to 20, 20, 2002, right? Your team, you go through the first round, you play well, you get pinned back a little bit, then you Play Mexico. It's an absolute war, right? Like, so there's. There's all these together moments. 2010, when we talked about this with Bob Bradley, right? And the year before in the Confederations Cup. It's well documented. We got smoked. Game one, we got smoked. Game two, right? Game three was a. Was a game we had to win to even barely get through, right? Then we beat the mighty Spain and we take it to Brazil before they become Brazil and remembered who they were and they beat us, right? But that sort of five game stretch showed us about ourselves, what we were capable. Because by the way, we had had a long season. It could have been a case of we just want to go home. We just want to go home. Right? Like it could have been a case of we just want to go home. We've been beat by two good teams, Italy and Brazil, thank you very much. But we turned up, we got a result, then we got another result. So you saw the resiliency which then allowed us to go into the following year in the World cup, top the group. Some tough moments, right? Difficult moments. Behind against England, then we draw, right behind. Behind against Slovenia, then we draw and then the electric moment against Algeria, right? So there's all. And I think we took Ghana to extra time or something. So there's like, there's a resiliency about this group, but that didn't happen in 2010 during the World Cup. It happened previously. And so I worry a little bit about this team and, and whether their lack of experience of all playing together in tough, tough moments, because we know tough moments make a team. It might come back to bite them.

[B]

Yeah, I hope not, but, yeah, I tend to feel the same way. All right, last one. What version of Christian Pulisic will we be getting this summer? He has not scored now since December 28th, when we're recording this. And we're now April 20th, I believe so in four months he hasn't scored a goal. He's still playing. They still got him on the field. They're winning. He's playing pretty well for the most part. What do you think we get from him this summer? Definitely the biggest question we have.

[A]

Sure. Biggest name, biggest question. I think we get performances. I think he. I think he likes the big moments. He's shown that the sort of purple patch he's going through now sucks. It's not a great time for it, but he hasn't had a lot of them. He hasn't had a lot of them in his career.

[B]

I can't remember in his career him

[A]

being like this, you know, I sort of, I watched the, the end product wasn't there in the last two friendlies, but. And you and I talked about this, but the positions he was getting in, his desire to still be aggressive when he gets the ball, that's all there. And I think if that's there and you're. And you're a quality player, which he is, then the rest will take care of itself. And I think he recognizes the moment. I think he recognizes what this World cup can be for him and for. And for this team. So I think we get performances from him, personally.

[B]

I do too. And I will say this, Tim.

[A]

He.

[B]

I don't, you know, at this point it seems like a hot take because he hasn't scored in a while, but I just want one like tap in somewhere in the next few months. I promise you at that point it'll all take off. Just one tap in and it'll all take off. And if he does, he's going to have a phenomenal World Cup. He will be the star that we all want him to be. And I'm just going to say this last part too. And we never talk about personal stuff, about player, because that's not, you know, other people do that. We don't talk about that stuff when stuff's going on off the field. And he's had some high profile stuff going on off that impacts you on the field, right? It does. And there's a part of that that's very difficult. My hope for him is that all that's behind him and he's free and able to just play soccer and enjoy it. And when he does, man, he's electric to watch. And so I do believe he's going to have a phenomenal World Cup. I really do. I feel that in my bones. All right, 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.