Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
When Tyler Adams missed last month’s U.S. men’s soccer team gathering, it was for the best of reasons: His wife was due with the couple’s second child. This month, the star midfielder is out again, and the news isn’t as good. Adams was a last-minute scratch from the roster after suffering a head injury in a collision while playing for his club, England’s Bournemouth, in a Premier League game on Sunday. It happened a day after another U.S. midfielder, Sean Zawadzki, suffered a knee injury in the Columbus Crew’s playoff loss to FC Cincinnati. It was the third time this year that an injury forced the midfielder off a U.S. squad, a brutal streak to endure. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino called in Los Angeles FC midfielder Timothy Tillman, an occasional call-up in recent times (and brother of more famous attacking midfielder Malik Tillman), as a replacement. That was how things stood when the Americans took the field Monday morning at the Union’s training complex. Fifteen of the squad’s 24 players participated, with eight still on the way over after Sunday games in Europe and Cincinnati centerback Miles Robinson under the weather. From there, Pochettino and his squad did what they’ve done far more often than they’d like: They adjusted and got to work. » READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino reflects on the USMNT’s progress, and looks forward to his first game in Philly “It’s unfortunate [for] Tyler to go down with two big games for the national team, but his health is the most important thing,” veteran central midfielder Cristian Roldan said. “We hope that he feels better and that he progresses on the field and is symptom-free.” Roldan will presumably get more playing time this month because of Adams’ absence, as he did last month. Aidan Morris and Tanner Tessmann are the other names atop the depth chart, and they split time with Roldan in October. Sebastian Berhalter might also get a look in one of the two central midfield spots. All four players bring strengths, with Morris the closest to Adams’ skill set as a defensive midfielder. But they all know none of them is quite the same. “I think it’s really important to have a No. 6 [defensive midfielder], but we might not have that,” Roldan said. “And so how can we balance the midfield with two 8s [central midfielders] maybe understanding each other a little bit more? We’re going to have to have a little bit of chemistry between the two midfielders.” » READ MORE: Cristian Roldan is back with the USMNT, and it feels like he never left Freese’s homecoming The crowd at Subaru Park on Saturday will get to salute Wayne native Matt Freese, the former Union backup goalkeeper who is now the starter for the U.S. and New York City FC. Along with it being his homecoming, it will be a rare moment when the goalkeeper is cheered these days on his former home turf. Eight days after the game, he’ll be back to being booed when he leads New York into Chester for the Eastern Conference semifinals. “It feels great to be in Philly, obviously,” said Freese, who was a fan in the stands when the U.S. men last played in town in 2019. “Definitely looking forward to the game this Saturday — probably some differing fan experiences from my end. But I love playing here. I’m sure it’s going to be a great atmosphere on Saturday.” This year has been a remarkable ride for the 27-year-old, who grew up in the Union’s academy, went to college at Harvard, then left after two years to turn pro here at the end of 2018. He hadn’t been part of the senior U.S. picture from one call-up in 2021 until January. Then he earned his first cap in June and was the starter through the Gold Cup amid Matt Turner’s struggles. » READ MORE: How Wayne’s Matt Freese has stayed atop the USMNT goalkeeper depth chart It was a surprise when Freese kept the job in September and October. But now it’s clear that he’s the No. 1 and has the opportunity to stay there until the World Cup. “I haven’t taken much time to reflect,” Freese said. “It’s a huge honor any time I get called up. After the first one, I kind of thought, ‘All right it’s never going be this exciting again.’ But somehow every time it’s just as exciting, it’s just as big as big of an honor.” Notable names on opponents’ squads The Paraguay team that the U.S. will face Saturday (5 p.m., TNT, Telemundo 62) has many players with ties to MLS. Andrés Cubas plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps with Berhalter, Braian Ojeda plays for Real Salt Lake with Diego Luna, and Miguel Almirón is plenty familiar from his years with Atlanta United. Keep an eye on Diego Gómez, too. The 22-year-old midfielder played a year and a half for Inter Miami from 2023-24, then England’s Brighton paid $15 million to buy him. » READ MORE: The USMNT seems on course to do something it hasn’t done in nearly a quarter century Gómez wasn’t all that well-known by fans around the league when he left, in part because Lionel Messi’s shadow is so big in Miami that it covers up the team’s talented young players. But Gómez has lived up to the billing in England, with seven goals in 13 games this season. Uruguay’s squad that will play the U.S. in Tampa, Fla., next Tuesday (7 p.m., TNT, Universo) is loaded, as it always is. Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo and Atlético Madrid’s José María Giménez lead the defense, while Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte and Tottenham’s Rodrigo Betancur lead the midfield. Longtime superstar strikers Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani have stepped down from the national team, but a new generation is rising: Facundo Pellistri (formerly of Manchester United), Brian Rodríguez (Mexico’s Club América), and Facundo Torres (Brazil’s Palmeiras) now lead the way. MLS fans know Torres used to play for Orlando City. He moved to Palmeiras last December and played at this summer’s Club World Cup, including both of the team’s games in Philadelphia. » READ MORE: Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie are set for a long-awaited USMNT homecoming Two more of Uruguay’s stalwarts played for Brazil’s Flamengo in the tournament here. Giorgian da Arrascaeta is a dynamic midfielder who scored a goal in the club’s opener, and Guillermo Varela is a veteran right back.
