Breaking the Mold: Freese a Unique USMNT Goalkeeper

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

With only the March window left before Mauricio Pochettino finalizes the 2026 World Cup roster, one major question remains: who can truly be trusted to guard the net? It’s a debate still dividing media, fans, and observers alike.

The USMNT has produced some legendary goalkeepers over the past four decades, but the current pool has yet to see anyone truly seize the No. 1 spot. For a while, it looked like Matt Turner might start in back-to-back World Cups, but after a poor summer performance against Switzerland, he lost his place to Matt Freese. Freese went on to start the last thirteen matches, yet outside of his heroics in the 2025 Gold Cup penalty shootout, echoing Turner’s run in 2023, Freese hasn’t fully convinced me he should be the starter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Since the 1990 cycle, five USMNT goalkeepers, Tony Meola, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and Matt Turner, have earned the World Cup starting role. Each of them logged minutes in the grueling World Cup qualifying process before taking the job. But Matt Freese could become the first USMNT goalkeeper to start a World Cup without ever playing a single qualifier.

Tony Meola – 1990 Italy World Cup

Creator: Bob Thomas | Credit: Getty Images

Tony Meola remains the youngest goalkeeper ever to start a World Cup for the USMNT. He went on to start in back-to-back tournaments and later served as the backup at the 2002 World Cup alongside Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller.

First Cap (Age) – June 7, 1998 (19 years, 3 month & 17 days)

World Cup 1990 (Age) – (21 years, 3 months, 10 days)

Overall Stats heading into the World Cup
Matches Played – 17
Matches Started – 15
Minutes Played – 1,395
Wins – 7
Shutouts – 6

World Cup Qualifying Stats
Matches Played – 4
Matches Started – 4
Minutes Played – 360
Wins – 2
Shutouts – 4

Kasey Keller – 1998 France World Cup

Kasey Keller, one of the backups to Tony Meola at the 1990 World Cup, was left off the 1994 roster but later reestablished himself in the USMNT picture. He went on to become the primary starter for the 1998 and 2006 World Cups and served as the backup on the 2002 team.

Creator: Ben Radford | Credit: Getty Images

First Cap (Age) – February 4, 1990 (20 years, 2 months & 6 days)

World Cup 1998 (Age) – (28 years, 6 months, 15 days)

Overall Stats heading into the World Cup
Matches Played – 34
Matches Started – 33
Minutes Played – 2,790
Wins – 18
Shutouts – 16

World Cup Qualifying Stats
Matches Played – 9
Matches Started – 9
Minutes Played – 810
Wins – 5
Shutouts – 6

Brad Friedel – 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup

Creator: Clive Brunskill | Credit: Getty Images

Brad Friedel, who started all five U.S. matches at the 2002 World Cup and made one start in 1998, earned a place on three USMNT World Cup squads during his career.

First Cap (Age) – September 3, 1992 (21 years, 3 months, 16 days)

World Cup 2002 (Age) – (31 years, 0 months, 5 days)

Overall Stats heading into the World Cup
Matches Played – 76
Matches Started – 74
Minutes Played – 6,453
Wins – 25
Shutouts – 23

World Cup Qualifying Stats
Matches Played – 13
Matches Started – 13
Minutes Played – 1,125
Wins – 7
Shutouts – 4

Tim Howard – 2010 South Africa

Creator: Ronald Wittek | Credit: Alamy

Tim Howard, the oldest first-time World Cup starter among this group, may also be the most accomplished. He appeared on three World Cup rosters, and likely would have made a fourth had the USMNT qualified in 2018.

First Cap (Age) – March 10, 2002 (23 years, 0 months, 4 days)

World Cup 2010 (Age) – (31 years, 3 months, 12 days)

Overall Stats heading into the World Cup
Matches Played – 51
Matches Started – 50
Minutes Played – 4,185
Wins – 31
Shutouts – 23

World Cup Qualifying Stats
Matches Played – 16
Matches Started – 16
Minutes Played – 1,440
Wins – 12
Shutouts – 8

Matt Turner – 2022 Qatar

Creator: Francisco Seco | Credit: AP

Turner seized his opportunity when an unwell Zack Steffen was forced off the roster to start the World Cup qualifying, stepping in to start the first of eight World Cup qualifiers. His performances solidified his place as the USMNT’s starting goalkeeper for the 2022 World Cup.

First Cap (Age) – January 31, 2021 (26 years, 9 months, 3 days)

World Cup 2022 (Age) – (28 years, 4 months, 21 days)

Overall Stats heading into the World Cup
Matches Played – 20
Matches Started – 20
Minutes Played – 1,800
Wins – 14
Shutouts – 14

World Cup Qualifying Stats
Matches Played – 8
Matches Started – 8
Minutes Played – 720
Wins – 4
Shutouts – 4

Matt Freese

Courtesy USMNT

Matt Freese would have the shortest runway of any USMNT goalkeeper, from earning his first cap to potentially starting at a World Cup. He would also become the first U.S. keeper to start at a World Cup without having played a single World Cup qualifier.

First Cap (Age) – June 5, 2025 (26 years, 9 months, 3 days)

World Cup 2026 (Age) – (27 years, 9 months, 12 days)

Overall Stats heading into the World Cup
Matches Played – 13
Matches Started – 13
Minutes Played – 1,170
Wins – 7*
Shutouts – 3*

World Cup Qualifying Stats
Matches Played – n/a
Matches Started – n/a
Minutes Played – n/a
Wins – n/a
Shutouts – n/a

It’s clear the USMNT doesn’t have a true front-runner in goal even though Mauricio Pochettino currently leans toward Matt Freese, but as we’ve seen, things can change fast. Matt Turner, Patrick Schulte, Chris Brady, Roman Celentano, and Jonathan Klinsmann will all need to push hard to earn their place on the final roster.