- Position
- D
- Pieces here
- 4
On the record
Called Shots →A center back other than Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty starts at center back for the United States in at least one of the four fall friendlies (Peru 09-26, Chile 09-29, Mexico 10-03, Canada 10-06). Scored off the published starting elevens. Resolves yes if any other player is one of the starting central defenders in any of the four; resolves no if every central-defensive start across all four goes to those three.
Chris Richards and Auston Trusty are both in the United States starting eleven against Mexico on 2026-10-03. Scored off the federation's published Starting XI for that match. It resolves yes if both start; it resolves no if either one does not start, including as a substitute only or not dressed.
At least nine of the eleven players who start for the United States against Mexico on 2026-10-03 held a senior United States cap before the fall window opened, meaning they are not among the thirteen players the federation listed as uncapped on 2026-09-17 (Mathis Albert, Cole Campbell, Justin Ellis, Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall, Diego Kochen, Adri Mehmeti, Peyton Miller, Neil Pierre, Brooklyn Raines, Brian Schwake, Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield). Scored off the federation's published Starting XI. Yes if nine, ten or eleven starters are outside that list; no if eight or fewer are.
Written about him
Does Mexico get the eleven Pochettino has not started yet?
The United States play Mexico at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on October 3, the third of four matches in this window. A federation source told ESPN's Jeff Carlisle the team has to beat Mexico, while Mauricio Pochettino has described the camp in terms of the next World Cup. Through Peru and Chile, Pochettino started eight and then six of the 15 players capped before the window, and Gio Reyna was the only man in both elevens. Twelve of the 15 have started exactly once. Six capped regulars who played in both matches have between 104 and 118 of the 180 regulation minutes, and Chris Richards has 27, so no one is worn down. A strongest eleven can be built from capped players at every position but striker, where four of the five forwards were uncapped when camp opened and the fifth, Damion Downs, has 23 league minutes this season.
Tim Ream retired, and the back line that started in St. Louis needed Richards
Tim Ream, 38, said before the United States played Chile in St. Louis on September 29 that he was retiring from the national team, telling the TNT broadcast that age was the biggest factor, as reported by Jeff Carlisle of ESPN. He finishes with 86 caps. The United States won 4-2 with what the federation called the youngest starting eleven of Mauricio Pochettino's tenure, and Mathis Albert, at 17 years and 131 days, became the youngest scorer in the program's history. Neil Pierre and Miles Robinson started at center back and Chile led 2-1 after 49 minutes. Chris Richards and Auston Trusty replaced them in the 63rd minute, Richards scored the winner, and Chile did not score again. Across two matches of this window the federation has started four different center backs. Richards has played all 450 league minutes of Crystal Palace's season, and he is the one center back in camp whose place looks settled. The open question for Mexico on October 3 is who plays beside him.
Tim Ream was 35 at his first World Cup and 38 when he captained the next one
Tim Ream retired from the United States national team on September 29, 2026, in St. Louis, before a 4-2 win over Chile. He finishes with 86 caps. His second cap came against Chile in January 2011. He fell out of the team after the 2011 Gold Cup, again during Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure, and again after the first qualifier of the 2022 cycle, and was named to the 2022 World Cup roster 12 days before the opener only after injuries to Miles Robinson and Chris Richards. He started all four matches in Qatar at 35. Sixty of his caps came after 2018. Mauricio Pochettino named him captain before the 2026 World Cup, where he started and captained four of five matches and became the oldest field player the United States has used at a World Cup.
Banks chose Germany. The U.S. lost a center back who plays every minute.
Noahkai Banks, the 19-year-old Augsburg center back born in Honolulu and raised in Bavaria, accepted a call-up to Germany's under-21 team on Friday, September 18, and will file the one-time change of association that closes his United States eligibility for good. He played for the U.S. at the 2023 under-17 World Cup and at under-19 and under-20 level, sat in the senior camp in September 2025 without playing, said in February that the first U.S. invite made his choice clear, said on March 1 that he was very torn, declined the March camp, and was left out of the World Cup squad. He has started all four of Augsburg's Bundesliga matches this season and played every minute of the first three. The U.S. roster for the four fall friendlies carries Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty at center back, and Tim Ream, 38, who started the World Cup round-of-16 defeat, is not on it.
