Joe Scally's time to shine: USMNT's throwback fullback steps into spotlight as he chases down his World Cup dream

For all of Scally's characteristics, there's a chance that patience might be his most prominent. It's the one he's shown most often with the USMNT, more than defending, more than crossing, more than anything he's done on the field.

Since earning his first USMNT call-up three years ago, he's almost exclusively served as a backup. Sergino Dest was always the guy, the attacking dynamo starting ahead of him. Scally was the safety net that the U.S. could turn to in case of emergency. This year was one such circumstance. When Dest went down with a torn ACL, Scally was suddenly elevated to the right-back position for the Copa America and beyond. He's earned 10 caps this year. He'd earned eight over the three years prior.

"He's come in and he's shown that he can shut wings down," says Antonee Robinson, who starts on the opposite side of the field. "He can be strong and powerful, and he's been, I think, really good. Going forward, I think it's going to build his confidence to try and keep improving as a player and secure that. When Sergino comes back, he's going to make it really good competition for who's going to play."

This isn't the way Scally wanted to get his big chance. You never want to see anyone get hurt, particularly not the way Dest did earlier this year. Players want to earn chances on merit, not due to necessity.

Now that he has it, though, Scally has had to embrace it.

"I always had that confidence in myself, because I've been playing now for the last three years in the Bundesliga," he says. "I always knew I had this confidence, this skill, this belief in my own ability. I really trusted myself, but definitely, as a player, you take it as a chance to prove yourself. I knew I didn't have to go and do things above and beyond, like score three goals or something like that. I'm a defender. That's all second to your main job: to defend, and I know that's the main part of my game.

"I was super confident going into the summer, going into everything. Yeah, it was an opportunity, and I think I took it well. Everything's been going well this year, but I still have to keep going."

What makes that right-back battle so interesting has been the difference between the two. Dest has always been the flashy one, the attacker with Instagram highlight reels after every game. Scally is more no-nonsense, a more throwback fullback. There aren't nearly as many Scally highlight reels and, if there are, they feature more tackles than stepovers.

Because of that, it's apples and oranges when it comes to the USMNT right-back position but, at some point, Pochettino will have to choose which he likes more.

"We're such good friends," Scally says of his relationship with Dest, "and healthy competition within the team is always good, you know? We both push each other. He's a great attacking player. I'm more defensive-minded, I guess you can say. It's whatever the game demands. Both of us have a bunch of confidence.

"We're playing different, different styles, so maybe it could benefit both of us on where we play with a three with maybe him in a right wing-back position. With the new coach, we're changing a bunch of things, trying to get best players on the field, and I think it could suit us both well."

Scally prefers to play as a fullback in a four-at-the-back system. Then again, that's an oversimplification of it all.

Scally, as many fullbacks do, stumbled into the position. As Jamie Carragher once said, "Nobody grows up wanting to be a fullback."

In his youth days, Scally was actually a No. 10 in the NYCFC academy. An injury forced some reshuffling, and Scally was asked to play right-back for one game. It's lasted a bit longer. He ended up making a career out of the position.

"At first I didn't want to do it, obviously, but it worked out well," Scally jokes. "I think once you start playing well, then you realize it can be fun. At my first youth national team camp, that's when I realized I liked it. There are perks that come with it, so I'm going to ride with it."

Scally isn't often recognized for the fun parts of the position, though. He's generally seen as the defensive option, and rightfully so. That's certainly the better aspect of his game, the one that makes him so reliable for both Gladbach and the USMNT.

It's not the only aspect, though, as Scally feels he's become more impactful with the ball at his feet. There are certain things that are just out of your control, and outside perception is one of them.

"I think at Gladbach, if there were hockey assists, I think I would have four or five this season," he says. "It's just different things. You can even look at expected assists, where you play great ball and then the striker misses, but with those it's like, who cares?

"With the national team, people say I only defend, but, even against Jamaica, I think maybe they could watch in a different way. The different passing lines that I do when playing three-at-the-back, I think that's something that that is really my strong suit... I can do the defensive work, the proactive defending, really well, and I can also find the line-breaking passes, which I think benefits the team."

Scally's versatility is often a blessing and a curse. He's played five different positions for Gladbach in his career. He's started on the left, on the right and in the center. Given a choice, though, it's easy for him.

"I think I'm a right-back," he says. "I think that's my best position. Right-back, coming into a three, I think that really suits me. Left-back, it's not my favorite. It's opposite-footed, but I feel confident there. For me, my best position is that normal right-fullback."

Scally can be quiet, but always competitive. That extends off the field, too.

If there's a game on, Scally is often involved. Golf is among the favorite activities of this USMNT group. Ping-pong is up there as well. So, too, are video games. The new Call of Duty has led to some fierce battles. It's Scally and Cade Cowell against Brenden Aaronson and Auston Trusty at the moment, and Scally claims it's pretty one-sided.

"We're smoking them right now," he says. "Absolutely smoking them."

Last season, Scally saw video games as a chance to connect with fans and show a bit more of who he is off the field. It's something that streaming on Twitch can provide: a direct link between athlete and fan and a glimpse at what life is like with a headset on rather than a kit.

Scally loved it. He'd stream Fortnite semi-regularly, playing with teammates and friends while interacting with whoever was willing to talk. It could be complicated, though, as any rough stretch on the field would lead to criticism, along the lines of priorities - shouldn't he be focused on improving his game on the pitch, rather than playing video games?

"I'd have, say, 100 people in the chat, and it would only be five or six, but it was just nonstop," Scally says. "I wish I was able to overlook it, but it got to be stressful for no reason. I get it, but I don't know what more you want me to do. I'm also human. I'm not just this robot programmed to play soccer."

Scally offers glimpses of himself on social media, posting pictures of trips or coffee or whatever else he's up to. He's no social media master, but he does enjoy it. Most of all, he enjoys the interactions with others, which is one of the big bonuses that comes with playing soccer at a global level.

"I just enjoy being out there," he says. "I enjoy connecting with people."

It's a odd thing to look around and suddenly realize you're the veteran - especially at 21. But that's where Scally's at with Borussia Monchengladbach. He arrived in 2021, played a bunch and and is now among the team's longest-tenured players.

"I'm so young," he says, "and I hang out with all of the young guys on the team, but on the field, I do feel it like I am one of the older guys on the team, even talking with the captains and things like that. I think I'm the second or third-longest serving player there. It's crazy to think about, but I do feel that more veteran role."

Age is relative, of course, but so is experience.

"I was talking to David, [the USMNT's barber], and he was like, 'You're like 25, right?'" Scally says. "It's just because I've been playing a lot of the time, things just feel that way. It doesn't feel like that for me, though. I know I'm still so young. It's something that I don't realize in the moment, but something you do stop and realize."

After spending six months with the second team upon joining in January 2021, he was thrown into the deep end by Gladbach that fall. It was during that 2021-2022 season that he embraced Gladbach as his home, and he hasn't looked back. There were some early struggles, though, and one stands out. It was one of his first few games with the senior team, and he stared down Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby. It didn't go well. Scally and Co. lost 4-0.

"I thought I was fast enough," he says. "I'll just play my game. Right in the beginning, he turned me and sprinted right past me. That changed my perspective of what fast is."

The game has slowed down a bit now, and Scally continues to learn. It's why, at just 21, he's set to make his 100th Bundesliga appearance this weekend. It's why he's among the more trusted players at a club that, just a few years ago, was a Champions League mainstay. And, as he continues to evolve for his club, the hope is he continues to evolve for his country. A World Cup coming.

The 2022 World Cup was, in many ways, bittersweet for Scally. He made it. He was there in Qatar. It's the dream of millions of players around the world. He didn't have his number called, though. Scally didn't play a minute and that still bothers him just a little bit. He achieved his dream, in some ways. In others, he only got really close.

"A World Cup is a World Cup," he says. "There's nothing better in sports than a World Cup, so to be there was, was an awesome experience. Of course, it was different for me than a couple other guys. I don't know how many of us there didn't play, but when you look at it as a young player, you have to enjoy this experience, because it's the best, but it also lit a fire underneath me.

"Seeing the guys go out there, national anthem, full stadium, the whole world is watching, it's something you want to be a part of so badly. Of course, I was a part of it, but not on the field."

Right now, he's in a good spot. He's firmly entrenched as a regular in the Bundesliga. He now has more USMNT experience under his belt, and his versatility has clearly impressed the new coach. Still, much can change on the road to 2026, and Scally acknowledges that.

"We still have a whole half a season, and then a whole other one," he says. "It's a long time."

Long in some ways, not long enough in others. Every moment matters, as June 2026 beckons. That summer, all eyes will be on the USMNT. The likes of Pulisic and Reyna will be talking points, for sure. Pochettino, too, will be a household name, a face of American soccer during the sport's biggest moment in the country.

Scally won't ever be that big name. Few fullbacks ever are. He won't be on the billboards or in the global commercials. No, he'll likely be in the background, doing what he does best: setting the table for those around him. If that moment does come and the spotlight finally shines on him, though, he'll be ready. And he'll surely have plenty to say about his journey along the way.