'You need to play' - Rejuvenated USMNT goalkeeper and former player of the year Zack Steffen relishes opportunity to reclaim No. 1 shirt under Mauricio Pochettino

The 29-year-old has been waiting for this moment for a while. He was part of a key transitional phase for the U.S. under Berhalter. The USMNT's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup brought about vast changes in the senior side. And with an older crop of goalkeepers retiring or moved on, Steffen earned the No. 1 shirt in 2018.

What followed was a series of promising showings from the then-Crew shotstopper. The standout came in a 1-1 draw with France, in which he made seven saves in just his third senior international appearance. Piece it all together, and he was named USMNT Player of the Year in 2018. A European move to Manchester City - via German side Fortuna Dusseldorf - followed.

Dusseldorf were relegated from the Bundesliga in Steffen's sole season at the club, ending any possibility of another loan or perhaps a permanent signing with the German club. And so he returned to City in a backup role, making just 17 appearances across the next two seasons. But there, his form dipped. He made a duo of high profile mistakes against Liverpool in an FA Cup semifinal, and with the emergence of Matt Turner at Nottingham Forest, Steffen's spot became precarious.

A phone call from Berhalter confirmed it at the end of 2022. Steffen wasn't going to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. His USMNT future was in doubt.

"Nobody wants to get rejected," Steffen told GOAL in September 2024. "Everybody wants to be part of something, and I want to be part of the national team. I want to be part of winning teams. So, yeah, it f*cking hurt, and it still hurts to this day."

But with a new manager has arrived a new chance. Steffen was called up to Pochettino's first training camp back in October, handed his first look for the national team in more than two years. And although he didn't feature in either friendly - a home win against Panama followed by a forgettable loss to Mexico - there was a sense of encouragement by inclusion alone.

The new manager made it clear, too, that he wasn't just there as an extra body.

"It was just like, 'Hey, it's a new slate.' We know you have experience, and we just want you to bring that experiences and push the guys," Steffen said.

Steffen was included in the next camp, too, and watched from the sidelines as Turner started both CONCACAF Nations League games against Jamaica. But the energy of a new staff alone helped. Pochettino has surrounded himself with some of the more experienced assistant coaches in football - they have followed him from PSG, Chelsea and Tottenham. For Steffen, their leadership and drive directed towards the whole group has been infectious. That includes Antonio “Toni” Jimenez, the goalkeeping coach. He had an extensive professional career as a goalie around Spain, and joined Pochettino at Espanyol in 2011.

"They're great coaches and very experienced. They make it tough, but it's all really good stuff that they're trying to portray and teach us," Steffen said.

In early 2024, Steffen made a surprise decision by returning to MLS after four seasons in Europe. He had perhaps done enough at Middlesborough in the 2022-23 campaign to earn another No. 1 job overseas. But MLS offered a fresh start for a goalkeeper who perhaps needed one. He was in his late 20s, and, quite simply, required reps.

"Of course, it's so good to go to top clubs and get the best training and learn from the best players," Steffen said, "but at the end of the day, there comes a time where you need to be playing."

And play he did. The Rapids enjoyed a solid start to the season under new head coach Chris Armas. And after a memorable Leagues Cup run in which they won two penalty shootouts - spearheaded by some standout showings from Steffen - there was a real belief in the camp.

"It's a handful of things, of why I had a good run, and why the team had a good run and got a little lucky at times, and all that stuff. But I think it's I'm at my best when I'm out of my head and I'm just playing," Steffen said.

But then things took a turn. Colorado ran out of steam down the stretch, stumbled into playoffs, and were blown out in a best of three series by eventual champions LA Galaxy.

"It was a positive year, but we just collapsed towards the last two months of the season. We were just exhausted," Steffen said.

It has been more than two months since Steffen last played a competitive football match. MLS preseason starts for most clubs at the end of January, with rosters for the 2025 campaign steadily being finalized. Steffen, who signed a three-year deal in 2024, has the perfect opportunity to find his feet - and soon.

Turner - now a backup for Crystal Palace who has been repeatedly linked with a January transfer away from the Premier League club - doesn't seem to have a firm hold on the starting spot. There is a sense that, as ever, this shirt could be up for grabs.

Still, there's competition. Along wit Steffen, Inter Miami's Drake Callender, NYCFC's Matt Freese and Columbus' Patrick Schulte round out a quartet of MLS goalies all vouching for the starting gig. Between the four, there are 31 US caps. Steffen has 29 of them. That experience might be vital as Pochettino considers his options.

"I mean it's business on the field. Of course, we all want to get better. We all want to push each other to get better. We all want to play so, but it's all it's all class and friendships off the field," Steffen said.

At this point, it could be vindication for Steffen. The goalkeeper made a brave decision to leave Europe, and accept what is perhaps lower quality soccer for more reps. But Pochettino's promise that MLS players who see the field often will be afforded the same opportunities as their European counterparts seems to have buoyed his chances.

There are other good vibes at play. Steffen says he's settled in Colorado.

"It's nice to be back and be closer to family and friends," Steffen said. "It just so happened Colorado was the spot."

And that could be vital in the coming weeks. There will certainly be opportunities, with the U.S. set to play both Venezuela and Costa Rica. The January camp is a funny thing. At times, it has been discarded as a series of pesky friendlies - an afterthought in the scope of the European-dominated soccer picture. Once dubbed "camp cupcake," there is certainly room for it in the careers of some prominent names.

Legends such as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, DaMarcus Beasley and Carlos Bocanegra got their start in January camps. Steffen himself was handed his first look in one.

Meanwhile, the U.S. are settled at various positions. There are big names further up the pitch - Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson - that will always be in the side. The defense, too, seems mostly settled. But in net, anything can happen. And with Turner seeing his minutes at a club level fade, Steffen is well positioned to snatch back the jersey that was once his.

Pochettino, whom Steffen has previously described as a 'f*cking good coach', has made that clear. His moment might just have arrived.

"I just believe in myself. It's awesome to be back," he said.