Christian Pulisic is staying, but could Noahkai Banks and Zavier Gozo join him? Projecting the USMNT’s 2030 World Cup XI

Out of all of the positions on the field, this one is the hardest to predict. There are just so many players, particularly young players, and it's almost impossible to know where young goalkeepers will be in their development in four years.

So could it be Kochen, who is on the books at Barcelona but set to spread his wings on loan this summer? It could be. He certainly has the pedigree for it. So, too, do Andrew Rick and Julian Eyestone, who spent time with the USMNT this summer as training goalkeepers. It would be even sillier to overlook Chris Brady, who was actually on the team and is only 22. You also have Gaga Slonina at Chelsea to consider, too.

Or you can learn from the examples set by Matt Freese and Matt Turner, both of whom could remain in the mix. Those two both came out of absolutely nowhere to win a starting gig in the year or two before the World Cup. That could certainly happen again, either by one of the names listed above or by someone we can't even imagine just yet.

Antonee Robinson has been the incumbent here for so, so long. The sad truth is that he is probably already on the decline, as his body has been failing him for the last year-and-a-half or so. He's still excellent and will probably hold on for a while, but there is a legitimate chance that he's not the same player by the time 2030 rolls around.

So who is next up? Miller might be the guy given his progress with the New England Revolution. Just 18, the fullback is already in his third professional season, and the sky seems to be the limit when it comes to his potential.

There are other young guys here, too, like Luca Bombino and Caleb Wiley, while this summer's backup, Max Arfsten, could kick on as a wingback over the next few years.

While there is one center back spot up for grabs, we'll get to that one in a moment. This one belongs to Chris Richards.

If someone rises up and seizes this spot from the Crystal Palace defender, they'll certainly have earned it, and man, the USMNT would have a hell of a defender on their hands. That's because Richards himself is a hell of a defender, having proven that over the last two years with Crystal Palace and the USMNT. He'll be 30 at the next World Cup, which is right at a defender's prime, too.

This cycle, Richards should be one of the anchors and is a candidate to captain this team going forward, too.

This is the problem position. We said that after the last World Cup, too. The USMNT was somehow able to squeeze three-and-a-half more years out of Tim Ream, but there's not enough left to squeeze for 2030.

So who seizes this spot? It certainly could be one of the other players on this summer's roster. It could also be Banks, who looked set to be included himself before taking a step back to mull over his international future. Given his lack of playing time with Augsburg down the stretch, a German call-up seems less likely than it once was and, while you can't read too much into social media, Banks was seen in the comment section of USMNT stars on Instagram during the team's World Cup run.

If Banks commits and develops as expected, he could fill that opening. If not, center back remains the biggest question mark of the 2030 cycle.

After every camp over the last year or so, there's been a general level of shock at just how good Alex Freeman actually is. That was even true after this World Cup, as the Villarreal fullback showed even more of his game in the biggest games of his career.

Excellent on the ball and increasingly composed without it, Freeman’s development has been one of the biggest USMNT storylines since his Gold Cup debut. He did not merely look comfortable at the World Cup; he was arguably one of the team’s best performers.

He's a player to build around, particularly as his game continues to evolve in La Liga.

Players like Adams don't grow on trees, which is why it's so hard to imagine this team without him in four years. At that point, he'll be 31 and, when you remember the fact that he plays a position built so much on game reading, there is a path to him being even better in 2030.

That, of course, depends on his body. He's had his injury issues over the last few years, and the USMNT will hope that those were down to bad luck and not something bigger. This team is simply better with Adams a part of it, both on and off the field, and, if he is around in 2030, his leadership will be absolutely crucial to all of the new names that make this team.

If he isn't good to go, there are rising midfielders on the way. Adri Mehmeti is a different player, but looks like he could be the next great No. 6. He'll be 21 in 2030, which means that tournament could come too soon, but it could also come at the perfect time for a player who clearly has potential.

He missed this World Cup due to injury, but the Atletico Madrid midfielder seemingly has a bright, bright future.

Cardoso still hasn't quite put it all together for the USMNT, but it has to be coming given how good he's been in La Liga. The hope is that he is able to keep chugging along under Diego Simeone. If that happens, the USMNT will have another top, top midfielder on their hands.

So where does this leave Weston McKennie? It's hard to imagine a lineup without him, particularly with how good he was in this World Cup, and it is hard to project where he'll be in four years. Cardoso, though, just seems a more natural fit next to Adams if this is the way the world works going forward. McKennie thrives on doubt, though, so don't be too surprised to see him right back in this same spot next tournament.

Keep an eye on Tanner Tessmann and Yunus Musah for this spot, too, even if both missed out this summer.

Arguably this World Cup's breakout star, Tillman was fantastic this summer as the world learned so much about his game.

Previously seen as exclusively a No. 10, Tillman was fantastic as more of a No. 8. His pressing was top-notch and his ability to help the USMNT attack progress was evident. And then there are the free kicks, which are suddenly a very real weapon that the USMNT has in their arsenal that few knew about previously.

Just 24, Tillman is another player that will be right around his prime next cycle, which is why he should be expected to blossom into one of the faces of this team going forward, particularly with the casual fans he dazzled with set pieces this summer.

The pile-on has become excessive. Pulisic disappointed this summer, but it remains difficult to imagine a healthy version of one of the most accomplished American men’s players ever not being part of the 2030 squad. His performance deserves scrutiny; the suggestion that his international career is effectively over does not.

So, while there is a chance that someone like Mathis Albert could rise to challenge him, Pulisic, at the very least, is a player that will need to be challenged. Like Richards, if someone is able to win this position, that's good for them and good for the USMNT, in a way, because, man, Pulisic sets one hell of a baseline for what a winger needs to be for this group. Anyone surpassing that would be nothing short of world-class.

Strikers are usually tricky. This time, that doesn't seem to be the case because Balogun is that good.

Of course, it depends on form. It also obviously depends on how Balogun kicks on from this World Cup for both club and country. If there's anything we learned this summer, though, it's that Balogun is a real difference-maker on the international level and, Belgium aside, the type of player that can go win you a game.

Maybe other players in the pool prove they can be that, too, but, at the moment, it's really nice that the USMNT has one the team can count on for a long time.

The Real Salt Lake star was close to making this happen for 2026, so don't be surprised if he's doing it in 2030.

In this right-wing spot, Gozo provides incredible pace and verticality. He's also shown so much improvement in the final third, too. If that progress continues, and it won't always be linear, he's going to become a very, very good player. It remains to be seen how he'll handle his inevitable next step out of MLS, but that step is coming soon for the 19-year-old winger.

It helps, too, that the other winger spot remains a position of need. Gozo is one of several fighting to fill that need, but he nearly looks ready, which gives him a nice little run-up to 2030.