USMNT World Cup notebook: Max Arfsten explains Drake vs ‘Chill Drake,’ Matt Freese not worried about quiet tournament and lineup changes loom

It's a common question throughout the week: What is manager Mauricio Pochettino going to do with his XI? With players on yellow cards, a star player in Christian Pulisic nursing an injury, and nothing tangible to play for, Pochettino has some decisions to make with his XI.

"Tough question," Arfsten said. "Good thing I'm not a coach!"

Arfsten, of course, is one of several players who could be in line to start if Pochettino does change things up. Antonee Robinson, the team's go-to left back earned a yellow card against Australia, which means one more against Turkey would earn him a Round of 32 suspension. As a result, Arfsten is one of several logical changes. Realistically, there could be many.

If Arfsten does come in, it would be a World Cup debut. It would also be a chance to help his team continue the momentum built through the first two games of this tournament.

"Honestly, I think it's the most important thing is no matter who's playing: to go out and try and get three points," he said. "I think the momentum of the two wins is what's keeping the energy high right now, and three would be even more. At the end of the day, that's the coach's decision, and we'll see what happens."

He added: "No matter what, everyone's still trying to prove something."

That includes Freese. The starter through the first two games, Freese is one of the few who could retain his place in the lineup. Due to his lack of top-end international experience, Freese could realistically benefit from another game. Matt Turner and Chris Brady, though, will be hoping for their chance.

"It's a coach's decision, obviously," Freese said, "and we've got 26 guys here who all want to play and who all are ready to play and who are working hard every day in training. We, as a group, have full confidence in all 26 of us, so really we're just focused on continuing to prepare, work hard in training, and be ready for whatever."

Through two games, Freese has been relatively untested. Against Paraguay, he didn't make a single save, and there was little he could do on the opposition goal in the 4-1 USMNT win. Then, against Australia, he was called into action twice, making a save each time.

Generally, though, he hasn't been particularly busy, as the USMNT has outshot opponents 26-14. Freese is okay with that fact, though. It means that everyone around him is doing their job, which means he just has to stay ready to do his if called upon.

"Part of being a goalkeeper is recognizing that it's not always about you, and I'm comfortable with that," he said. "The less action I have in a game, the better that we're playing and the more likely we are going to win. I'm typically more focused on that and preventing any shots, rather than just being only ready to save them."

So much of the talk over the last year has been about the USMNT's pursuit of a No. 1, a pursuit that ultimately landed on Freese. The USMNT has benefitted from starmaking performances from the likes of Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, and Tony Meola; would anyone in this current pool be able to lift a team in the ways that those legends did?

Freese hasn't had to, at least not yet, and that fact isn't hanging over him. Neither are the comparisons to his predecessors.

"I wouldn't say it's intimidating; I would say inspiring," he said. "It's a long line of goalkeepers that I looked up to for my whole life, and there were some before my life as well, but to have my name next to theirs as the next guy up is an incredible honor. It's something I've dreamed of. The bar is set high, and I'm going to strive to reach that bar and raise it even higher."

Like Paraguay and Australia, Turkey are a familiar opponent. The U.S. faced this team just last summer and, although much has changed since, including World Cup dreams, there is something to that.

That game in East Hartford was Freese's first cap. It was also Alex Freeman's. It was the start of a Gold Cup summer that was, in many ways, transformative for a group of young players, including Arfsten, who went into it untested and came out feeling like vital members of the national team.

"I think that Gold Cup was a big moment for a lot of players, including myself," Arfsten said. "That was kind of like our first real experience in meaningful games for the United States, and yeah, it was amazing. That whole tournament, I feel like we grew a lot and kind of put ourselves on the map a little bit, for lack of a better word.

Although that was a while ago, I still feel like we do benefit from having some familiarity with the opponent, similar to Australia and Paraguay."

After making his World Cup debut, Auston Trusty posted a photo of himself and Freese. "Just two Delco boys playing in the World Cup," the USMNT center back wrote, commemorating a moment between two players who have known each other for as long as they can remember.

Trusty and Freese are two of the Philadelphia Union academy products in this USMNT squad. Mark McKenzie and Brenden Aaronson, of course, are the other two. That foursome has known each other since they were teenagers, hoping to someday go pro. This summer, they've spent the last month alongside one another competing at the highest level the sport has to offer.

"To share this moment with Trusty, Mark, and B[renden], it's a bit surreal. I think, obviously, so much credit and a lot of recognition needs to go to the Union Academy, and what they're doing in Philly, developing players," Freese said. "I think, not just now, but I think across the entire country at this point, so many MLS academies are doing such a great job developing players.

"To be here with them in this moment on home soil is something we used to talk about. It's pretty incredible that it's happening."

Even at a World Cup, everyone needs to unwind. Most choose music to do so. Arfsten is among those who do, and, no matter the vibe at any given moment, he tends to go in one direction.

"I'm a big Drake guy," he said, "but if I'm like trying to really chill? Maybe I'll listen to some chill Drake."

When not sampling some of Toronto's finest hip-hop, Arfsten is one to dive into Netflix. Folarin Balogun said the same after the Paraguay game, stressing the importance of taking that time to let the brain focus on something else.

"I'm actually watching a Netflix show right now called 'The Lincoln Lawyer'," Arfsten said. "I would recommend it. It's pretty cool. I don't know too much about lawyers, so it's interesting to me."