They’re not here because of anything they did because, by and large, both were pretty good during these two friendlies. Neither put a foot wrong and, in truth, they both had moments that did save the USMNT at points.
It’s just that, at the moment, neither looks likely to start in a full-strength USMNT, which felt like a real possibility a week and a half ago.
Again, that’s not due to what they did; it’s just the reality of where this backline seems to be. Richards is, of course, a lock. Freeman seems to have cemented his place. Tim Ream, meanwhile, really showed his value against Germany, serving as the ultimate pressure valve against the press. In that game, there were so many times the U.S. put Ream in danger with the ball and prayed he’d figure it out. He did every time.
For Trusty and McKenzie, it was more a matter of opportunity. Robinson was given the big one on Saturday, while the former Philadelphia Union stars were limited to their second-half runouts. Neither showed anything that would indicate they shouldn’t start, but it seems a little less likely that they will after seeing how they were used in this most recent game.
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