- Position
- D
- Pieces here
- 7
On the record
Called Shots →A center back other than Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty starts at center back for the United States in at least one of the four fall friendlies (Peru 09-26, Chile 09-29, Mexico 10-03, Canada 10-06). Scored off the published starting elevens. Resolves yes if any other player is one of the starting central defenders in any of the four; resolves no if every central-defensive start across all four goes to those three.
Chris Richards and Auston Trusty are both in the United States starting eleven against Mexico on 2026-10-03. Scored off the federation's published Starting XI for that match. It resolves yes if both start; it resolves no if either one does not start, including as a substitute only or not dressed.
At least nine of the eleven players who start for the United States against Mexico on 2026-10-03 held a senior United States cap before the fall window opened, meaning they are not among the thirteen players the federation listed as uncapped on 2026-09-17 (Mathis Albert, Cole Campbell, Justin Ellis, Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall, Diego Kochen, Adri Mehmeti, Peyton Miller, Neil Pierre, Brooklyn Raines, Brian Schwake, Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield). Scored off the federation's published Starting XI. Yes if nine, ten or eleven starters are outside that list; no if eight or fewer are.
Written about him
Mark McKenzie has not missed a Toulouse minute. Pochettino has seen that before.
Mauricio Pochettino used five center backs across the four fall matches: Chris Richards, Auston Trusty, George Campbell, Neil Pierre and Miles Robinson. Richards is the fixed point. Since the window closed, Trusty was an unused substitute in Celtic's first league match back, Campbell was unused in West Brom's and then started at Wrexham, Pierre started both of Philadelphia's league matches, and Robinson left Cincinnati's win at Atlanta in the 72nd minute with a leg injury and missed the next match. Mark McKenzie, who was not in the 28, has started all six of Toulouse's Ligue 1 matches, 540 of 540 minutes, and joins Pierre at the Philadelphia Union in January. The United States plays Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal on November 14 and 17.
Schwake made it four goalkeepers in four wins, and Freese has 45 minutes
The United States beat Canada 1-0 at Allianz Field in St. Paul on October 6. Justin Ellis scored in the 29th minute from Alex Freeman's cross, and Brian Schwake made three saves in his first start. That finished the fall window at four wins from four, with 12 goals, two clean sheets and all 28 players capped. Four different goalkeepers started the four matches. Matt Freese, who was in goal when the World Cup ended against Belgium, played 45 of the 360 minutes and was not dressed against Canada. Freeman, Auston Trusty, Malik Tillman and Gio Reyna took the most minutes, and Reyna was the only player to start all four. The Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti is November 14 and 17, and Ellis is being evaluated for a lower-leg contusion.
Tim Ream retired, and the back line that started in St. Louis needed Richards
Tim Ream, 38, said before the United States played Chile in St. Louis on September 29 that he was retiring from the national team, telling the TNT broadcast that age was the biggest factor, as reported by Jeff Carlisle of ESPN. He finishes with 86 caps. The United States won 4-2 with what the federation called the youngest starting eleven of Mauricio Pochettino's tenure, and Mathis Albert, at 17 years and 131 days, became the youngest scorer in the program's history. Neil Pierre and Miles Robinson started at center back and Chile led 2-1 after 49 minutes. Chris Richards and Auston Trusty replaced them in the 63rd minute, Richards scored the winner, and Chile did not score again. Across two matches of this window the federation has started four different center backs. Richards has played all 450 league minutes of Crystal Palace's season, and he is the one center back in camp whose place looks settled. The open question for Mexico on October 3 is who plays beside him.
Banks chose Germany. The U.S. lost a center back who plays every minute.
Noahkai Banks, the 19-year-old Augsburg center back born in Honolulu and raised in Bavaria, accepted a call-up to Germany's under-21 team on Friday, September 18, and will file the one-time change of association that closes his United States eligibility for good. He played for the U.S. at the 2023 under-17 World Cup and at under-19 and under-20 level, sat in the senior camp in September 2025 without playing, said in February that the first U.S. invite made his choice clear, said on March 1 that he was very torn, declined the March camp, and was left out of the World Cup squad. He has started all four of Augsburg's Bundesliga matches this season and played every minute of the first three. The U.S. roster for the four fall friendlies carries Chris Richards, Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty at center back, and Tim Ream, 38, who started the World Cup round-of-16 defeat, is not on it.