Zack Steffen could finally play in meaningful international soccer again this summer.
The U.S. men’s national team named a 27-player roster on Thursday for its June training camp ahead of a pair of friendlies and ultimately the Concacaf Gold Cup, which is set to start June 14. Steffen, goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids, was one of four shot-stoppers named to the camp, joining Matt Freese from New York City FC, Patrick Schulte from the Columbus Crew and Crystal Palace’s Matt Turner.
Steffen, as well as Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, made the USMNT’s 60-player preliminary roster for the Gold Cup, which was announced on Monday, but only Steffen will join training camp on the June 1 reporting day in Chicago. The final roster for the Gold Cup is yet to be determined, but it’s likely the majority of the camp roster will be included.
Steffen, 30, shot out of a cannon to start MLS play this year and was considered by some to be an early MVP candidate. His best match was on the road against the high-powered offense of San Jose on March 15, where he made 12 saves in a 2-1 win.
In 11 starts this year, he’s got an impressive 48 saves, good for seventh in the league this season. No keeper ahead of him has played fewer than 13 regular-season games.
In March, he was chosen to the Concacaf Nations League roster for the semifinal and third-place games. After a blunder in the semifinal loss against Panama by perennial starter Turner, Steffen was set to play in the third-place match against Canada, but was sidelined by an illness.
The availability bug struck again recently, with an oblique injury sidelining him for last Saturday’s game between the Rapids and Real Salt Lake. He obtained the injury trying to scramble for a loose ball in the box in a loss to San Diego FC last Wednesday.
The club considers him day-to-day at the moment, but with weaker opposition in the near future, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sidelined this weekend against St. Louis City, and perhaps even next Wednesday’s match at Portland, though the Timbers are a stronger group.
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Of the keepers on the camp roster, Steffen has perhaps the strongest argument to start come mid-June. Turner has been the unrivaled No. 1 for the past few years, but USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino has said he prefers players who play regularly for their club teams, no matter the level. Steffen, on a new team and recovering from a knee injury and surgery ahead of the 2024 season, took a while to catch form but lit up the 2024 Leagues Cup and caught national eyes again before taking another massive leap to start this season.
Freese and Schulte have impressed, too, but haven’t been quite at Steffen’s pure shot-stopping level to start the year. Turner, while arguably the most skilled and experienced at the international level, rides the bench at Crystal Palace and hasn’t played in the Premier League this season (the campaign ends Sunday). He last played on March 1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
After training camp, Steffen and the squad will play two friendlies — one on June 7 against Turkey and one on June 10 against Switzerland — before the USMNT starts its Gold Cup campaign against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15. Final rosters will be submitted on June 4, to be announced before the competition begins.
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