Matt Turner, goalkeeper: ‘It’s a very unique opportunity’
Turner entered the 2022 World Cup as the USMNT’s starting goalkeeper, and he played every minute of the team’s four-game tournament run. Holding all that responsibility — at his very first World Cup — led Turner to turn inward.
“I wish I documented more things from Qatar,” he said. “… [W]hen the people were outside our hotel when we all arrived, I was smiling, I had my phone out, just trying to relish in all those moments. I urge all the players, if it’s their first time, to do that.
Added Turner: “Soccer’s a weird game. You just never know what’s going to come, what’s around the corner. There have been some amazing players in this world that have been to one or no World Cups. It’s a very unique opportunity.”
Tyler Adams, midfielder: ‘Like our own sanctuary’
USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter named the then-23-year-old Adams his team captain at the 2022 World Cup. To outsiders, it was a controversial choice; Adams was nearly 10 years younger than the next-youngest captain at the tournament.
To insiders, though, the move made perfect sense. Adams was a strong spokesperson, a true team player and the beating heart of the team.
For Adams, the World Cup experience was all about closeness.
“That team camaraderie and the time that we spent together were always valued and sacred. It just felt during that World Cup that I got even closer to some guys that I didn’t even know I could get closer with,” Adams told Goal.com earlier this year. “I felt like I knew everything about Weston [McKennie] and Brenden [Aaronson] and Christian [Pulisic], guys that I spent so much time with but it’s like, in those times, you just bond. That’s all there is to do.
“Man, that player’s lounge watching the games of the World Cup, just taking it all in, no outside noise, it was like our own sanctuary. Man, it was a privilege to be there with those guys.”
Cristian Roldan, midfielder: ‘Pressure comes with privilege’
Seattle Sounders midfielder Roldan was a surprise addition to the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup roster. He didn’t play in that tournament but will get plenty of opportunity this time.
“I’m better off because of the 2022 World Cup. And now I have the opportunity to share a bit of that experience with the rest of the group,” Roldan said.
Added Roldan: “When you think of the 2026 WC, you think of pressure. But pressure comes with privilege. We have the opportunity to really motivate and inspire the next generation at this World Cup, and I think everyone holds that responsibility to their heart.”
Christian Pulisic, winger: ‘You just have to believe it constantly’
Pulisic was the face of the USMNT in 2022 and is again in 2026. He has learned some of his biggest World Cup lessons from one of the most top sources of all: his AC Milan teammate Luka Modric, who will represent Croatia in his fifth World Cup.
“I try to learn everything I can from Luka, honestly, every day. I think what those teams [like Croatia] have is such a crazy team spirit,” Pulisic told GQ. “They just believe until the end, no matter what players they have, what talent they have, you can beat anyone. You just have to believe it constantly. That’s what I noticed most, and try to take that and replicate that as best as we can.”