USMNT extra – After beating Australia 2-0, the USMNT now has an extra six days before its group-stage finale against Turkey, compared with tighter turnarounds in past World Cups. Players say the schedule is giving them room to recover, game-plan training, and handle niggles
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. men’s national team didn’t just need another result against Australia to move forward in the World Cup.
It needed enough physical space to keep playing at full speed.
After defeating Australia 2-0, the USMNT now has another six days before the group-stage finale against Turkey. That comes after a week between its opener against Paraguay and its second match against Australia. The contrast is sharp when compared with previous World Cups. where teams typically had four days between group-stage games—and anywhere from three to six days between games in the knockout rounds.
In 2022, the U.S. played every four days.
Tyler Adams said the difference is immediate in the body as well as the routine. “I absolutely love it,” he said. “Your body feels it. obviously. a little bit more coming in from the end of a season and into a World Cup where there’s so much emotion. so much adrenaline. all these things. So yeah, it’s nice having (more time off).”.
When the schedule shrinks to four days, the workload fills in fast. The first day is often an off or recovery day. followed by the travel that usually happens two days before the next match. Then come training, meetings, and film review—compressed into a window that doesn’t leave much time for anything else.
This year, the USMNT’s days don’t have to move at that pace.
The first day after the USMNT plays is usually centered on recovery—massages, stretching, ice baths, and similar routines. The next day is described as a complete off day. giving players time with their families. time to sightsee. or simply time to relax. Then it’s back to training, with still three or four full days available to get everything done.
Brenden Aaronson. who is playing in his second World Cup. framed it as a planning advantage as much as a rest advantage. “You’re able to actually game plan games whereas in Qatar, you weren’t really able to do that. You’re able to game-plan training, you don’t have to go really full into it,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest part of it. And I think that’s going to help us throughout this time.”.
That extra breathing room also matters because the USMNT is not taking on the same kind of constant relocation that some teams face. In the group stage, the U.S. plays two matches at SoFi Stadium, about an hour’s drive from its base camp in Irvine, California, and the third in Seattle.
Weston McKennie pointed to what that can mean for players—especially those dealing with injuries or soreness. “For teams that have to travel a lot and play in three different places. I think it’s a good thing that they have enough time to be able to recover and take care of their body and take care of their injured. ” he said.
Giving injured players the time to recover may be the most practical benefit of the expanded tournament, at least for the USMNT.
Christian Pulisic did not play against Australia after injuring his left calf in the first half against Paraguay. But coach Mauricio Pochettino said he expects Pulisic will be ready for the group-stage finale against Turkey.
The timeline is built for that kind of recovery. The Turkey match is 13 days after the USMNT played Paraguay. In that same time frame in Qatar, the USMNT had finished the group stage and played its round-of-16 game against the Netherlands.
Antonee Robinson said the extra time isn’t just about legs; it’s also about resetting the mental tempo between matches. “I’ve enjoyed the fact that we’ve had time to de-stress from the game. We’ve got more time in between games for people who might pick up niggles and stuff to actually get ready for the next game. So I do think there’s benefits to that,” he said.
With so much time carved out, players and teams have room for more than just treatment and preparation. Teams from other countries have been taking advantage of the break to sightsee. Harry Kane and England teammates Djed Spence and Dan Burn went to a Kansas City Royals game with manager Thomas Tuchel. Norway’s Erling Haaland visited Katz’s Deli in New York.
The USMNT, staying at a beachside resort, has the option of sun and sand. U.S. Soccer has also set up a lounge at the team hotel where players can watch games, play video games, or just hang out.
For many of the players, the most meaningful part of the extra downtime is family time.
Tyler Adams joked about not wanting to be around teammates on an off day. “Off day, I don’t want to spend time with any of (my teammates),” he said.
Then he got more personal. “I don’t get to see my brothers, my mom or my dad often,” Adams continued. “So that was super important to just be able to hang out with them and put the game to the side for a day.”
No one enjoys having to “press pause” while winning at the World Cup. Still, the schedule’s tradeoffs—more rest, more recovery time, more room to plan—appear to be the kind that can keep a team sharp as it moves toward the next match.
USMNT World Cup Australia Turkey Tyler Adams Brenden Aaronson Weston McKennie Antonee Robinson Christian Pulisic Mauricio Pochettino SoFi Stadium Irvine Katz's Deli Harry Kane England Djed Spence Dan Burn Thomas Tuchel Erling Haaland Kansas City Royals