The 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup proved to be both successful and unsuccessful for the US Men’s National Team. Though the American boys showcased their dominance throughout the tournament—reaching the final—Mauricio Pochettino and Co. fell short at the last step, suffering a 1-2 defeat to Mexico and missing out on what could have been their eighth title. While “bittersweet” might best describe the USMNT‘s journey in this biennial competition, winger Max Arfsten sees it differently.
Having earned a call-up from Pochettino earlier this year, it has been some time since the Columbus Crew star last featured in national team duties, one of which included participating in the Gold Cup. Even though the end result was disappointing and heartbreaking, Arfsten still views the overall experience in a positive light.
“I think I grew so much mentally—that was the biggest and best thing for me,” began the 24-year-old during an exclusive interview with ex-USMNT stars Landon Donovan and Tim Howard on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast. “There were a lot of roller coasters. Starting with the friendlies, we had results that nobody wanted—bad results—and going into the Gold Cup, we had to flip the script. And that’s not easy.”
Credits: Instagram/ Max Arfsten
Arfsten earned his first call-up during the January window, where he played over 100 minutes of football, contributing to a successful friendly victory over Venezuela and Costa Rica. Since then, there has hardly been a window the former UC Davis star has missed, even donning the red, blue, and white colors in the unsuccessful CONCACAF Nations League, a remarkable June window, and all the games of the Gold Cup.
The only twist for Max is that Pochettino likes to play him as a left back, even though his natural position is winger. Yet, this is something that he is more than comfortable with, insisting on how memorable the vibe of the locker room has been. So, despite wins, losses, or draws, all that mattered for Arfsten was to look forward.
“After those friendlies, it became a big turning point for us. We had to decide to put them behind us, learn from them, and move forward. Individually, going into it, I obviously wanted to start and play—that’s what I wanted. And then came the ups and downs. There were good moments and bad moments,” added the former San Jose II star.
While further highlighting how the experience so far has helped him raise his level, Max is also grateful for “being able to find the courage to break through those bad moments on the field as they happened, and then come out on the other side.”
With 10 appearances, a goal, and three assists—all within just eight months of playing for the US Men’s National Team—it has been quite an interesting start for Max Arfsten. Though there’s still a long road ahead for him in terms of his national team career, when it comes to the next big thing, he might already be it—something one can only hope Mauricio Pochettino and Co. realize!
Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT are in a race against time!
The year hasn’t started well for the USMNT, following setbacks in both the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal and the Gold Cup final. With less than a year to go before they co-host the World Cup, these struggles raise serious concerns. Although the team is set to face strong opponents like South Korea, Japan, Ecuador, and Australia in friendlies during September and October, iconic defender Alexi Lalas doesn’t see these matches as true challenges.
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While he respects the quality of these teams and admits the U.S. could face similar sides in the World Cup draw this December, he believes the USMNT should already consider themselves on par—or even superior. Still, he adds, “But are these elite teams? No,” insisting they won’t be enough to prepare them for the World Cup.
Adding to his concern is the limited preparation time. With only 10 friendlies left before 2026—and two of them likely being low-intensity, behind-closed-doors games—Lalas worries the team won’t be tested enough ahead of the big tournament. “We’ll probably make more out of them than they deserve,” Lalas said, “but it’s all we have,” insisting that everyone take opportunities.
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