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GOAL provides an inside look at the key developments and major takeaways from the U.S. men’s national team’s latest World Cup training camp.

ATLANTA — It’s back to business at the National Training Center. Just two days after their 3-2 victory over Senegal to begin World Cup preparations, the U.S. men’s national team resumed training to start another week of build-up toward the tournament. The next test comes this weekend, when they face Germany in a friendly in Chicago, but for now, a few more sessions in Atlanta await.

Two players addressed the media on Tuesday — Brenden Aaronson and Miles Robinson — both coming off very different weekends emotionally. Aaronson is still riding the high of his wedding celebration, while Robinson is reflecting on a costly mistake during the Senegal match. Yet both players echoed a similar sentiment: last week is behind them, and a new chapter begins now.

Here are the top stories, talking points, and lighter moments from the USMNT camp...

Training update

While 24 players from the USMNT and a few additional training players took the field, two notable absences were observed at the start of Tuesday’s session.

Chris Richards and Tyler Adams remained in the gym during the warm-up phase. According to U.S. Soccer, Adams’ absence was a precautionary measure for load management following his appearance in the weekend match against Senegal. Adams had only partially trained with Bournemouth during the spring, as he continued recovery from an MCL tear suffered in December and a quadriceps issue that surfaced in April.

As for Richards, U.S. Soccer confirmed that the centre-back continues to train individually. A federation representative noted that Richards is “progressing” as he aims to return from a recent ankle injury.

Wedding logistics

Brenden Aaronson returned to camp last week as a newlywed. Planning a wedding is never easy — and doing so amid World Cup preparations made it even more challenging.

Initially, the wedding date fit perfectly into the schedule. The USMNT camp was originally expected to begin on June 1, with Aaronson’s May 29 ceremony serving as a timely pre-tournament celebration. However, when the pre-tournament schedule was finalized, the players’ reporting date was moved up to May 26. That news came in December, long after the wedding details were finalized. As Aaronson humorously admitted, “the bank account was a bit rough.” Suddenly, the most important day of his personal life overlapped with one of the biggest moments of his professional career. He recalled his reaction when his brother Paxten broke the news.

“When we got those friendly schedules, when he learned we were going to be reporting then, when she learned we were going to be reporting at that time, I saw her reaction,” Aaronson said, referring to his wife and brother. “Her face went flush. My face went flush. We were freaking out because you put so much time and effort — and she put so much time and effort — into planning the wedding.

“It was scary, but being able to have that conversation with the coach was a relief. He’s very understanding in those moments. He’s human, too, and he knows it’s not easy being a footballer. It turned out to be an easy conversation.”

Ultimately, everything went smoothly — mostly. Aaronson trained on Thursday before flying to Philadelphia, arriving a few hours late to his rehearsal. The wedding itself went perfectly, and he even caught a 2 a.m. flight back to Atlanta to rejoin training on Saturday.

“It was perfect,” he said. “It was a great, great day.”

Still, Aaronson emphasised the importance of returning to camp quickly — as much as he cherished his wedding, he knows the focus now shifts firmly to the World Cup.

Turning the page

The Leeds United midfielder did not feature in the 3-2 win over Senegal. Alongside Haji Wright and Matt Freese, he was one of only three players who did not see the pitch. As a result, this weekend’s match against Germany takes on greater significance for him as he looks to reset and make an on-field impact.

“The season that I’ve come off of, I think it’s the best of my career,” Aaronson said. “Playing at that level, I’m really looking forward to hopefully showing myself against Germany. If not, I’ll show what I can in training and do everything possible to earn a spot. And if not, I’ll still support the guys the best I can — that’s who I am. I always want to support my teammates, but I’ll be ready to make my mark whenever my chance comes.”

“I’m really grateful I was able to do that,” he added. “Now I’m just ready to prepare for this World Cup — it’s such an exciting time.”

‘I put my hand up’

There was no hiding from it — Miles Robinson’s mistake led directly to Senegal’s second goal. The defender admitted as much and expressed gratitude for how his teammates responded.

“I think it showed the character of the group, the determination to push for that game-winning goal,” Robinson said. “We’ve got incredible attacking talent, and they were hungry for that third goal. There were even moments where we could’ve added a fourth or fifth.

“Obviously, yeah, there are mistakes — I put my hand up, for sure. But it’s one of those situations where you just have to learn from it and realise the best is yet to come for this group. Every challenge is a chance to grow. You shake it off, remember why you’re here, and keep pushing forward.”

Robinson knows he’ll need to keep working hard to earn a role in this summer’s tournament.

The centre-back competition

Regardless of his mistake, Robinson remains part of a deep and competitive centre-back pool. Richards continues to recover from injury, while Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty are all in camp as central defenders. Alex Freeman also lined up as a third centre-back against Senegal, while Joe Scally featured in a back-three role, providing additional tactical flexibility.

So what’s it like competing in such an environment, and switching between formations from a back two to a back three? Robinson described it as both challenging and motivating.

“At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to compete,” he said. “When we go out there in training, whether it’s 11 versus 11, there are lots of formations and different ways to press or defend based on the situation.

“Ultimately, we all just try to stay focused on every session — to compete, to show the coaching staff, our teammates, and ourselves what we’re capable of, and to push the group forward in every possible way.”