AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Zack Steffen remembers the phone call, the one he considers the toughest moment of his career.
It was coach Gregg Berhalter in late 2022 telling the goalkeeper he was not part of the United States' World Cup roster, even as some viewed him as the No. 1 pick over Matt Turner.
A surprise cut then, the 29-year-old Steffen was called back to the national team for Mauricio Pochettino's first roster as Berhalter's successor ahead of friendlies against Panama on Saturday in Austin and versus Mexico three days later in Guadalajara.
"This is a really proud moment," Steffen said this week at the team's training camp. “And this was a big goal of mine, to get back into the mix. It feels great to be back.
“The coaches have confidence in me. They're seeing me. They believe in me. And throwing on the U.S. jersey again, you're working for something bigger than yourself," he said.
Steffen, who has 29 international appearances, seemed like a lock for the 2022 World Cup. He had started six qualifiers and was seen as the go-to keeper for Berhalter, who coached Columbus when Steffen was the MLS goalkeeper of the year in 2018.
Steffen's spiral out of the squad in 2022 had perhaps started months before the dreadful phone call from Berhalter.
After three seasons under contract with Manchester City produced only two appearances in Premier League matches, he was still No. 1 for the U.S. when he skipped the national team training camp and four World Cup warmup games in June 2022.
Steffen said the break was needed because "I was struggling mentally, was not in a good place in my life. I was struggling over in England.”
Struggles that began with the pandemic lockdowns and carried on for years.
“After a long, grueling season at City, I needed a reset with my family. I didn't think I was in the right frame of mind,” Steffen said. “I decided to pull out. It was late, about a week before. It wasn't good timing, but it was something I needed to do.”
By fall, Steffen was also hobbled by a knee problem early in the club season when he was on loan to second-division club Middlesborough.
Berhalter picked Turner, Ethan Horvath and Sean Johnson for his roster, and Turner played all four matches in Qatar. Steffen said he doesn't know if the decision to leave him off the World Cup squad was a performance issue, or whether the skipped training camp damaged his relationship with Berhalter.
“That's something you have to ask Gregg. I think I was starting to get in my groove,” Steffen said.
Berhalter was fired in July after an early exit from Copa America. And Steffen is back.
“He fits back into the fold same as he did. It’s an opportunity to again try to prove himself and get himself back on the team," said defender Antonee Robinson, a U.S. teammate and a Premier League rival at Fulham.
“Happy to have him,” Robinson said. "It sounds like he's enjoying his football again and he's in a much better place than he was before.”
Steffen agrees with that assessment.
“Absolutely. I'm married, with a beautiful daughter, just bought a house and have some stability, so yeah,” Steffen said.
Steffen returned to Major League Soccer in January on a three-year contract with Colorado and has started all 31 matches. He hasn't played for the national team since the final qualifiers in March 2022, though he was on the bench for CONCACAF Nations League matches a year later.
The U.S. is an automatic qualifier for the 2026 World Cup as co-host with Mexico and Canada. Pochettino's charge is to lead the U.S. deep into a tournament in which it hasn't reached the quarterfinals since 2002 and the semifinals since 1930.
“He deserved the opportunity to be with us,” Pochettino said of Steffen. "It’s a good opportunity to see him and analyze.”
Sargent injury
Forward Josh Sargent said he is in a “really good place” after nagging ankle injuries kept him performing with the national team over the last year at the same level he has with his second-division club Norwich in England.
Sargent got hurt when Huddersfield goalkeeper Lee Nicholls stepped on an ankle on Aug. 26, 2023. He returned Dec. 29 but has had recurring issues and was limited to a reserve role in the Copa America.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in good health and good form while I’ve been here and been able to play,” Sargent said. “At the moment I feel really good, ankle feels really good. There is a new manager, so I’m excited to see what I can do.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press
