IRVINE, Calif. — Matt Freese is aware of the history. Before he ascended to the U.S. men’s national team, like any other young goalkeeper in the United States, he was a fan of Tim Howard, of the “great goalkeeping corps” that the U.S. has seemingly always had at World Cups.So how does he feel about all the questions swirling around his place as the next line? The doubts? The fears among fans that goalkeeping has gone from a longtime USMNT strength to a weak spot?“I don’t hear it,” Freese said Monday before the USMNT’s first training session at Great Park in sunny Irvine, Calif. “I’m not really listening to anyone outside of the guys with me and the coaching staff. I’m focused on just doing my thing, each and every day, and being present.”But he knows, surely, that the questions exist ahead of the team’s Group D opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday.They’ve existed ever since Matt Turner’s playing time and form slipped. Turner started for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup. He became the de facto No. 1 keeper through 2024. But after a string of poor performances, lacking sharpness as he rode the bench for multiple English clubs, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino gave Freese, a late-blooming goalkeeper for New York City FC in MLS, a chance.Freese took that chance. He started 12 consecutive games for the U.S. to close 2025.But, at times, he looked shaky. Pochettino gave Turner one start in March and another on May 31, which seemingly reopened the competition.And so, for the first time entering a modern World Cup, the U.S. has a question mark in net rather than a reliable, proven international shot-stopper.Freese is the presumed starter, but said on Monday he has not been given any guarantees.“As a competitor, you always want to be on the field and always want to help your team in whatever capacity, and that doesn’t change in this moment,” Freese said when asked what made him confident he would start. “Whatever I am called upon to do, I am ready to do. I derive a lot of my confidence from the hard work that I’ve put in. I’ve worked quite hard, and I know now is the time to be confident and remember all the work that has been put in.”