"I'm truly not gonna be excited until I'm on the plane and over there." That's how Antonee Robinson described his mindset heading into USMNT World Cup selection — and given the year he's had, the caution is completely understandable.
Robinson made the roster. He knew it when the texts landed two Fridays ago, and by his own admission, it felt less like celebration and more like exhaling. A left back who started the last World Cup and Copa America probably shouldn't be sweating a roster spot. But two separate injury layoffs this season — one at the start of the campaign, another in February — turned what should have been a formality into something that genuinely played on his mind.
Still the first name on the left side
The Senegal friendly on Sunday was a useful reminder of why no realistic version of this squad leaves Robinson out. He was all over the ball in the first half, combining crisply with Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, and fashioned a chance from the top of the box just before the half-hour mark. Pochettino hooked almost the entire team at halftime, which tells you nothing about Robinson's individual performance and everything about the nature of a pre-tournament friendly.
He wasn't flawless. A midfield giveaway handed Senegal the opening goal late in the first half — the kind of error that would get buried in a win, but Robinson will know it happened. In a 3-2 result, those margins matter.
Still, his value to the USMNT's attacking structure is difficult to overstate. Fulham may not have had the season Robinson wanted, but his Premier League pedigree over four years gives him a reading of the game that few players at this level can match. When he's fit and sharp, the left channel looks completely different.
Injury watch before the tournament
The broader fitness picture around the squad bears watching. Chris Richards is managing an ankle issue and trained separately Tuesday. Tyler Adams was kept off with load management. Brenden Aaronson had a wrapped ankle on Saturday but appeared without one by Tuesday — small but notable progress.
Robinson's own fitness over the next few weeks will matter more than almost anyone else's. If he arrives at the World Cup match-sharp, the USMNT's left side is a genuine strength. If the injury disruptions have taken more out of him than the friendly suggested, that's a different conversation entirely.
"Going into it now with a lot more experience throughout the team," Robinson said, "I think we know what to do and what not to do." Tournament football, he added, isn't always about playing the best football — it's about finding a way to win each individual game. That's a notably grounded take from someone who's been through the cycle before.
