"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."

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Ia menambahkan, "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."

Ketidakpastian mengenai siapa yang akan diturunkan bukan hal baru bagi Freese. Situasi serupa pernah ia hadapi saat membela Philadelphia Union dan New York City FC.

"It's not the first time that I have not been certain of who's playing."

Ia menekankan prinsipnya untuk selalu bekerja keras tanpa mengharapkan imbalan. "The ones that work hard without the promise of reward are the ones that usually succeed."

Untuk menjaga fokus, Freese mempertahankan rutinitas ketat termasuk meminum teh kamomil sebelum tidur dan membawa jam alarm analog dari rumahnya di New York.

"Pressure makes diamonds," ujarnya, menggambarkan kondisi mental tim.

"And I think we're a group of 26 guys that wants to show that we're a bunch of diamonds."

Selain Freese dan Turner, bek Miles Robinson yang lahir di Arlington juga menjadi bagian dari tim nasional dengan ikatan wilayah New England.

Robinson sempat absen di Piala Dunia 2022 akibat cedera.

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"It's a surreal moment to be here to represent the country, represent the nation in the world's biggest tournament," kata Robinson.