Tomorrow big game for Arfsten and team USA( ranked 16th in the world), they play Germany( ranked 10th( in the world at Soldier stadium.

Arsten's added bio. The California native has earned 16 caps (13 starts) for the USMNT, recording one goal and five assists since making his debut against Venezuela in 2025.

Arfsten's five assists in 2025 are the most registered by a USMNT player in a calendar year since 2019, according to the Columbus Crew's official website.

GO USA and Arfsten!!!!!

If you want to delve into how good Arsten is and how important he might be today against Germany and in the entire World Cup tourney here is an excellent YouTube with Max

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36K1nJhUjCI

Go USA go Max!!!!

Bummer Germany 2 USA 1. A close game which means team USA should be competitive all the way through the tourney. Germany 4 times champs is a European heavy weight.

Player ranking of Arfsten from the pundits.

Max Arfsten (72'): 5

Came on for Tim Ream with 18 minutes to go, allowing Auston Trusty to move centrally. Didn't provide his usual attacking flair, failing to connect with his two crosses and unable to lift the forward line from his wing-back position.

Score not as high as the first game. USA opens in about 6 days.

1 Day to Max and team USA open.

Here is a great article by UCB writer and stats dude, on Why the USA falls short in mens soccer.

https://www.natesilver.net/p/why-isnt-the-us-better-at-soccer

Arfsten shines as a final-third threat. He is a force for scoring and assisting. Looking up his stats for this year they include: Recording 4 goals and 4 assists in just 15 MLS starts, he scores exceptionally high for goal-scoring frequency among left wingbacks globally. His 77 total crosses and 14 chances show that. [

Max has elite speed and is a threat with either foot. I would think that Max will be subbed to bring in an attacking edge not if they are seeking to lock down the defense.

It will be a great start if the USA wins their first match in the pool to get 3 points.

USA rolls to a dominating 4-1 win. Max does NOT see the pitch. There are several more games to see if Max gets his number called.

NPR's take on Max--he received NO stars out of 3 and here is that bio.

Name: Max Arfsten

Age: 25

Hometown: Fresno, Calif.

Club team: Columbus Crew (MLS)

The 6-foot-1 winger made his USMNT debut in January 2025, playing in 16 of 18 matches that year. He was drafted by the Columbus Crew in 2023 after playing collegiately at UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton. At UC Davis, he attended as a walk-on, earning a scholarship and being named to the Big West All-Freshman team. The Fresno native returns home to train, saying, "his Fresno upbringing fuels his motor and competitiveness on the pitch." Equally comfortable playing with his right and left foot, he's been featured in many USMNT matches in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup and is expected to see playing time.

What an amazing journey for Max from being a walk-on at Davis to making the USA World Cup Team.

after playing collegiately at UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton. — Jackbacker2

Really? I wasn't aware he played at Fullerton.

I did some checking and I believe the Fullerton reference is internet or AI dribble. Here is a good summary of Max's background.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2025

Named to the MLS All-Star team.

2024

Played in 31 games for Columbus, scoring four goals. Finished 2nd in the East, exiting the playoffs in round one.

2023

Drafted by the Columbus Crew, playing in 12 games and scoring twice. Won MLS Cup with the Crew.

2022

Joined the San Jose Earthquakes II in MLS Next Pro, playing in 24 games.

YOUTH AND COLLEGE
Developed in the California Odyssey program. Played 39 games with eight goals over three seasons with UC Davis.

Looking forward to seeing if Max makes the pitch in the next 2 games!

A nice article from the ICA department about Max. Truly special when an Aggie can work his way to the highest level of their sport!!!

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2026/6/12/mens-soccer-from-aggie-soccer-field-to-the-world-cup-max-arfstens-road-ran-through-davis.aspx

The big game tomorrow is Australia winner against Turkiye 2-0 vs USA. These are the 2 leaders in their bracket with 3 points each.

Pundits are calling for a physically tough game, with Australia. While USA is favored due to ranking these World Cup games are always tough and upsets abound even more than our March Madness.

Will Arfsten see playing time. Perhaps, he is a scoring threat with crosses that can lead to goals when Australia is playing a defensive shell. While he has speed he might not see the pitch if the game is tied or if the USA is up by one. If Max plays a great shot for him to get an assist.

Should be a great game with a loud rowdy crowd.

The game is on Fox at noon.

Therefore, should we root against USA to increase the chances that Max Arfsten plays? Or should we root for USA?

A big win for the USA or a large lead on Friday will increase the chances of Max getting playing time.

Here is a fine YouTube about Max and is prepping the rest of bracket play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRvRFK3SDAM

USA WINS
Only bummer Max did not play. We will see if he makes his debut against Turkey. If Paraquaya wins then the USA is the winner out of the bracket and will stay on the West Coast for the round of 32, 16 and 8. I think the best chance of seeing Max play happens if the Paraquaya wins or draws and the results against Turkey. If this happens then the USA is the winner of the bracket.

The game against Turkey is the best chance for Max to play.

Here is predicted line up for USMNT

Predicted USMNT Lineup (4-2-3-1) ( Fox sports info)
Goalkeeper: Matt Turner
Defenders:Max Arfsten, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson,Midfielders: Sebastian Berhalter, Cristian Roldan
Attackers: Brenden Aaronson, Gio Reyna, Alex Zendejas (or Haji Wright), Ricardo PepiKey

Details & ContextYellow Card Safety: Starters on yellow cards (like Christian Pulisic) will be rested to avoid suspension risks for the knockout rounds.

Match Time: Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 7:00 PM local time at SoFi Stadium.

I'm not really liking the format of having head-to-head make the third game irrelevant, but it is a bright spot that Max and other depth players like him will almost assuredly get minutes. And with a week of prep hopefully it's a better showcase of his potential upside here than say at the end of a blowout.

He's making good money now but his MLS contract is up in two years, wonder how much the allure of a WC appearance and hopefully solid minutes will help him in free agency or negotiation.

If Max plays well he might be transferred to a top European club team. A large portion of that money would go to the Columbus Crew, and he would see a pay bump but typically double their salary with a signing bonus or around 10%.

On the internet Max makes between 800,000 to 900,000 a year for the Crew.