Trusty and Robinson describe the contest for U.S. defensive places

Auston Trusty and Miles Robinson described the competition for places as the United States resumed national-team training in Georgia. Both defenders were among the candidates trying to secure positions in Mauricio Pochettino's twenty-six-player World Cup squad ahead of friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.

Trusty joined Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie and Robinson in the centre-back group. The Celtic defender wanted the team to recapture the energy of its November victory over Uruguay and said daily training remained an opportunity to demonstrate his value.

For Robinson, the camp also marked a return to the Atlanta training site where his professional career began. He had spent seven seasons with Atlanta United, making 123 regular-season appearances and winning MLS Cup before moving to Cincinnati.