Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen says missing out on a place in the USA's World Cup squad was tough to take.

Steffen was part of the US national team as recently as March when he started against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica in World Cup qualifiers.

The Middlesbrough loanee told the Athletic: "I was shocked, I was sad, I was mad, I was heartbroken. I had a lot of feelings, different feelings.

"At the same time, I believe God has a plan for me, for all of us. I trust him. I walk in faith with him.

"Yeah, I was able to watch the games. It wasn't easy.

"But I still wanted to support them, see them do the best they can, prove the world wrong – that we can play and we're a force to be reckoned with. It was hard to do that, but we're only in the World Cup every four years."