Jordan Pickford knows what a World Cup semi-final feels like.
He knows the long wait before kick-off. He knows the weight of expectation. He knows what it is like to walk into a stadium where his every decision and indecision will likely be remembered forever.
He experienced it eight years ago in Moscow, when England faced Croatia for a place in the 2018 World Cup final.
But Argentina in Atlanta will be different.
Almost every player in Thomas Tuchel’s squad is preparing for an occasion they have never experienced before. Pickford is one of the few who has been here already.
Yet even for England’s No.1, this will feel like unfamiliar territory.
A different kind of World Cup night
England against Argentina has always been more than a footballing rivalry.
The history between the two nations means these meetings rarely (never) feel like ordinary gamess. World Cup memories, political tensions and decades of emotion have combined to create one of international football’s most volatile fixtures.
Now add a place in the World Cup final.
And add Atlanta Stadium.
Reports suggest more than 50,000 Argentina supporters could be inside the ground, creating an atmosphere that will test every England player. For Pickford, that challenge will be particularly unique.
Goalkeepers live in a different world from those in front of them.
They spend much of a game alone, with their thoughts, waiting, watching and preparing for the moment when they are required.
Tonight, Pickford can expect every goal-kick to be greeted by whistles, every pass out from the back to be scrutinised and every mistake to be magnified.
There will be nowhere to hide.
Local authorities have prepared for one of the tournament’s biggest fixtures, with more than 1,500 police officers expected to be deployed across Atlanta as officials seek to ensure, the best they can that the occasion remains focused on football.
England will need Pickford at his best
Pickford has built his England reputation on delivering in the moments when pressure is at its greatest.
He was outstanding against Mexico in the quarter-final, producing the kind of heroic performance that has become familiar throughout his international career.
Calm when England needed calm. Decisive when those important moments arrived. If it needed punching, it was punched.
There were parts of the Norway game where he did not reach the high standards he has set for himself, but major tournaments don’t allow players time to dwell on what has gone before.
The next challenge arrives quickly.
And Pickford’s greatest strength throughout his England career has been his ability to move on.
Mistakes are left behind. The focus returns. The next save is the only one that matters.
That mentality will be vital against Argentina.
Because this is the kind of night when England need their most experienced players to lead.
Pickford has played in World Cup semi-finals before. He has faced the pressure. He has carried the responsibility.
But when he walks out at Atlanta Stadium, with Argentina supporters waiting and a place in the final at stake, he will discover something new.
A few minutes before kick-off, he will make the walk from the dressing room towards the tunnel.
The noise will build.
The stadium will open up in front of him.
He has seen nights like this before.
Almost.
