The United States men’s national team presents a call-up for the October international window with a more familiar feel, similar to what was seen in the Concacaf Nations League last March. This suggests that Mauricio Pochettino’s plans for the World Cup are taking shape. Since taking office last year, Pochettino has faced challenges due to circumstances beyond his control. He was unable to fully influence player availability during the Club World Cup, where the commitments of Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Giovanni Reyna prevailed. In addition, injuries to key players such as Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, and Folarin Balogun limited their participation. However, Pochettino is implementing a cultural change that can be summed up in one sentence: “Performance or nothing.” The past and associated reputations don’t matter. What counts is the present.
The current call-up includes players who have responded to that message. Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann has shown a great level since the beginning of the season in Ligue 1. Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris is also in good form. Both have been included in the list.It’s exciting in every gathering because when you meet the player, it’s always about giving confidence and the possibility of fighting for a position, and that’s something very important that we are feeling now. It’s not because your name is one or another, you are going to have the position secured in the squad for the World Cup. That’s an idea we were working on to change the culture, the vision and the idea of, ‘OK, because in the past I performed in some way or because I did well four years ago, now I have the right to come and occupy my place because that is my place’. That has changed a lot.
Mauricio Pochettino
It’s also positive that players like Robinson, who hasn’t played for the United States since last year due to a knee injury that required surgery in May, have returned to action. Although Robinson hasn’t yet regained his starting position at Fulham, Pochettino believes he has played enough to be called up, although he will manage his situation in collaboration with his club.Tessmann and Morris play regularly every week, and they are players who need continuity, and with continuity, they can help us get there and perform.
Mauricio Pochettino
Other players, such as Yunus Musah from Atalanta and Joe Scally from Borussia Mönchengladbach, have not yet reached the level required by Pochettino. When asked about their absences, the coach responded firmly, saying: “Next time, present your list and then we can discuss it.” Added: “You can ask me why Lionel Messi is not in the call-up, right? To this type of players: Maradona, Pelé, I don’t know. But when talking about different names, I think you have to respect the players who are here.” Pochettino also explained that he does not explain his decisions to the players, regardless of whether they are called up or not. This avoids sending contradictory messages.Antonee is not playing much, but I think the challenge is to help him evolve and start to feel confident again, and to return and play regularly in his team, which is going to be great for us.
Mauricio Pochettino
This philosophy marks the biggest difference between Pochettino and his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. Berhalter was much more communicative in his dealings with the players. It’s not about saying one way is better than another; sometimes players need the constant flow of feedback, other times they don’t. But after the disaster of the 2024 Copa America, it became clear that the United States needed a firmer hand, with Tyler Adams, who will miss this camp because he and his wife are expecting a baby in the coming days, going so far as to say that the United States “has to compete”. Competing has been part of Pochettino’s mantra since he took over, and how the players demonstrate that quality in this month’s camp will determine the hierarchical order within the US player group. A player like Christian Pulisic, who has been in excellent form recently and leads Serie A with four goals, is one of the few players whose position is secure, although Pochettino would never say it. The situation of a player like McKennie, who has been a mainstay in the American team for a long time, is less clear. He has returned to the squad after seeming to be out of favor with the American coach. Where he stands in the midfield pecking order remains to be determined. There are also positional battles to be fought. The goalkeeping situation remains open, especially with Matt Turner’s return from the New England Revolution to challenge Matthew Freese of New York City FC. The forward group continues to change, although Balogun seemed to have gained some advantage during the last window in terms of a starting position. There is also the competition between Weah and Alejandro Zendejas, although Pochettino hinted that Weah could see some time at right-back, where he has played at club level on occasion. All of this indicates that the experimentation period is largely over. Player selection has begun. Now we will see which players perform.I believe that in my philosophy, in our philosophy, or in the way I grow, feeling the sport the way I do, the players don’t need to know. And if the player needs to know, it’s because they don’t really feel the sport the way I feel it… You really know when you play, and when you don’t play, also deep down, you know why.
Mauricio Pochettino
