Pochettino Ignores Controversy with Pulisic: Looks to the Future in USMNT

Pulisic Returns to the US National Team: Pochettino Leaves the Gold Cup Behind

The coach of the United States men’s national soccer team, Mauricio Pochettino, has confirmed that he has not spoken to Christian Pulisic since the player chose not to participate in this summer’s Gold Cup. The Argentinian coach seeks to leave the situation behind and focus on the team’s future. Pulisic justified his absence from the Gold Cup due to fatigue and the need to recover from some injuries. This decision generated controversy, with criticism from former USMNT players like Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, who questioned Pulisic’s commitment to the team. Pulisic returns to USMNT, but McKennie is excluded Pulisic, in response to the criticism, defended his commitment on the “Call It What You Want” podcast. In addition, he revealed that he offered to play in two friendlies prior to the Gold Cup, but Pochettino did not authorize it. The coach responded by stating that he makes the decisions about who plays. Pulisic was included in Pochettino’s squad for the friendlies against South Korea on September 6 and Japan three days later. The USMNT coach noted that he has not been in contact with the AC Milan player since the Gold Cup.

“No, we don’t speak with Christian. I think there’s nothing to talk about. I think everything is behind us, everything that happened in the summer, and I think we must now look forward.”

Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino added that the plan for Pulisic is to call him up, assess his physical condition and hope that he arrives in good shape and ready to compete with Milan. “That’s the most important thing,” the coach indicated.

Mauricio Pochettino looks to move past Christian Pulisic’s absence from this summer’s Gold Cup.While Pulisic returns to the team, Weston McKennie, midfielder for Juventus, was not called up. Some absent players in the last call-up, such as Antonee Robinson and Ricardo Pepi, return from injuries. Others, like Gio Reyna and Matt Turner, have recently changed clubs. McKennie doesn’t fit into any of these categories, which led Pochettino to defend his decision. The coach explained that he knows the player well and wants him to “settle more in his club.” He also mentioned McKennie’s participation in the Club World Cup with Juventus as a factor in his decision, highlighting that Pulisic did not participate in the competition and, therefore, is more rested.

“Christian did not participate in the Club World Cup. That is a big difference. I think Weston needs time to prepare with the team and it is important that he is with his team fighting for a place.”

Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino argued that the decision not to call up McKennie is based on giving him the opportunity to fight for a place in the team and be in his best form. “Because we know him very well and we know his talent, we wanted to give him the opportunity,” he concluded.