The USMNT boss broke down his pre-Gold Cup squad, one missing several big names and including 17 MLS players
The clock is ticking. Mauricio Pochettino can feel it. Just a year separates the U.S. men's national team from a World Cup on home soil and, more than ever, it's apparent that there's work to be done. The Gold Cup next on the agenda, a multi-week meeting ground to give Pochettino and his staff their longest preparation period of his World Cup runway.
That all looks different, though. On Thursday, Pochettino's roster was unveiled for the upcoming matches. The USMNT, coming off a pair of disappointing CONCACAF Nations League losses in March, will head into the Gold Cup without many of its stars – including Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson – significantly altering the chemistry of a crucial summer.
It's still crucial – maybe even more so given the absences – but the look and feel of the USMNT will be different than what many expected. Pochettino knows that but, for him, expectations have not deviated.
"We need to create a culture of winning," Pochettino said. "We need to chase that because, if we want to be good in one year, we need to think that today is the important day. We need it to be from today. If we say, 'OK, I'll wait because the World Cup is in one year', then it's in six months, then in one month and then it's too late. That's why I think it's important to have a different approach.
"I think we learned a lot in the last few camps, for sure in March, and I think it's about maybe using a different way to approach this. This opportunity is amazing. We are so motivated and excited. We are, with full energy, working to create a good group that we can feel proud of."
GOAL looks at five key takeaways from Pochettino's squad selection.
ImagnThe Pulisic problem
It's understandable. Really, it is. Pulisic is no doubt feeling beaten up and, with a World Cup a year away, getting and staying fit remains priority No. 1. Furthermore, no player in this pool has less to prove. Pulisic didn't need to play in this Gold Cup as much as the USMNT needed him to play.
That's the frustrating part. The USMNT needs its stars right now – both to build bonds, and, you know, try to win the tournament – and, despite this being an excused absence, no Pulisic could be a problem for a team that failed to beat either Panama or Canada two months ago.
In the long run, maybe it does end up being a good thing. At least that's the glass half-full point of view – and that's how Pochettino is looking at it, both from Pulisic's perspective and from the that of players that now have a chance to play because of his absence.
"Many people can say it's really important for us to all be together, but always as a coaching staff, we always listen to the player," Pochettino said. "Then, of course, we make the decision. We have our own ideas about everything but, I think after the consideration in every case and, in this case with Christian, I think we decided the best thing for him, the best thing for the national team is the decision that we made."
According to Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer sporting director, Pulisic and his team made the request to sit out the Gold Cup.
“Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break,” Crocker said. “After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he’s fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWho else is missing?
We knew that there would be absences. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna were out due to Club World Cup commitments. Alejandro Zendejas won't be on the squad, also tied to Club America's potential spot in that competition. Then there was the Pulisic bombshell.
And it doesn't end there.
Yunus Musah, Pulisic's AC Milan teammate, is another mainstay that misses out. He was in the squad as of Monday, but had to pull out due to personal reasons.
"We cannot go deeper into that because what happened there is up to the player to share or not share," Pochettino said.
Robinson has been dealing with a tendon injury that has barely allowed him to train over the last few months. That kept him out of Nations League and, after consulting with Fulham, Pochettino and his staff made the decision to shut Robinson down for a summer of recovery.
"We were considerate and talked with the medical staff and the staff from Fulham about the situation," Pochettino said. "He was visiting different specialists and it's still not clear, the situation. I'm no doctor to explain the problem that he has, but it's a player who hasn't been training much over the last few months.
"He's only been competing on the weekend and then, next weekend, they'll see if he can play or not. I saw it as a big risk and, in this moment, we need to consider and pay attention to the advice of the medical staff and, of course, Fulham."
Also missing? Josh Sargent? No injury here. That was a coaching choice. Pochettino simply chose to look elsewhere, leaving a group of forwards that includes Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Damion Downs, Brian White and Haji Wright.
"It was only a football decision," Pochettino said. "We needed to choose between different strikers."
AFPNo punishment for Nations League squad
Beyond those players, the list of Nations League participants that weren't included is long. Joe Scally, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Marlon Fossey, Tanner Tessmann – all also excluded after recently concluding their European seasons. Were those decisions a direct response to the Nations League failure? Was the plan to shake things up to send a message?
Yes and no.
"It's not to punish," Pochettino said. "I think it is about that we didn't perform in March, and the first responsibility is my responsibility… I think it's important for us also to find different solutions or try to find a different way to approach. One of the things is to give the possibility to maybe different players to show what they can do for the national team."
One group has familiar faces – goalkeeper, with Matt Turner again leading the way, along with Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte and Matt Freese. But veteran and new faces alike should expect a certain tone in this camp. Pochettino sent a warning shot, though, at anyone who shows up lacking focus.
"If you arrive at the camp and want to spend some nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, see your family, see your friends, that is not the culture we want to create," he said. "No, no, no. What we want to do is go to the national team, arrive and be focused and spend all focus and energy on the national team because we need to create this culture about winning."
With many European club regulars missing, there is a distinct MLS flavor to the squad, with a total of 17 domestically based players in the team. That wasn't necessarily intentional, Pochettino said, but came down to individual decisions between players on similar levels.
"We cannot assess players because they are playing for one team or in Europe or play in MLS," Pochettino said. "I see all the players that I have seen with us. When you are talking about different names, they are names that are in the same level of the players that are now involved in the roster."
GettyFinding the goals
With Weah and Reyna in the CWC, Pulisic now out and Ricardo Pepi still injured, the USMNT is missing significant firepower. There is good news, though.
Balogun is back, giving the USMNT their starter from the Copa America. Newcomer Downs is showing promise. White and Agyemang have ridden the wave from their January camp breakouts, as has midfielder Diego Luna, who has rapidly become a Pochettino favorite.
Still, there are questions about where the goals will come from. But Pochettino says that question can be spun into an opportunity for others to show why they can be counted among those top-line names.
"The first approach that we are going to have when we are all together is, 'Listen guys, you have the possibility to defend your place with the national team'," he said. "It's not because they are here to replace people; it's for them to be sure they will be here. They have the possibility to defend their place. How do you defend your place? That is the important thing for us.
"You need to fight. You need to show attitude. Not only that, but perform, be brave, follow the rules that we are going to set in the group. I think it's really important for us. They need to know that and they are going to compete in a fair way with different people, including some that maybe are not involved today or in this camp next week."
Pochettiono refused to offer a preemptive excuse based on the injuries and missing players. Instead, he pointed to the Nations League – poor performance, even with big-name players – as a lesson learned, and said this summer will be a chance to capitalize on opportunity.
"We cannot go to the competition or the two friendly games thinking about missing a player or not being competitive or not scoring," he said. "We cannot say we will not do well because we are missing players. I think a good example is March. With all the names, I think everyone will agree, we didn't perform. We saw what happened and we cannot change it, but the important thing is to now provide new players the possibility to challenge."
