Pochettino gives chance to USA squad to prove their worth

New United States national team coach Mauricio Pochettino has avoided the temptation to make wholesale changes to the team ahead of this month’s friendly matches, giving a chance to the existing squad to prove their worth.

In his first squad, the Argentine, who was appointed last month, handed recalls to goalkeeper Zack Steffen and Venezia midfielder Gianluca Busio but stuck largely with the squad that his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter, and interim coach Mikey Varas used this year.

The USA has won just one of their last seven games — all held on home soil — including the disappointing early exit from Copa America, where the hosts lost to Panama in the group stage.

US Soccer turned to Pochettino in a bid to turn around the team’s fortunes before the 2026 World Cup, which the USA will co-host with Mexico and Canada.

Former Tottenham manager Pochettino will make his debut on the bench for the USA in Austin, Texas on October 12 when his team take on Panama in a friendly and will then travel to face rivals Mexico in Guadalajara three days later.

Pochettino said he has only recently received his US work visa and said that with the short timeframe since his September 10 appointment he has not yet had the chance to speak to his players, with the exception of a chance meeting in London with Fulham defender Antonee Robinson.

“We have been working from distance with all the analysis. We worked on Zoom, contact by phone and of course watching games,” he said on a Zoom call.

“We really trust the opinion and all the information that we received from the national team and that’s why you are going to see a very similar roster from last camp, for different reasons. Also because some players that are injured, reinjured and circumstances that maybe we cannot call another player,” he said.

“But every single player that is going to be on the squad deserves the opportunity to be with us.”

The Argentine added that he was already looking at other options for the future.

“(There are some) very good players, that I think have the potential, and maybe are not now in the in the roster, but for sure they’re going to be in the roster in the future,” he said.

Two ideas in mind

Pochettino said he did not want to bombard his players with tactical information at their first camp together but had two formations in his mind.

“How we can find the best balance and the best way to play… from the beginning, I think is (important) not to create too much chaos. I think we are going to try to plan using two system, one 4-2-3-1 and one 4-3-3, and from there to develop our way to play,” he said.

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea coach said he agreed with some American television critics that the team needed to improve their play without the ball.

“Some pundits, they were talking, because I follow, of course, the media now more in USA, more than you believe… that we need to create a very good way to play, exciting way to play, but when we don’t have the ball, we need to defend, and we need to be strong, and we need to enjoy defending because we need to be a team that don’t concede too many goals.

“We want to achieve the objective that, in the end, it’s 2026, it’s to prepare the team for the World Cup,” he said.

Squad: 

Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG)

Defenders: Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege/BEL), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED)

Forwards: Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/END), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG), Timothy Weah (Juventus/ITA), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG)