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There have been coaches in American sports who could send messages to their athletes with just a sentence or two, or even one sinister glance. Mauricio Pochettino is not that sort. It sometimes seems as though U.S. Soccer is paying him by the word.
The roster the United States men’s national team released Thursday for two June friendly games in advance of this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup excluded a number of players who had been a part of the young core that performed so admirably at the 2022 World Cup but mostly has blundered since. This seemed imprudent under the circumstances, which are that the 2026 World Cup will be played in North America one year from now, and the Gold Cup is the last competitive event for the USMNT before then.
This seemed like one last chance to get the primary group together and push them to achieve something dissimilar to their miserable efforts in last summer’s Copa America or the CONCACAF Nations League in March.
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Pochettino did not see it that way.
“What we want to create in our national team is people desperate to come, but desperate to come to perform,” Pochettino told Sporting News’ Kyle Bonn, toward the middle of a four-minute response to a question about roster decisions.
“To perform means to follow the rules, create a good environment, be part of the team, be able in every single aspect in our demands. When I say ‘our demand,’ it’s the federation, it’s not Mauricio – it’s our demand. And understand it’s possible for there to be less possibility to be with us. Because we only have time to come to maybe train one, two, three times and play. One, two, recovery, and play. And then go home. And then maybe wait two months to be all together.
“If you arrive to the camp, and you want to spend a nice time: play golf, go for a dinner, be seeing my family, be seeing my friends – and that is the culture that we want to create? No, no, no, no. no. What we want to do is go to the national team, arrive and be focused and spend all my focus and energy on the national team. Because we need to create this culture about winning and we need to chase our aim. If we want to be good in one year’s time, we need to think that today is an important day. It’s not to say, ‘I wait, I wait, I wait, the World Cup is in one year.’ It’s in six months. Then it’s in one month. And then it’s late. That is why I say it’s important to have a different approach.”
Get all that? It’s a lot. And that wasn’t the end of it. He mentioned the importance of involving new, developing players who can help to push established veterans. He acknowledged the USMNT left a lot undone the past few times they got together, including those consecutive losses to Panama and Canada in the Nations League, whose only blessing was they occurred simultaneously with the country’s March Madness obsession.
USMNT summer roster missing big names
The exclusion of team superstar Christian Pulisic was at his request, according to sporting director Matt Crocker. Jedi Robinson, an improving force at left back, has been bothered by a lingering injury. Midfielder Yunus Musah asked to be excused because of a personal issue.
BONN: Pochettino takes needless risk in leaving Pulisic off summer roster
Most of the bigger names that will not be involved, though, were described by Pochettino as “football decisions”: striker Josh Sargent, midfielder Tanner Tessmann, defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty. The exclusions of forward Alejandro Zendejas, right back Joe Scally and versatile Richy Ledezma were not specifically addressed. Key players Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna will be absent because of obligations to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Instead there will be four uncapped players in the U.S. camp: defender Alex Freeman of Orlando City, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter of the Vancouver Whitecaps, midfielder Quinn Sullivan of the Philadelphia Union and forward Damion Downs of FC Koln in Germany. And there will be a half-dozen with fewer than five international appearances.
This tournament does offer an opportunity for right back Sergino Dest to continue his recovery from a knee injury that cost him nearly a year, for defensive midfielder Tyler Adams to renew his status as a reliable presence at what might be the team’s thinnest position, and for Johnny Cardoso to demonstrate his excellence for Real Betis – he’s a likely starter in midfield May 28 in the UEFA Conference League final against Chelsea – can be translated to the USMNT.
Pochettino insisted he didn’t want to “punish” any players for their indifferent efforts in March, but he essentially contradicted himself with his dissertation on focus, as well as the praise he ladled onto versatile veteran Brenden Aaronson, who scored 9 goals for Leeds United and helped drive them toward England’s Championship division title.
“We know his quality. The most important is that he keeps bringing his energy, positivity, enthusiasm, passion – it’s this type of player that transmits to the rest of the team these feelings and this emotion that is really important,” Pochettino said. “Of course, after, he needs to perform.”
Following the Gold Cup, there will be only three friendly windows in the autumn, one in March and the extended pre-World Cup training camp before the USMNT kicks off its essential World Cup campaign next June in Los Angeles. Pochettino has not given himself much time for his message to connect with those who need to hear it, and respond.
English (US)