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Mauricio Pochettino has announced his first selection for the United States men’s national team for friendly matches that will see the team take on Panama and Mexico. With Pochettino taking over the USMNT to reverse the recent slump, preparation for the 2026 World Cup is moving into high gear, but injuries will keep key members of the player pool out of this squad. Chris Richards, Gio Reyna and Tyler Adams are all absent from the squad due to injuries they suffered, meaning Pochettino will have to move some of the squad around.
There is an unexpected return to the team in Zack Steffen. The Colorado Rapids goalkeeper has not played for the USMNT since World Cup qualifying in March 2022. With the goalkeeping corps in flux with Matt Turner on the bench at Crystal Palace, Steffen could get the chance to impress Pochettino. Marlon Fossey also remains in the selection after a strong performance during the last international break.
“We know Steffen and he deserves the chance to be with us. Of course we always take other circumstances into account when we make a decision, but I think he deserved a chance to be with us,” Pochettino said of the inclusion of Steffen in the selection.
Pochettino had to make a few changes to the squad on Sunday, just as players started reporting to camp in Austin, Texas. Midfielder Tanner Tessman and forwards Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas were included in the squad in place of midfielder Johnny Cardoso and forwards Folarin Balogun and Timothy Weah, who all suffered injuries.
It’s a selection of household names, with only Tessman, Patrick Schulte, Auston Trusty and Fossey having fewer than five caps, but Pochettino will still get his first chance to assess the player pool before Concacaf Nations League play gets underway in November . How this window plays out will be crucial as once Pochettino becomes more comfortable with the player pool, changes could follow. He hasn’t had much time this week just to get his visa to fly to the United States to run this camp, but things will hopefully go more smoothly in the future.
Rooster
GOALKEEPS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 45/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Marlon Fossey (Standard Liège; 1/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 5/0), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA; 14/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 62/1), Antonee Robinson (Fulham /ENG; 46/4), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 12/0), Auston Trusty (Celtic/SCO; 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 44/8), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 13/1), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 56/11), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/ENG; 7/0), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 41/0), Tanner Tessmann (Olympisch Lyonnais/FRA; 2/0), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 14/0)
FORWARD (6): Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; 30/10), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 73/31), Josh Sargent (Norwich City/ENG; 25/5), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey/MEX; 8/4), Haji Wright (Coventry City/ENG; 13/4), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 7/1)
Important returns
Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah all missed the last USMNT window in which they faced Canada and New Zealand. The absences were notable, especially since the USMNT struggled in those games. All three have been consistent starters for the national team in recent years and will also need to be involved in the 2026 squad. Robinson has become one of the top left defenders in the Premier League with Fulham, McKennie has withdrawn from the squad from Juventus and although Weah is recovering from injury, he is also in Thiago Motta’s plans at Juventus.
Change incoming?
Pochettino spoke briefly about what could happen in the future, noting that this is a very well-known roster compared to the rosters the USMNT has had recently. Pochettino cited injuries as one of the reasons he can’t experiment much and of course there are limits to squad size, but he stressed there are opportunities for plater pool members.
“We were thinking about some players. We are following some very good players who are not currently in the squad but who could certainly be in the squad in the future,” Pochettino said of the lack of new faces in this squad.
One player who came up later in his presser was Diego Luna. The Real Salt Lake midfielder has been making the rounds since surprisingly missing out on Olympic selection despite having six goals and eight assists in MLS at the age of 21. Pochettino noted that Luna is one for the future, but he is very young at the moment. With the wealth of youth prospects available, once Pocehttino knows where he needs more help, he can move up the ranks and see what young players can do. He has never been one to shy away from giving youth the opportunities they have earned at club level, so the expectation would be for this to continue on the international stage.
What to expect
Speaking of playing style, Pochettino plans to use two systems, a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3, and develop the USMNT’s style from there. He wants to see how the team adapts and creates partnerships, while also playing exciting football. That doesn’t mean they will always aim for goals, because defense is also crucial.
“We will be very demanding. If we lose the ball we have to be desperate to get it back as quickly as possible, but we have to work as a team,” Pochettino said. “We have to show that we are a real team. All the teams that win or have won titles when they have the ball have played very well, but when they don’t have the ball they work as a team.”
His defensive principles are simple, but show what he expects from this player pool, something to look forward to in the period ahead.
“We have to enjoy defending because we have to be a team that doesn’t concede many goals,” Pochettino said.
If they do that, they won’t lose to Canada or draw against New Zealand in the previous period.
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