The United States men’s national team started the international break on a strong note with a dominant win over Panama, but things will look a little different when they head to Guadalajara to take on Mexico on Tuesday night. Five players have left the USMNT camp: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Marlon Fossey, Ricardo Pepi and Zack Steffen. It’s a mix of load management and minor injuries that will see the five leave, but this also gives a good idea of how Pochettino moves into international management and deals with roster issues.
While you always want to beat Mexico, and this will be a big game for the USMNT, relationships and a player’s long-term health are critical. Pulisic has played in every game for Milan and when he arrived in camp, Pochettino commented that he looked a little tired. There is no reason to push him beyond his limits, potentially jeopardizing his availability for the Concacaf Nations League in November.
“As we have said, we will always make decisions that are in the best interests of our players and respect the relationship we have with their clubs,” Pochettino said.
These moves also have the added effect of giving the team a chance to show what they can do without their talisman in Pulisic. Everything goes through him on the left flank and being able to come up with solutions for what to do without him in a hostile environment will only be good for the long-term development of the USMNT.
It’s a missed opportunity for Steffen, who got the chance to make his first USMNT appearance since March 2022. Injuries and Matt Turner winning the number one goalkeeper job have kept Steffen out of the squad, but this is an opportunity under new management to win a title. roll back. Due to this departure, it will now have to wait until another window, but since it is the first time he has even been called up since March 2023, the door is still open.
With Pulisic out, the question becomes how the USMNT might line up for this match. No new players have been added to the roster, so they have a 23-man roster that could look something like this.
USMNT predicted lineup
Matt Turner, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Joe Scally, Yunus Musah, Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio, Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Brenden Aaronson
After a 2-0 win, not much needs to change, especially in the defense, which has done an excellent job limiting Panama’s chances. The standout addition is Wright, who picked up an assist from the bench and will operate from his favored left side without Pulisic in the XI. Wright is still someone who can bring fear to defenses with his shooting and creative skills, allowing Pochettino to avoid changing his tactics when facing a Concacaf rival.