With upcoming friendlies against Panama and Mexico, GOAL breaks down the winners and losers of Poch's first USMNT squad
Mauricio Pochettino's first U.S. men's national team roster has landed, and it didn't bring the sweeping changes some may have expected. In fact, it's relatively predictable. Just six players that weren't in the squad in September are included for October and, of those, most are very familiar faces.
As a result, upcoming matches against Panama (Oct. 12) and Mexico (Oct. 15) won't be some grand experiment, but rather a test. Before making sweeping changes, Pochettino first wants a look at what needs changing, and that's what this camp is for.
As a result, this team is largely familiar and – on the surface – doesn't offer deep insight into Pochettino's grand plan. Or perhaps it does? Perhaps Pochettino sees this team in need of some tweaking rather than a complete rebuild.
This camp will help answer that question.
Who are the winners and losers of Pochettino's initial roster release? Which players are here with a point to prove and which will be frustrated to be left behind? GOAL takes a look.
USA Today ImagesWINNER: Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic’s inclusion is no surprise. He’s this teams’s best player after all and a vital piece of everything Pochettino will be doing going forward.
And he walks in a good place. After spending so many of these camps fighting off negativity, Pulisic currently finds himself as arguably the most in-form player in the world.
That’s huge for the USMNT and, importantly, huge for Pochettino. The new coach will build around Pulisic and, right now, Pulisic is in form worth building around. For this initial camp, Pochettino will lean on the Milan star to set a tone and, that tone – in addition to his leadership – has already been set by his play on the club level.
Pulisic (73) has the most caps of anyone on this roster, followed by Tim Ream (62), Weston McKennie (56), Antonee Robinson (46), Matt Turner (45), Brenden Aaronson (44), Yunus Musah (41) and Tim Weah (41).
And Pulisic has risen to the occasion to start this season, as he's done many times before. Now, Pulisic looks to begin this new era with an aggressive coach in some of the best form of his career. What a nice feeling that must be, given what he’s been through.
AdvertisementAFPLOSER: Surprises
We had no clue what to really expect from this squad, though reasonable projections were not far from what we got. Things were largely status quo.
There were a few mini-surprises. Gianluca Busio and Zack Steffen are back. So, too, is Miles Robinson. These are all guys who have been around the team, though. There was no big swing, no unfamiliar face being tossed in for the first time under the new coach.
That's by design. Before introducing any new players, Pochettino should probably get one close look at the familiar ones. He owes them that chance, but that's what it is: a chance. No one's spot is safe, despite the familiarity of this roster. This is just a chance for Pochettino to take a closer look at everyone.
Still, there will be plenty shock on social media that Pochettino didn't burn it all down on Day One. There will be people frustrated to not see Luca Koleosho, Richy Ledezma, Diego Luna or Rokas Pukstas involved.
For Pochettino, though, this camp isn't about reinventing the wheel because he'll do that down the line. This roster shows that October is about first figuring out how the hell that wheel rolls and what needs adjusting over the short and long terms.
GettyWINNER: Weston McKennie
McKennie has become a master of responding to adversity, largely because he unfortunately finds himself facing it every year with his club. He's responded again, though, and, because of that, he's right back with the USMNT.
The Juventus star was left out of camp last month, largely due to his tumultuous summer. He looked ready to leave Juve for nearly the whole transfer window, only to shockingly sign a new contract instead. Even after that new contract was signed, though, he wasn't playing, but that's changed in recent weeks. McKennie has earned his way into Thiago Motta's good graces, and that didn't just earn his Juventus spot back, but his USMNT one, too.
The USMNT is better for it. McKennie is a vital player for this team, one who adds so much to the midfield. He's someone who could really improve under Pochettino, which will be a fun player to watch over the next year or so.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Gio Reyna
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is out injured at the minute but, even if he wasn't, there's still a chance he wouldn't be in for this camp.
Since the start of the season, Reyna has played just nine minutes of soccer. It was an eventful nine, to be fair, as he completed 10 of his 11 passes while winning two duels in an August win over Eintracht Frankfurt. That number is important, though. Nine.
Under former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, something like that could slide. It might under any long-term coach. There's a familiarity there that allows tenured coaches to overlook club form just a little bit more than new ones. Pochettino, though, is new to the role and, we don't know what he makes of Reyna.
He's wildly talented but the fact is that he still isn't playing and, if he wants a USMNT spot, that'll have to change in the coming months. Reports say he's close to making a return so, for Reyna, these next few weeks are about rebuilding, getting fit and then winning a much-needed place in Dortmund's plans.
