Mauricio Pochettino expanded his player pool in the United States by inviting dozens of young players to a series of friendlies earlier this fall. Most performed so well that they earned recall on Wednesday — even as most of the veterans were in their first official games since the World Cup and at a special youth Olympic camp at the same time.
Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Justin Ellis, Mathis Albert, Adri Mehmeti, Neil Pierre and Diego Kochen put all their efforts into the November invitations to the quarter-finals of the Nations League in September-October.
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Average age: 18.1.
“Now we are playing an official game [and] The priority is always the first team,” Pochettino said on Wednesday. “And we all believe that if players are involved in the first team, [there] it is an opportunity to continue to grow and of course to add more experience and good practice. It’s easy.”
The USA will begin training at the national training center near Atlanta on Monday in preparation for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti. The first game, or the Haitians’ “home” game, will be played in Miami on November 14, followed by the decider on November 17 in Cincinnati.
Pochettino has also invited three outsiders: midfielder Santiago Castañeda, 21, and defender Reed Baker-Whiting, 21, will join their first senior camps, and defender Bryan Reynolds, 25, will try to make his first US appearance since 2023.
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“Now we have to add players to the list to try to give the team a good balance,” Pochettino said of the 2030 World Cup cycle. “It’s a great opportunity now for different players and … to have the opportunity to mix young players with experienced players.”
Cavan Sullivan is among seven young USMNT prospects who earned the next call-up after impressing during the team’s four-game winning streak earlier this fall.
(Taylor Banner/USSF via Getty Images)
The youth influx comes at the expense of experienced players like Tim Weah, Brenden Aaronson, Matt Turner and Joe Scally. In addition, Yunus Musa has passed after playing in the last friendlies.
The moves also provide protection for veteran players who are injured or returning from injury, such as Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright, Alex Zendejas and Miles Robinson.
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The veteran core remains in place: World Cup members Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna, Sebastian Berhalter, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Auston Trusty and Matt Freese return to camp after playing in the September-October window.
Pochettino also brought back Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKenney for the first time since the World Cup.
The U.S. has reached the Nations League final four in each of the previous four editions of the regional competition, which qualifies for next summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. (The Final Four will be held in late March at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.)
With the Nations League back-to-back, Pochettino wasn’t going to have as much practice as he did in friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. But by retaining several young players, he showed confidence in the newcomers and made it clear to the older group that roster spots were not guaranteed.
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He also wants to see how well the young and old compete in training camp.
“It’s always important to try to add new ideas, new ways out and try to create different patterns on the pitch with the ball,” Pochettino said. “We’re going to start seeing the chemistry off the pitch as well as on the pitch – that’s really important and we’re going to try and see how that works.”
Mathis Albert (right) could get his first opportunity to play alongside Christian Pulisic as Mauricio Pochettino looks to build chemistry between the USMNT’s rising stars and established veterans.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
He referred to Albert, a fleet-footed winger who first worked with Pulisic, and Sullivan, a quick and intelligent striker who first teamed up with McKennie.
“It’s a great opportunity to test the feelings and the chemistry between them,” added Pochettino.
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While seven prospects from the previous camp have been retained, others are expected to join the Under-23 team overseas for camp and friendlies: Xavier Gozo, Brooklyn Raines, Peyton Miller, Frankie Westfield and Cole Campbell.
USA Under-23 coach Steve Cherundolo begins preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, an under-23 tournament. He will host most, if not all, international windows over the next 18 months. (The U.S. Under-20s will also gather at their Georgia headquarters next week.)
Pochettino said he was looking forward to reuniting with United States goalscorer Balogun at the World Cup. He was at the center of controversy after FIFA overturned his red card penalty for the round of 16; President Donald Trump said he contacted the administration to complain about the red card.
The red card did not come after the World Cup. Instead, FIFA placed Balogu on one-year probation, during which the suspension “remains dormant … and will only be activated if he commits another offense of a similar nature and gravity within that one-year period.”
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At the end of the summer, Balogun was in another storm when he broke his imminent transfer from Monaco to Everton at the last minute.
His injury excluded him from the starting team of “Monaco”. (At the weekend, he scored his first goal since the World Cup as a single.)
“This is a great opportunity to help him evolve after a difficult summer after the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “Unification [at striker] Ball is perfect between Ellis and Hall.”
USMNT records
Center back George Campbell, who played twice in the last camp, has been named back in the squad despite picking up a groin injury while captaining second-tier English club West Brom.
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“We are waiting for more information,” Pochettino said. “Today or tomorrow we will have everything. If it is not positive, we are already thinking [of a] different option.”
France-based Mark McKenzie would be a prime choice.