Mauricio Pochettino is days away from announcing his USA squad for the first official matches since the World Cup, but aside from the general decisions made before each international window, he must also determine whether his young prospects belong in the first team or in the small ranks chasing Olympic medals.
The squads will meet separately from November 9 — Pochettino will kick off the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with Haiti in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League and Steve Cherundolo’s Under-23s.
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If Pochettino had not invited dozens of new arrivals to the big camp six weeks ago, the intrigue this week would not have risen above the typical selection. In wins over Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, however, many have shown they are ready for the challenge.
Many are likely to join Cherundolo for overseas camping and social gatherings. Cherundolo worked with Pochettino’s squad at the last camp and the two coaches are collaborating on this week’s selections.
With more public attention on the Olympics in the country, the US Soccer Federation has placed extra emphasis on building a strong team. (Olympic men’s soccer is restricted to players 23 and under, with the exception of three-year-olds.) Cherundolo will hold additional camps in multiple international windows over the next 18 months.
Christian Pulisic celebrates scoring in the fourth minute of AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Inter Milan on Saturday.
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Currently, Pochettino may have to shake off several players for this camp at the national training center in the Atlanta area, followed by games against Haiti on Nov. 14 in Miami and Nov. 17 in Cincinnati. (The U.S. has never made it to the Final Four.)
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The front sits at the forefront of Pochettino’s decisions.
After missing the September-October call-up to recover from injuries, top strikers Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi scored second-half goals against Monaco and PSV Eindhoven respectively at the weekend. (Pepi also had an assist in a 7-0 shutout of Willem II.)
It was the first goal since the World Cup Round of 16 for Balogun, who played just 116 minutes in Ligue 1 for Monaco. Pepi returned on Saturday after missing six weeks with a muscle injury.
Both are in European action this week: Eindhoven hosts Club Brugge on Wednesday in the Champions League and Monaco face Nordsjaelland on Thursday in the third-tier Conference League.
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Christian Pulisic, whose injury recovery and limited playing time at AC Milan kept him out of the previous U.S. camp, scored the opener four minutes into Saturday’s 3-1 win over rivals Inter Milan. Pulisic and Milan face Ferencvaros in the second-tier Europa League on Thursday.
Barring any setbacks, Pochettino looks set to call on the trio for their first successive action since their World Cup round of 16 clash with Belgium.
In the last four friendlies, teenagers Justin Ellis (Orlando) and Julian Hall (Red Bull New York) each started two games with a striker. Ellis scored in the first and last games, while Hall scored in each of the first three games.
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Seven of the USA’s 12 goals were scored by teenagers.
Pepin’s replacement, 22-year-old Damion Downs of St. Louis, was the third striker.
If Pochettino is looking for a short-term fix at striker, he could consider Vancouver’s Brian White, 30, who scored twice on Sunday to move six off Lionel Messi’s MLS-best pace to 20. White (66 goals in 114 MLS games over the last four years) has scored once in seven games for the United States in 2025.
Pulisic’s absence this fall has opened up an opportunity for Philadelphia’s Javan Sullivan, who at 17 became the youngest goal scorer in program history. European wingers Mathis Albert, 17, and Zavier Gozo, 19, also made their debuts.
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Sullivan missed two matches with an ankle injury before returning as a single this weekend, while Albert and Gozo are not regulars for Borussia Dortmund and Crystal Palace respectively.
Other players who have missed recent World Cup friendlies include midfielder Weston McKennie, winger Tim Weah, forward Brenden Aaronson and right winger/winger Joe Scally.
McKennie was poised to return to the U.S. team before Juventus left Sunday’s match with a reported injury at halftime. The severity is not clear.
Scally has a strong recall: He leads Mönchengladbach with three Bundesliga goals and has two goals and two assists in his last five matches in all competitions. (On Saturday, he broke his arm with a video replay.)
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Midfielders Tanner Tessmann (Lyon) and Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid) are recalled after missing the World Cup, but Pochettino doesn’t rate Tessmann too highly and Cardoso suffers another injury.
And then there’s Jack McGlynn, a 23-year-old right-back for Stoke City in the English second-tier Championship. He played 12 times for the US national team in 2025, but did not participate in the World Cup. On Saturday, he had a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Preston North End, taking his tally to three goals and two assists in his last seven games.
Four Americans work for Premier League rivals Middlesbrough. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter continues to impress in his first season abroad with a goal and assist in the first half of a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic.
World Cup midfielder Aidan Morris, World Cup winger Max Arfsten comes off the bench in the summer. Midfielder Rokas Pukstas has played once since signing in September.
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Only Berhalter is sure to get a recall from the US.
The other USA scorer over the weekend was 20-year-old winger Cole Campbell, who scored a spectacular strike for Elversberg in the Bundesliga. Due to his injury, he had to wait until the second half of the last match to make his debut in the last camp.
Center back Auston Trusty missed four games due to family reasons, and Myles Robinson missed six games with a leg injury. Guvenli can wear the jersey against “Besiktas” in the Europa League on Thursday. World Cup member and Toulouse starter Mark McKenzie is available after being sidelined last time out.
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Alex Freeman continues to fly for La Liga side Villarreal as they host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The U.S. goaltending situation remains precarious after all four calls have started once in the last window. New England’s Matt Turner, a 2022 World Cup starter and 2026 backup, is enjoying a strong MLS season and could rejoin the team after Pochettino passed him over at the latest camp.
At that last camp, 20-year-old Diego Kochen, the only Olympic-eligible goalkeeper, was the best of the bunch.
Looking for another challenge from the United States is Nashville’s Brian Schwake, who stopped an MLS-best third penalty kick on Sunday.
Pochettino and Cherundolo will probably announce their rosters at least a day apart later this week.