Now since U.S. Men’s National Team roster for September international break setthis Mauricio Pochettino The 2.0 era begins. The Argentine has assembled a young squad where he will take a closer look at many of the national team’s players. While this camp will likely operate like a January camp in some respects, with a three-week window and a chance to evaluate players from Steve Cherundolo’s U-23 squad, it’s a good opportunity to mix things up after a World Cup that ended in disappointing fashion.
But after four games in September and October, what else does the U.S. National Team have to look forward to? The current roster looks very different from the World Cup roster, with only 13 players having participated in the World Cup, giving young players a chance to show why they belong in the national team. The team has 12 players from the Major League Soccer League. The average age of the team is 22 years and 9 months, and it is full of youth.
Who stands out?
In the near term of this window, the United States will be able to see who comes out on top. Pochettino said the door is always open for players and he is redoubling his efforts in preparation for the upcoming training camp. With such a young roster, they will have to rely on U.S. national team veterans like Tyler Adams and Tyler Adams. Chris Richardsbut as Pochettino said at the press conference, if Ramin Yamal good enough Spain At 17, what stops someone like 16 Calvin Sullivan Continue to support Team USA?
There is a balance between the two, as the camp will also pave the way to the 2028 Olympics, which will be overseen by Steve Cherundolo. Eight members of the training camp have already represented the U.S. national team at the Youth World Cup, and with tough friendlies coming up, they will be tested not only by players from their CONCACAF opponents, but also by players from other countries. Even for someone like this Yunus MusaNot playing much last season and missing out on the World Cup squad, this is a chance to show why he needs to be here. Pochettino knows what he can get from it Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun on the U.S. National Team squad, but now he can see if others can push them.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for me to get to know these guys, to look at them, to analyze them, to see where they can improve, in the way they can evolve. Because they’re not all the same, they all have different characters, different personalities, different backgrounds, different feelings, different, you know, brave in different ways,” Pochettino said after the roster was revealed. “They need to make mistakes, but we need to work on that and give them different arguments and different tools to keep improving.”
Center back is a must
Tim Rem’s Being left off the roster has firmly entrenched Chris Richards in a leadership role. While the defense is one of the most experienced units on the U.S. national team, Pochettino brought in George Campbell and Neil Pierreif they play well, they have a chance to leave training camp as starters. As we all know, center back is an area that needs improvement in the next few years for the U.S. national team, and there is currently no one who can replace Richards in this position. With the U.S. national team primarily consisting of a back three during the World Cup, this creates more space for commanding center backs who can keep pace with their opponents. That will be one of the storylines surrounding this team until the players settle into their roles, but with an inexperienced team the defense will have to work hard to keep up, which will put the spotlight on Pochettino’s young defenders.
trophy hunting
One of Pochettino’s goals is to lay the foundations for a path to 2030, but there are still things that need to be accomplished along the way to show that his side are ready for the next World Cup. After dominating Concacaf under Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT are yet to win a trophy under Pochettino. The road to that goal will begin in November when the USMNT enters CONCACAF Nations League play. It’s easy to accept the experiments and things that could happen in the run-up to the World Cup if wins are still there, but if Pochettino comes out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup next summer still looking for his first piece of silverware, questions about whether he’s the man to lead this team into 2030 will only continue to intensify. Getting your first trophy as early as possible is crucial.
U.S. national team schedule
- USA National Team vs. Peru – September 26, 4:30 pm
- USMNT vs. Chile – September 29, 8 p.m.
- USA National Team vs. Mexico – October 3, 9 p.m.
- USA National Team vs. Canada – October 6, 8 p.m.
- CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final first leg – November 14
- CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final second leg – November 17