Mauricio Pochettino has named 13 uncapped players in the United States squad for the upcoming friendlies against Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile, the first window of the 2030 World Cup cycle and his first roster since this summer’s last-16 exit.
The call-ups skew heavily young. Four of the five forwards in the squad have never played senior international football, and a further two players elsewhere in the group have only a single appearance to their name. The average age of the newcomers is 19 years and six months.
There are notable absences. Christian Pulisic, who has only recently returned to the field for Milan after suffering a leg fracture at the World Cup, has been left out, as has Folarin Balogun, who has yet to appear for Monaco this season. Weston McKennie remains injured. The circumstances behind each omission are straightforward, but the effect is to shift leadership duties onto a younger core: Ricardo Pepi finds himself shepherding a group of teenagers up front, while Sebastian Berhalter and Malik Tillman may be asked to lead the midfield. Miles Robinson of FC Cincinnati, at 29, is suddenly the squad’s elder statesman.
Pochettino’s approach to the window extends beyond evaluating players. His public back-and-forth last week with another new call-up, 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, was the latest illustration of a message he has already delivered to others, Pulisic among them: mentality is everything. The sense is that he is bringing this group into camp to assess them as people as much as footballers, and to begin instilling his preferred values early.
His lone quote in the press release accompanying Thursday’s roster announcement made the point directly. “This is the beginning of a fresh start for everyone and we are excited in these first matches to bring a group of experienced players along with some young talents who have great potential,” Pochettino said. “It will be important that they all understand our culture, our way of working, and of course the principles of how we want to play. Most importantly, they must show the commitment to representing the country in the way our fans deserve.”
Pochettino has taken to calling these fixtures “non-official matches”, and the schedule offers the youngest members of the group an immediate test, with Mexico awaiting in Phoenix, Arizona. Pochettino signed on to stay through 2030 after the World Cup, and the coming window will give both him and US supporters a clearer reading of the national team’s next generation.