Mauricio Pochettino praises the Union’s young stars, and opens the door to USMNT call-ups
“Philadelphia has good young players, good kids, that maybe we will call a few [of],” Pochettino said, as the time nears for him to pick his roster for the U.S. team's games in September and October.
Next week, U.S. men’s soccer team manager Mauricio Pochettino will announce his roster for the team’s upcoming games in late September and early October. As hopes grow for some of the Union’s young rising stars to get called, Pochettino acknowledged Friday that he’s been watching them, and has been impressed.
“Philadelphia has good young players, good kids, that maybe we will call a few [of],” he said in a roundtable meeting with reporters on Monday. “New York, yes, Orlando, Nashville, Atlanta — I can keep going, no? But I think, yes, we are so excited, because I think we can add young kids that can bring a fresh start, and you can feel something different.”
Pochettino didn’t give specific names, and made clear from the start of the meeting that he wasn’t going to. But his acknowledgment was enough, amid that list of clubs with notable prospects.
From the Union, it’s attacking midfielder Cavan Sullivan, centerback Neil Pierre, and outside back Frankie Westfield. From Red Bull New York, it’s forward Julian Hall and central midfielder Adri Mehmeti. Orlando has forward Justin Ellis, Nashville has goalkeeper Brian Schwake, and Atlanta has central midfielder Cooper Sanchez.
The door is open to them and other emerging players, from MLS and across the Atlantic.
“The idea now is, it’s about to start to work for the project that is 2030,” the year of the next men’s World Cup, Pochettino said. “And of course, the next camp is going to be the opportunity to bring players that can be involved in that four-year process, with the possibility to arrive to 2030 in the best condition. I think we need to work for the present because we need to win games, we need to be competitive; but I think it’s a different approach than it was in the last period when we arrived.”
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He also will be factoring in candidates for the 2028 Olympic team. It’s an under-23 squad, and U.S. Soccer wants a big performance on home turf in Los Angeles. Westfield and Pierre are prime candidates at that level, with Westfield projected as the potential starting right back.
Goalkeeper Andrew Rick is another Olympic candidate. Though he faces longer odds to make this senior squad. But those odds improved when Pochettino said he expects to have four goalkeepers on his 26-player roster.
“We have a core of young players that need to play the Olympic Games, because it’s an objective for our federation and for the country to try to be a contender for the gold medal,” he said. “And I think it’s important: It’s going to be in our country, and we are going to support that.”
So expect to see Olympic team coach Steve Cherundolo working with Pochettino this fall. And file away that this specific FIFA window is an especially good chance to get Olympic team candidates into the senior squad.
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The next three windows are the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals in the fall, the final four in Los Angeles in March, and the Gold Cup next summer. Pochettino will want the stars for those games, but he doesn’t need them all for the friendlies.
“It’s a decision that we are talking [about] now,” he said. “I think it’s a very important thing if we can provide them, the players that maybe Steve believes can be important in two years, in the Olympic Games — it’s a window that maybe we can provide minutes and international experience.”
But there are some caveats to the youth movement. One is that the squad for the upcoming four-game slate — against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada — won’t just be prospects. There are veterans from the World Cup squad whom Pochettino wants, to help get results and to help set the tone for the new generation.
“We are going to do a mix,” he said. “Experienced players with young players that can fit together and start to work, and [help] how the young kids start to manage the pressure to play in the first team.”
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The other caveat recalls the old Star Wars proverb: Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.
Pochettino is watching the prospect class to see not just how they play, but how they conduct themselves.
“When you are young, of course, you need to be confident, you need to have trust in yourself, and belief that you can perform, and that you can do well — but I think there is a limit, no?” he said. “I think you are only entitled to talk a little bit out of order if you are [Lionel] Messi — if you’ve won eight Ballon d’Or [world player of the year awards], OK, you can talk with a certain arrogance. But even Messi, you aren’t going to feel or hear him talking in this way.”
He spoke of his own role in that, too, knowing how a high-profile manager’s words can be magnified in the media.
“The balance is the most important, and one of our responsibilities is to protect these guys,” Pochettino said. “Because sometimes if you play well and you are 17, 16, or 18, and you play well, people start to talk about that you are Messi or you are a big star in the world because you do a few good things. If after [that], you are confused and you don’t manage [it] well, that can be dangerous for your career, and that is what we don’t want.”
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