The U.S. men’s national team will not have the services of five players for Tuesday’s road friendly at Mexico.
Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie were among five players to depart October’s camp, U.S. Soccer announced Sunday. Pulisic has been released to his club AC Milan due to load management while McKennie, fullback Marlon Fossey, goalkeeper Zack Steffen, and forward Ricardo Pepi all have left due to minor injuries
Pepi is being evaluated at his club PSV after taking a defensive clearance to the face.
No additional players will be added to the roster, giving Mauricio Pochettino 20 players to call on for Tuesday’s showdown in Guadalajara.
“As we have said, we are always going to make decisions that are in the best interest of our players and respect the relationship we have with their clubs,” said Pochettino.
Pulisic assisted once and played 67 minutes Saturday in a 2-0 home friendly vs. Panama in Austin, Texas.
Pepi came off the bench before scoring the USMNT’s insurance goal in second-half stoppage time. He played 23 minutes in total.
McKennie and Steffen were unused substitutes in Saturday’s match while Fossey did not dress.
The USMNT will seek their second-ever victory on Mexican soil this Tuesday, which would give Pochettino his second win as head coach.
Balogun out for 2 months due to shoulder, and will be out for quarter final of Nations league. Looks like Sargnt, Pepi, and Vazquez gotta step up. I guess Hjia will be a LWM?
Haji Wright*
Pulisic looked very tired early and isn’t exactly great at moderating himself. Sending him to compete at elevation is asking for trouble with his recent workload and obvious fatigue. For what? It says: we’ve grown, now have bigger hills to climb than El Tri. It’s a tough call, but a professional decision- I’m glad we have a manager with long term vision, greater aspirations than a local rivalry/CONCACAF friendly, and most importantly- the cache and stones to make such a call.
short term you risk this friendly is closer and the result harder. long term, though, maybe he and the rest of the team are more lively for future friendlies and that helps with results across the board. and maybe he’s more rested and lively at the world cup, which is what it’s ultimately about.
i think pre couva the US had more self confidence and ability to calibrate what level of roster was sufficient to get results. now, the region is catching up. but since couva we seem scared of rotation, which is the opposite of what lesson that experience should have taught. couva they tried to play the same 11 twice and got tired for game 2. but it has bred insecurity.
and while i didn’t see what you did in his play, i agree that a tired pulisic becomes fairly useless. unlike say landon or beasley, fitness fiends, he’s not a guy who on an off day is still running around like mad creating chaos and at least making them track runs.
that and i think we need to get off the silliness where they need to be in camp all the time for the full time. it needs to become more demonstrated performance and mastering the tasks for that window. if he learns what we’re teaching this camp, and plays well the first game, do we really need 2 demonstrations? put him in bubble wrap and send him back out.
Betihno,
Some very good points.
Need to get everyone on the same page ASAP and there is limited opportunities to do so before the World Cup. No reason for anyone that is not hurt, to be leaving camp early.
Additionally, it does give the perception that Pulisic is getting preferential treatment. The other players have games in Europe this coming weekend, as well.
Pulisic is one of guys that rotates as captain. Since this is the first camp with Pochettino, and from a leadership standpoint, he should be in camp for the duration of the camp, even if he is not playing. I understand load management, but if load management is the focus with Pulisic for this camp, he should have been held from the game vs Panama.
The game vs Mexico in Guadalajara will be a good test in a hostile environment. It should be all hands on deck.
It’s also worth pointing out that after the game vs Mexico in Guadalajara, the Federation has a chartered flight booked for the Europe based players, which is leaving from Guadalajara. Given the chartered flight, are the players ( Pulisic ) that soft that he can’t manage and prepare himself before his club game this weekend?
Very odd on the part of Pochettino. It makes me wonder if he is more concerned about staying in the good graces of European clubs so that come July 2026, he can make his next move.
PG,
“Very odd on the part of Pochettino. It makes me wonder if he is more concerned about staying in the good graces of European clubs so that come July 2026, he can make his next move.”
His best move in terms of staying attractive to any big clubs post WC is to take the USMNT as far in the 2026 WC as possible.
There’s a pretty good chance that whoever he pleased or pissed off in Milan in October of 2024 may not be at Milan, or anywhere in two years. You don’t get as far as Pochettino has without pissing off your fair share of people. I don’t think he’s overly concerned about it. The person most likely to suffer in the club vs country tug of wars is the player not the coach
“perception that Pulisic is getting preferential treatment.”
That is not a perception. It is a reality and has been one for a while now.
Anyone who thinks CP does NOT get preferential treatment is not paying attention. He gets that treatment because he is by some distance our best player. Do the other players resent it? Who cares? Let them prove that they are as good or better.
The Mexico game is important because it is a good chance to practice surviving without him.
Vacqui,
“His best move in terms of staying attractive to any big clubs post WC is to take the USMNT as far in the 2026 WC as possible.”
That reinforces and support the point of all hands on deck vs Mexico.
“The person most likely to suffer in the club vs country tug of wars is the player not the coach”
AC Milan would not make Pulisic suffer if he stayed in camp and played vs Mexico. No way. That is as fallacy.
“Anyone who thinks CP does NOT get preferential treatment is not paying attention. He gets that treatment because he is by some distance our best player.”
Wrong message for Pochettino to send in the first camp as he is looking to build a team.
“The Mexico game is important because it is a good chance to practice surviving without him.”
Mexico game on the road in Guadalajara is a great opportunity to test teh team in a hostile environment, get a convincing win, and continue to rebuild the confidence of a team that has been shit in the last few months, and as a result of being shit, has put forth multiple lackluster performances.
PG,
“His best move in terms of staying attractive to any big clubs post WC is to take the USMNT as far in the 2026 WC as possible.” “That reinforces and support the point of all hands on deck vs Mexico. ”
Not really. We’re sure about CP’s quality for his club and the USMNT.
Everyone else needs to prove they can be that way too.
This team needs to learn how to live without CP. If they can get a result w/o CP they will be even stronger when he is there.. CP is our only top level consistent star. Time to take off the training wheels. Time for the others to start to move to catch up with CP’s level . And you can’t do that if he is around.
No, it has to be others crating and making goals.
“The person most likely to suffer in the club vs country tug of wars is the player not the coach” “AC Milan would not make Pulisic suffer if he stayed in camp and played vs Mexico. No way. That is as fallacy.”
CP has played a LOT of football lately and using him in another stressful game when Milan has a few more stressful games already lined up for him is pre-disposing him to injury. And that is not a fallacy.
“Anyone who thinks CP does NOT get preferential treatment is not paying attention. He gets that treatment because he is by some distance our best player.” “Wrong message for Pochettino to send in the first camp as he is looking to build a team.”
Do you think the rest of the team are brain dead? CP has long been the best most indispensable player for this team. Pochettino isn’t so stupid as to make believe that is not true. More to the point I don’t think there is any evidence that anyone associated with the USMNT has a problem with this. As prima donnas go CP is very well behaved.
Any decent manager treats all his players fairly but he does not treat them all the same. Only a stupid manager treats all his players the same.
“The Mexico game is important because it is a good chance to practice surviving without him.” “Mexico game on the road in Guadalajara is a great opportunity to test teh team in a hostile environment, get a convincing win, and continue to rebuild the confidence of a team that has been shit in the last few months, and as a result of being shit, has put forth multiple lackluster performances.”
Agreed and when they get a result vs Mexico without their Bell Cow, it will do their confidence wonders. This is who is left:
Ethan Horvath , Patrick Schulte , Matt Turner , Kristoffer Lund , Mark McKenzie , Tim Ream , Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Auston Trusty, Brenden Aaronson , Gianluca Busio , Aidan Morris , Yunus Musah , Tanner Tessmann , Malik Tillman, Josh Sargent , Brandon Vazquez, Haji Wright, Alex Zendejas
If Pochettino can’t get 11+5 out of them and have them get a result out of Mexico then something is seriously wrong. If there are guys here who can’t raise their game, now would be a good time to find out.
I expect them all to run through a wall because this may be their best chance to make a solid impression.
Vaqui,
“This team needs to learn how to live without CP.”
This team, including CP, needs to learn how to play a new system and fast.
“CP has played a LOT of football lately and using him in another stressful game when Milan has a few more stressful games already lined up for him is pre-disposing him to injury. And that is not a fallacy”
Two alternative decision could have been made. Sit him vs Panama or keep him in camp to work on system with teammates and not play him vs Mexico oooh a third…manage his minutes vs Mexico. Pulisic NEVER goes 90 for Milan. He is very often among the first subs. They manage his minutes.
“Agreed and when they get a result vs Mexico without their Bell Cow, it will do their confidence wonders.”
And what happens if they go there and get their hats handed to them. Then how does that effect confidence? By your rationale this is quite the roll of the dice considering the USMNT record in Mexico. It could back fire making the team MORE dependent on their Bell Cow.
“If Pochettino can’t get 11+5 out of them and have them get a result out of Mexico then something is seriously wrong.”
Noted
After all is said and done..I’m so looking forward to seeing how the B squad implements the new system against an intimidating Mexico side. To go down there and bring the unbeaten streak to eight in Mexico will just go to further their misery. I’m here for that.
UN-intimidating Mexico side
Vacqui,
Betinho’s last response to your most recent post is spot on, so in the interest of not being excessively duplicative, I will only add one thing…
The rest of the team needs to raise their game, but they need to do it WITH Pulisic on the field. The rest of the team raising their game vs Mexico without Pulisic is a very different dynamic than when Puslisic is on the field.
The former is what matters most and needs to take place.
PG & B
Betinho
“This team needs to learn how to live without CP.””This team, including CP, needs to learn how to play a new system and fast.”
What would Gregg do?
Gregg had a system. Gregg was trying to get people to do things they could not do, at least not in a timely fashion. He was fired.
You are like Gregg; “ Here’s a system, learn it, play it and we’ll win.”. He tried various permutations of that for 6 years. How’d that work out for him? Now you want to go down that same road?
First get to know your players; then you decide on a system. I don’t feel like Gregg ever did that. Instead of handing out power points of his preferred “system” Pochettino is downplaying things and instead is trying to get to know these players as best and as fast as he and his staff can so that they all can figure out what system works best for the group.
“CP has played a LOT of football lately and using him in another stressful game when Milan has a few more stressful games already lined up for him is pre-disposing him to injury. And that is not a fallacy” “Two alternative decision could have been made. Sit him vs Panama or keep him in camp to work on system with teammates and not play him vs Mexico oooh a third…manage his minutes vs Mexico. Pulisic NEVER goes 90 for Milan. He is very often among the first subs. They manage his minutes.”
Ever hear the expression there’s no second chance to make a first impression? The Panama game was far and away more important. For the players and for Pochettino. They had to win that game. That first impression really matters. And as someone else pointed out, if you are doing load management you play the player in question in the first game if they are supposed to play soon after they get back. It gives them more time to recover.
So we lose a game to Mexico. We’ve lost to them before and we’ll lose to them again down the road. To me it’s a friendly valuable at this point as a test for our scrubeenies, which at this point is everyone not named Pulisic.
Keep CP in camp to work on a system ? And Pochettino has yet to play Gio, Tyler, Weah, Weston, Dest, etc. ?
Here we go again, installing a system before we have a grasp on what kind of players we have. But guess what? There’s a pretty good chance that whatever system Pochettino finally settles on, a significant number of our guys have probably played in it or some variation of it.
“Agreed and when they get a result vs Mexico without their Bell Cow, it will do their confidence wonders.”
And what happens if they go there and get their hats handed to them. Then how does that effect confidence? ”
Some of them will show their true colors and not get invited back.
Some will be furious and their fire will be apparent.
It will be a mixed bag
Building a team is a long ,involved, up and down process. If they get blown out and it ruins the whole program that’s something everyone needs to know ASAP. Gregg spent 6 years playing cupcakes and junior high teams and never getting tested until they played Wales.. Gregg had a great record vs Mexico when they were pathetic. He had a great winning percentage. What did that get him? I would have traded a few of those Mexico wins for a USMNT that was less cocky and better aware of their weaknesses.
“By your rationale this is quite the roll of the dice considering the USMNT record in Mexico. It could back fire making the team MORE dependent on their Bell Cow.“If Pochettino can’t get 11+5 out of them and have them get a result out of Mexico then something is seriously wrong.”
“After all is said and done..I’m so looking forward to seeing how the B squad implements the new system against an intimidating Mexico side. To go down there and bring the unbeaten streak to eight in Mexico will just go to further their misery. I’m here for that.”
Pochettino taking the job is a whole roll of the dice. The USMNT couldn’t be any more dependent on Pulisic than they already are.
“Betinho’s last response to your most recent post is spot on, so in the interest of not being excessively duplicative, I will only add one thing…
The rest of the team needs to raise their game, but they need to do it WITH Pulisic on the field. The rest of the team raising their game vs Mexico without Pulisic is a very different dynamic than when Puslisic is on the field.
The former is what matters most and needs to take place.”
CP will be around the majority of the time. But when an opportunity like this Mexico game comes up, CP’s absence is a teaching moment that Pochettino needs to take advantage of.
This team is already over-reliant on CP. If he breaks his leg in the first WC game warmups then what? If they are like they are now everyone might as well go home.
Right now this narrative needs three legs for a happy ending.
Leg 1: Best coaching we can get
Leg 2: At least one difference maker who might be able to push them over the hump. CP just might be our version of Modric, if he can keep his level high.
Leg 3: The rest of the pool raising their level to at least approach CP. He can’t do it alone. Right now that part of the pool is an unknown quantity.
This Mexico game was a chance for these guys to make their case that they can step up and make up for the big guy when he is not around.
CP has to be absent.
Otherwise, when it gets bad they will go to him and no one learns anything. These players have to grow up and save themselves.
You’ll never know if Robin can handle crime in Gotham City all by himself if the Batman is still around. He has to be out of the picture.
You guys kill me. You want it both ways. Y’all want Pochettino to turn the USMNT into an adult team but you don’t want him to take any chances and maybe lose a game or two. You don’t want him to give newbies a real chance like starting a game with a lot on the line while being depleted because maybe they will lose or screw up.
In other words, y’all want to go to heaven but you don’t want to die.
The thing is failure is the best teacher.
Welcome to teambuilding 101.
Papi Grande,
Leeds press wondering why Aaronson wasn’t released given the same quote Pochettino gave for Pulisic being release and Leeds playing FRIDAY an important game in the quest to return to the Premier League Sheffield United. Aaronson has been one of the most important players to Leeds, is playing a similar role that Poch used him in and wouldn’t be in the best interest of the player and USMNT for him to be playing in the Premier League? And why would Jedi not be released too?
The messaging is off on a few different levels. This is truly not as big of a deal as I may have felt it was when first announced but the reasoning still stands. I will earmark this decision and call it the first “red flag” moment. Looking back it could mean nothing going forward perhaps it does.
Betinho,
You’re spot on. Others have games before AC Milan and Pulisic. Others have logged a lot of minutes this season.
Minutes played this season across all club competitions –
Pulisic – 720
Aaronson – 715
Robinson – 630
Bad decision by Pochettino and it sends the wrong message to the team and the locker room.
in the past, we used to give multiple game 1 starters a game 2 pass. play like a star game 1, show you get the practice lessons, we’ll let you go early.
maybe here the coach made the executive decision that very few players were that dominant.
or, maybe we had enough injuries the coach decided to dilute the performance releases in favor of releasing the injured. like he would have liked to let 3 or so go on pitch counts but a bunch of people left hurt so we need a roster for tonight. you then maybe play them half the game or something.
Some big Nations League games tonight and tomorrow. Honduras needs a point at Jamaica or they could be eliminated with a Nicaragua win at home over French Guiana. Costa Rica needs a win over Guatemala to advance if Suriname beats last place Guyana. Suriname or Martinique could advance with big wins and a multi goal loss by Guatemala at Costa Rica. Oddly the US needs to win at Mexico to be one of the top 2 seeds in Nations League because they use the Concacaf Rankings which not surprisingly Mexico somehow leads, despite winning one regional competition in the last 5 years. That actually is good for us because we could use a home and away with Honduras, Jamaica, or Costa Rica more than a home and away with Suriname or Nicaragua.
Ugh I hope no one saw my Jamaica vs Honduras hype and tuned in like I did. One of the most pointless games I’ve seen in awhile. No one wanted to be there. Jamaica no shots on target, Honduras forced 5 saves from Blake but only he had to move on one. English expats seemed to struggle with the field conditions (pasture like) and humidity, and their midfield was awful. The Jamaican defenders just started hitting long balls because the midfielders wouldn’t move and if they did squeeze one through the midfielders first touch made Gyasi Zardes look like a technical master. Haiti v Aruba was actually entertaining but pretty poor soccer at least there were lots of goals.
Otherwise known as Abominations League. Very counterproductive to CONCACAF, the USMNT playing top teams- improving.
Fingers crossed for home and away versus a Central American side. I’d love to see how a world class manager deals with the most CONCACAFy atmospheres CONCACAF can offer – not to mention how the players will deal being older and more experienced.
Pulisic starting with the September window played 3 out of 4 Tuesdays. He has three straight weeks of playing Tuesdays starting next week. So if he played in Mexico he’d have had 6 out of 7 weeks of playing two games per week. Let the guy get some rest and not have to fly to Guadalajara and then back to Milan.
I would have played him maybe 20 minutes each game, so I have no problem with him playing 65 minutes in one game. There is no need for us to take a chance with out best player. With all the departures a lot of players will get a chance and Pochettino can evaluate both regulars and bench players. While you indicate that we need a win for the Nation’s League top ranking, I think roster development is more important. I figure a draw Tuesday will be a good result.
Gary, I don’t really think the seed we get matters too much. If CR somehow doesn’t beat Guatemala at home getting to the #2 seed matters, but I’d rather we play a decent team like Jamaica or Honduras anyway not a poor team that will bunker like Guatemala or Suriname.
i get the vibe we’re kind of going back to the old way of doing things, which i am fine with. favor long term talent over short term form. leave off or send home hurt players, even little things. and pitch count some key players then send them back after they prove their value in the first game of the series.
we were taking dumb risks with injury prone players (adams), i think we overcook our best players with redundant caps (pulisic), and the whole thing seems more oriented to cynically chasing results each friendly than building to tournament finishes. and for years we weren’t even that good at that.***
to be fair, it’s a little unusual to do this, and there is debatable justification with new tactics to keep everyone in camp the whole time. but he decided to pitch count the player for the long term good, and this somehow got scheduled with panama first and mexico a second away game.
i do see where doing this for mexico is awkward given the pressure to win but i think half the problem with the US in recent years is the inability to resist such pressures and do the long term good. we use this impulse to keep the roster conservative and overwork/risk players foolishly.
to me these games should be treated like closer to a preseason scrimmage. you get the good guys on, you get some good work, you get them off healthy and back in bubble wrap. you send them on their way, proof of concept, and try some other people in case we ever need them.
i am not saying don’t try to win. fwiw to me it’s an inferiority complex of the post couva era where we feel scared of getting results without running out the A team starters all the time. and then don’t routinely get those results. which is a dumb feedback loop to be stuck in.
just next time have the scheduler set mexico first and then we deal with panama with what is on hand. though i half wonder if the idea there was exorcism by new coach and result.
***snobs seem to miss that GB generally faced a regional schedule that inflated his percent rate. when he played off continent he was usually horrible, previous US teams didn’t host 95-100% of their games and barely play any european teams. i know this is the nations league era but that would be kind of my point.
little unusual to do this for mexico, i mean.
but we usually schedule mexico first.
I went back to 2000 we’ve only played them in a friendly once as the first of a multi-match window. We did play them first in the Concacaf Cup at the Rose Bowl followed by the friendly loss to Costa Rica in 2015. The why did we play CR in New York City game. Almost all the time we play them in one match camps that I’m guessing fell outside international windows and were midweek before club matches the following weekend (that was the case thru 2010 I didn’t look up days of the weeks for the 2000-2009). This is only the 2nd time we’ve played them 2nd in a window. First time was the Brazil/Mexico window of 2018 (Miazga vs Lainez you’re so small game). Anymore Mexico and the US schedule the same teams each window and rotate them so we don’t play each other in official windows. For some reason Mexico only scheduled one match this window, probably lack of quality opponents available. Panama plays Canada tomorrow after sitting out last window with no matches. Canada only one match this month.
I guess Mexico played a friendly with Valencia’s reserves and got a draw.
Interesting.
I have an idea what Poch is doing, but I’ll reserve comment. I do think Poch wanted to get a good long at Tillman, Vasquez, Zendejas, Tessmann, and probably Busio anyway because those are all guys who very much fit what Pochettino likes to do and were guys I sort of had flagged as players who might benefit immensely from Pochettino’s arrival. Now it looks like they may actually benefit immediately – this is an extraordinary chance for these guys on a very big stage and I’m curious to see who might grab it.
Might be an accident it happened this way…but it might not, too.
i see this the opposite. i thought he subbed off the best (jedi, pulisic) and worst (busio, sargent) performers first. like a school coach does at the first scrimmage. you take off your stars and put them in bubble wrap. you take off the disappointments so you can look at other players.
that leaves you with the bubble guys, eg morris, and the subs. ok, show me something.
and as someone who has been suggesting the postition-shy, inconsistent mckennie get demoted a while, i half hope the idea was, he was underwhelmed by his effortscarrying a knock, and decided for common sense (“he’s hurt”) and team morale (“wow, he’s benching mckennie”) reasons to send him home to see if he heals up. that if he’s gonna bench him it’s gonna be based on a healthy evaluation. that would stick better with the team morale — “he got his chance” — and underline a new principle of less playing hurt.
i am sure adams, reyna, and others will get their chances, too. hopefully this is headed more in a direction of extracting good performance each game as opposed to cynically chasing each result even if we’re hurting people to do it or relying on lineups that don’t work on bigger stages.
Busio 43 of 46 passes, created 2 chances, won 3 of 4 duals. Morris was much more on the ball 91 touches in 90 minutes. Comparing Busio to Tessman, Busio had .85 touches per minute and Tanner had .70. Game state has some to do with that as Panama was trying to get a goal and had more possession when Tessmann was in but Tanner was actually getting the ball less than Busio. Not saying Busio had a great game but if Sargent finishes the two chances Gianluca creates for him suddenly they are both up for man of the match. It’s like people complaining Caitlyn Clark had 6 turnovers, well if her teammates had caught three of them instead bouncing them off their hands, she ends up with 12 assists and 3 turnovers and no one bats an eye.
I thought Busio did fine. Besides the passing stats, he and Morris were generally cleaner on the ball than our Dmids have been recently. And we didn’t get run through the middle in transition like we have been in the last year or so.
JR: y’all can quote passing stats all you want. what i saw was we played panama to a 0-0 tie for a half in which they got a fair amount of chances, which built all the way upfield. and we looked tentative and scattershot at MF.
i thought aaronson and musah came off best, depending what position we call what they played. involved in goals. then morris and tessmann, somewhat sloppy but somewhat sweepery. i thought busio was fairly anonymous. you can throw stats around but i didn’t see much of either creation or destruction. i don’t think his job, anymore, under this regime, is just to be Out There. i think we are looking for win a ball and hit an outlet into transition. i saw very few transition balls. i would expect poch tries new people.
to be blunt, that is roughly recent NT pecking order anyway and not some massive surprise. tessmann is the new element and i thought he looked better than busio.
IV: you like to go by your feel, how did you feel about a player watching it live. That’s fine we’re fans that’s your right that’s what most of us do. Busio created more chances than anyone not named Pulisic. The coaching staff is going to evaluate based on their parameters of what they wanted from Busio. They are going to watch every touch every movement or non movement over and over. As I said if Sargent finishes the two chances Busio gave him, Busio looks the new starting CM. Instead by the eye he looks like someone who didn’t do anything. Just like your eyes thought Tessmann was far more active but actually had less of the ball than Busio did. We don’t know what Poch wants from that position and likely won’t for a few more windows.
In one of his first interviews Pochettino said that there was enough time to install his ideas, etc. I wasn’t so sure.
But, as you point out, the Mexico game is shaping up to be an ideal way to fast track things. In fact, it might be that Pochettino actually wanted to ship out CP after Panama regardless.
Panama was the more important game of these two because he HAD to start out with a win and look reasonably good. CP was obviously a big part of that. And frankly, I’m wondering if Panama aren’t better than Mexico.
Now with the load excuse, Pochettino can experiment with these guys and not get too much flak even if he loses.
I suspect they will win and they might even blow Mexico away.
The players left, this is their chance to shine.
When CP is around you play to his strengths, build around him. W/o him around ( and Weston, who probably would have taken over the show if he were still around) now others can emerge. Others can take corner kicks. Or penalties (sore subject I guess). When you have the intensity of the Mexican rivalry maybe it can bring out the best in our candidates for more spotlight time.
This will be great.
Why are people who’ve been commenting on this site for years still so terrible at formations? Pochettino has never been a 4-3-3 guy. He’s played a 3 man back lined most of coaching career. Sarri (Chelsea) was a 4-3-3 guy, not Pochettino when he took over Chelsea. It was not a 4-3-3 v Panama. CP plays RW for AC Milan, which is a position of success for him. It’s not the same for the USA. He plays LW, and is a liability on defense, which is why Jedi was playing defense on every player that CP was SUPPOSED to be guarding. Haji Wright played LW better than CP, & Haji sux as a LW. If I have to be the antagonist against ignorance, I will be. These are friendly’s or high level scrimmages; it’s a team sport; CP isn’t the only player, who can score, or plays futbol. Pochettino isn’t implementing anything new. Every single US player has played for a club that rotates formations. What would be dum, is if he kept playing the same starting lineup over & over, & not seeing what other players have to offer. Keeping the same players just to pad stats or to keep a winning record like the previous coach, does nothing for the program long term.
On paper Pochettino usually likes a 4-2-3-1 – pretty sure he’s historically played that more than any other formation – but it tends to morph into a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-2-1 in possession and that’s definitely how we were deployed on Saturday, and that three-in-the-back-while attacking – along with a crazy-high line – are sort of his signatures. He definitely wants to play in the other team’s half.
And yeah, the last thing Poch wants to do right now is make anyone feel safe. He doesn’t have much time at all to get a sense of his pool, so hey, let’s throw them in the deep end and see who can swim. I think there are several on this current roster who can…and some Gregg favorites who maybe need to start worrying a bit.
No time like the present to do that.
it’s a little nitpicky. yes, it’s more 4321. in reality it was morphing around a lot, less positional, more runs, position swapping, overlaps, the jedi shift. and ending up almost 343 or 3421 offense.
but it’s 433 personnel. you fit in one of a set of boxes. forwards — and recent call sheets seem less obsessed with precisely which slot — mids — and they all seemed of a type — 2 CB, 2 attacking wingbacks, keeper who it looks like will be expected to stop shots and play out on the ground.
i will be curious as weah, reyna, adams, weston, and others get used, how they deploy in, and whether it gets more fudged.
Yes just find when Panama has possession Jedi/Lund slide back into a 4 back. It is pretty obviously not a 3 back or 5 for that matter. The first about 3 minutes of the game Jedi stays higher but then doesn’t do that anymore the rest of the match so perhaps he was just in the wrong place to start.
JR: i think he had them running a few days in practice and that may have taken a toll. i think it was a warm if dry day in texas, and he had them running more than usual. so i am inclined to believe his endgame is get this where they can run around like chickens deeper and deeper into games. but they just kind of as a team sort of ran out of gas about 30-35′. it then opened up with everyone tired second half plus subs.
it’s worth throwing out there at least one theory on playing like this is to outwork the opposition first half, run them around, then go for the neck second half as they tire, if you don’t steal something early. my response would be we’re in the 5 sub era now. i don’t know if you can run a team into the ground as easily if they can swap half the lineup. and meanwhile it’s 0-0 at half and anyone’s game.
personally i preferred the opposite game model, overwhelm them tactically or athletically from minute 1, get your 2-0 or 3-0 lead, and only then play keepaway like we do. that also serves to add the demoralizing lead to the heavy legs. you want “what’s the point” popping up in their heads along with their legs being tired. 0-0 there is still a point.
Nancy calls it resting with the ball. Last year The Crew hit a lull near the end of the season when they lost leads late. They were running their legs off. They began picking spots better hit in transition but if the break wasn’t on recycle and pass the ball to rest. They are going to come up 2nd or 3rd in Supporter’s Shield, but also got 2nd in CL, won Leagues Cup, and lost Campeones on penalties. Better record despite playing many more matches. Miami has been a thorn in their side even before Messi so we’ll see how it ends.
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Was the lack of scoring by US on the coaches or players or both. The team became very risk adverse under Berhalter. Whether by accident or design. What sets Nancy apart from other managers in MLS is the ability get players confident enough to take chances and grow. Poch once had a rep for that and was seemingly getting that going at Chelsea before he was let go. Can he get guys like Musah and Busio to play with the confidence to take risks to create chances in the middle of the field?
Poch used a 4-2-3-1 at Chelsea and 4-3-3 at PSG, Spurs started 4-2-3-1 often 3-4-3 at the end. What confuses people is few managers use the same formation in all three thirds of the field anymore. Typically Poch wants a 3-2-5 in the attacking third, how he gets there has varied.
On Saturday
Jedi-pulisic-Sarge-Brend-Musah
Two things I’m liking about Mauricio Pochettino is:
1. He has the mindset in protecting his best player/players (and is not hesitant to highlight his best player!!!!)
2. He believes in giving players back to their respective clubs in equal or better form (doesn’t push the limit of injuries, as he has been a manager at a big club).
Now…..If only Cade Cowell was healthy and on the team for this game…..
i think at least half of it is recognizing performance, then bubble wrapping it, as opposed to handing players their position and using them 135’+ every window, but not necessarily demanding they perform to keep that job. more about the field than in the coach’s head. most of this before was decided in GB’s brain before a game ball rolled.
it reminds me of the mentality of my HS track team. get in for practice, do the work, do it good, do it efficiently, go home. no dawdling, no dragging it out. how you feeling? tired? take a day off. you did well at the meet the other day.
this is anathema to US snob fans who think it’s all work ethic. and this guy expects you to work but if you do it and shine, he may say you have nothing left to prove and send you on your way.
which is how we did it for years under arena and bradley. some stars would do a first game, show well, and we’d send away of mix of stars, underperformers, and hurt people. maybe even call some new. then test that group game 2.
1. This is insanely long
2. I read some of it
3. FIFA windows are not a negotiation
4. How many hostile environments will the US play before the WC
5. Why does he treat Pulisic different from other players
6. What message does that send
7. Poor messaging from 7 million angles
8. No time like the present to get to work implementing his system and building a team that understands how to use the system.
9. It’s ok to criticize Pochettino
10. This is not a good look
I thought we might get to the end of the 2nd window under the new coach before the “Pooch Out” calls started…sigh
Betinho
1. THIS IS INSANELY LONG.
You have not been on SBI very much have you? I’m writing book reports. Others here are writing the great American novel on soccer.
2. I READ SOME OF IT.
Reading any post on SBI is always optional. But if you are going to answer that post then it is hard to do that intelligently w/o reading it.
3. FIFA WINDOWS ARE NOT A NEGOTIATION
You think so? Neymar wanted to go to the Olympics and Copa America in 2016 and Barca were not keen on that. From Wikipedia “The CBF had wanted Neymar to play at the Copa América Centenario and the Olympics in Rio during the summer of 2016, but after a request from Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, he was rested from the first tournament. In late June 2016, he was subsequently one of the three over-23 players to be included in Brazil’s squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics on home soil, and was named the team’s captain by the Olympic side’s manager Rogério Micale.”
Clubs do not have to release you for the Olympics but they do have to for Copa America.
The 2014 WC was a disaster for Brazil and they hoped to make up for some of that with an Olympic Gold in 2016. And Copa America was obviously a big deal. Brazil wanted Neymar for both. You’d think Barca would be generous with such a big star as Neymar. Instead they wound up splitting the difference.
You’re right. The rules say you have to release your players to the national team for certain windows. But that doesn’t mean there are no negotiations. Neither side is looking to get into a pissing contest if they don’t have to. You know who gets hurt the most in those situations? The player. The Mexico game is a cash grab friendly of no significance other than it is a good training exercise for the USMNT. Rivalry? Sure, but it ain’t a competitive rivalry if you keep beating them. It is an important game most of all because of the money involved.
4. HOW MANY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS WILL THE US PLAY BEFORE THE WC
The USMNT will play all its World Cup games at “home”. Playing Mexico is good in terms of the intensity and it might be a great idea to schedule a few more but it terms of practicing for “hostile away environments”, it is unnecessary.
5. WHY DOES HE TREAT PULISIC DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PLAYERS?
He doesn’t. He sent CP, Weston, Zack, Marlon, Ricardo home for injury related issues. You are not moaning about the others going back. Why? You are the one treating Pulisic different.
6. WHAT MESSAGE DOES THAT SEND.
Pochettino said he will not send players back to their clubs more broken than they were when they got here. Gregg used to do that. How many times did Gio get hurt on USMNT duty? He’s probably ruined his career. The message is: First stop sabotaging yourself. Stop playing injured players. What Pochettino is doing is a good first step.
7. POOR MESSAGING FROM 7 MILLION ANGLES
Yeah? Why?
8. NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT TO GET TO WORK IMPLEMENTING HIS SYSTEM AND BUILDING A TEAM THAT UNDERSTANDS HOW TO USE THE SYSTEM.
Absolutely. Key word? TEAM. Teams have injuries and teams have to play big games sometimes w/o their best players. We should be able to at worst draw with Mexico with the team we have on hand. No time like now to show the new boss what you got.
9. IT’S OK TO CRITICIZE POCHETTINO
Absolutely. And it is okay for me or anyone else to criticize your criticism.
10. THIS IS NOT A GOOD LOOK
What’s not a good look? Having a sane policy on injuries? I wrote that Gregg should have shut down Tyler Adams for the year just before he called him in for Copa America and the run-in friendlies. So what happens? Tyler scores a golazo, does well for a few minutes, then breaks down and probably sets back his recovery for who knows how long. And Copa America turns to shit anyway. Are you in favor of that kind of Tyler the tough guy macho bullshit leading to nada?
People have been saying Mexico should have been scheduled first. ?? When you are starting out with a new team it’s a good idea to start easy and build up from there. In theory, Panama is less of a challenge than Panama. Maybe. But Mexico away, is probably a harder test.
That’s why they get scheduled second. That allows you to be better prepared for them. And you do these friendlies two games at a pop because it is more efficient and it allows the coaching staff to make adjustments between the games and see how they work. It is a closer approximation of what a tournament would be like.
So do you want Gregg back or are you now looking for someone else?
This friendly won’t make or break the team. We have two tournaments this next year. Players are coming back from .injury the next few months. The Nations league and the Gold Cup are priorities. Especially if the Gold Cup has a few bigger teams added which looks likely.
Seems like Pochettino has his eyes on the big picture not just one game that honestly is not going to make or break this team. He mentioned this earlier so no surprise. Sucks that we don’t have our best player vs our biggest rival. Hope the guys just step up and take the game to Mexico.
Any ways it’s been a while since Mexico beat the USMNT. No excuse for them especially on home soil. Pressure is on them.
Eight more camps until World Cup. Eight. Big picture. This makes no sense.
Why bother with this game at all. All the Euro based players will be tired when they return and not be able to play for their clubs which…Big Picture…won’t be good for the USMNT. I think we should do one game windows in the future. That will help the team improve because the can get back to their clubs quicker and fight for their spots. Or something.
Anti climactic and short sighted.
I’ve never been less interested in a USA Mexico game. Hey guys! Let’s hire Pochettino and one of his first games will be AWAY TO MEXICO. OMG it’s gonna be sick!!!
Oh wait
I guess Pulisic has the new system down and isn’t needed to work througj it with the possible future teammates.
If their concerned about work load sit him against Panama.
It’s the timing. If he played at Mexico, he would get back to Milan with only a couple days before having to play Saturday. After getting the crap kicked out of him by every player they have, not to mention all the extra travel. If he hadn’t played so many minutes already, or wasn’t going to play so many after, it would be different. I’m perfectly fine with it, he will be key for the USMNT as long as healthy, so let’s try and keep him healthy. And besides, the USMNT desperately needs to figure out how to score without him.
There is a new coach implementing a new system. Fine. Manage his minutes but keep him in camp.
It’s not the US’s problem if Milan has to deal with him being tired from travel. That’s the way the cookie crumbles when you sign a Western Hemisphere player. Are all the Euro based South Americans being sent back to their clubs after 60 minutes played? No. That’s not how it works.
This is Pochettino’s inexperience at international coaching. This is Pochettino not understanding the US Mexico rivalry. If he was Argentina coach he would play Messi 60 against Bolivia and send him back to his club before a Brazil game. This is bananas.
Betinho,
You’ve already given up? Mexico is now guaranteed to beat us?
“It’s not the US’s problem if Milan has to deal with him being tired from travel.”
Actually it is. We don’t want him getting injured and maybe losing his form and his place at Milan. And don’t tell me it can’t happen. Gio has had his career hamstrung by injuries that happened on international duty.
The USMNT’s best interests are in Pulisic having a great year at Milan. He is our bell cow, our talisman and we want to make sure that we do what we can to make sure everything is going well with him at his club.
“Are all the Euro based South Americans being sent back to their clubs after 60 minutes played? No. That’s not how it works.”
Which South Americans? We don’t know all the ins and outs of those relationships. Pochettino can only deal with our relationships to the clubs.
“This is Pochettino’s inexperience at international coaching. ”
Actually he has a ton of experience with what this aspect of international coaching is about. Except, it is from the other side. He has been the club manager of a very long list of very important internationals, Kane, Son, Lloris, Messi, Neymar, Mbappe, Cavani, etc., etc. He knows all about this push-pull relationship between club and country. I’m sure he has had players come back injured from international duty. Now he sees it from other side.
Pulisic will hopefully be vital to both Milan and the USMNT for some time. Pochettino is well equipped to walk that fine line. This is the first time I can remember that the USMNT manager might be as experienced, accomplished and well regarded as most of the club managers he will be dealing with. I think Milan would rather have Pochettino than Fonseca. That’s got to be of help.
“This is Pochettino not understanding the US Mexico rivalry. If he was Argentina coach he would play Messi 60 against Bolivia and send him back to his club before a Brazil game. This is bananas.”
Not if the Brazil game was a World Cup qualifier. The Mexico game is a friendly designed to give us a test and provide revenue, as all USMNT/El Tri games are designed to do.
He understands the USMNT -El Tri rivalry. It has always been a cash grab designed to provide revenue for both sides. He and Tata Martino are close. Maybe he wants to beat Mexico for Tata. But he’s building a team and that’s more important.
As part of that team building he said he would take care of the players and not return them to their clubs in worse shape than he got them. He knows exactly how clubs feel about it when they come back injured.
1. It’s a negotiation. Take care of the clubs interests and they will take care of ours. Remember, we’re only BORROWING these players.
2. We’ve been beating El Tri like a drum for some time. No reason we can’t do it again.
3. No time like the present for these guys to prove to Pochettino that they can raise their level and make up for missing our best player for one game. It will happen someday, let’s practice now. If they had practiced playing with 10 men more intensely Gregg might still be here.
We need depth. Games like this are how we find out what kind of depth we have.
It makes for a much more interesting game.