You may only get one opportunity to play under a world class manager and for many of the U.S. men’s national team players, the current period under Mauricio Pochettino is certainly one of those times.

Pochettino will lead his USMNT squad into Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal first leg vs. Jamaica as the first competitive matches for the program under the Argentine. The former Tottenham, Southampton, PSG, and Chelsea boss will take part in his first tournament as USMNT boss after leading the squad to a pair of mixed results during the October International window.

Star attacker Christian Pulisic is one of several key leaders in the USMNT squad and has already admitted the added focus in himself and teammates following Pochettino’s arrival.

“It’s been a good kind of reset for everyone, and I think it’s brought an environment where everyone is a bit on their toes and especially in training sessions,” Pulisic told reporters Wednesday.

“I think everyone is that much more focused,” he added. “You obviously want to make a good first impression, you want to impress these coaches. They’ve obviously coached some of the best players in the world.”

Pulisic helped the USMNT get back on track in 2022, reaching the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia. Alongside several other European stars, Pulisic and the Americans earned draws with England and Wales before a 1-0 group stage victory over Iran propelled the USMNT into the Round of 16.

Despite a disappointing 3-1 exit at the hands of the Netherlands, the new squad of USMNT players gained valuable experience on the world’s biggest stage. Now with the 2026 World Cup set to take part on North American soil in less than two years time, Pulisic believes a strong Nations League run could be beneficial to the team’s overall preparation goals.

“It’s easy to look ahead. I think the main objective right now is to beat Jamaica,” Pulisic said. “That’s truly the only thing on our minds…We have to take this step by step. If we can do that, we can obviously build on that, and then it’s just continuing to grow as a team.”

The upcoming two-legged series with Jamaica will be the latest encounters between the two CONCACAF nations. Jamaica hasn’t earned a victory over the USMNT since 2019, failing to win any of its last seven head-to-head meetings across all competitions.

However, the arrival of former England and Premier League manager Steve McLaren has rejuvenated the Jamaican squad. The Reggae Boyz are unbeaten in their last four matches and will have the services of Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Issac Hayden and many other players to call on.

Pulisic has featured against Jamaica on four previous occasions, but admitted that the current squad is definitely improved from years past.

“It’s obviously going to be a tough place to go,” Pulisic said “They are obviously a team with a lot of good athletes, a very physical team, and one that I think has improved a lot as well in recent years.”