The Gold Cup always brings significant pressure for the U.S. Men`s National Team, who are typically considered favorites. However, this edition feels particularly crucial for Mauricio Pochettino`s squad as they commence their final preparations for the biennial tournament. It represents the head coach`s last chance to secure silverware with this core group before the 2026 World Cup on home soil, where a strong showing is widely anticipated.
Given these stakes, Pochettino working with a relatively inexperienced roster presents a fascinating dynamic. Only six players in the current Gold Cup squad boast 30 or more international appearances. This is fewer than the seven players who were yet to earn their first cap heading into Saturday`s friendly against Turkiye, the initial warm-up match before the tournament begins. In some ways, Pochettino has been compelled to rely on a younger group, as key players like Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic are dealing with fitness concerns, while Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Gio Reyna are participating in the Club World Cup.
Looking ahead, Pochettino has the potential benefit of nearly a full month, should the team reach the Gold Cup final on July 6, to truly embed his tactical ideas with a group he`s previously only seen for brief periods since taking charge in October.
“I think it`s a great opportunity for us to settle things that sometimes it’s difficult when you only have a few days to train and you need to play,” he commented during a press conference on Friday. “I think now it`s a great opportunity to be together during one month. … Always, it’s about the opportunity. You need to provide the opportunity to the player and the player maybe can take it or not, but the important thing now is to trust in this roster and try to compete, believing that we can win.”
The “opportunity” Pochettino discussed has two facets. For him, it involves pinpointing the “too many areas that we need to improve” and actively correcting issues. This is particularly pertinent after the disappointing fourth-place finish in the Concacaf Nations League finals in March, a performance where the team`s mindset was a major talking point.
Pochettino contended that “it`s not fair to compare” the March roster with the current one, stating that “the circumstances are completely different.” He has a valid point – the CNL squad featured enough regular starters that building chemistry *should* have been a priority in March, though it didn`t materialize with two subpar displays. This summer, Pochettino is providing chances to players who are relatively new to the national team environment. This could be invaluable for broadening the player pool and helping more individuals learn how to integrate with the new head coach`s system.
“I wouldn`t say we`re quite in a transition period but we`re in a bit of a learning period,” noted Tyler Adams, one of the few veterans on the Gold Cup roster. “We`ve had to adapt to different things, new principles, new players coming in, getting familiar with each other, finding out each other`s tendencies and finding the best way to succeed on the field and I think that always takes a little bit of time, but we have a great opportunity in front of us right now. A lot of new faces and new energy, which I think is going to be great for the team.”
While perhaps influenced by circumstances, the list of unavailable players over the past eight months has meant Pochettino has offered more opportunities to inexperienced individuals than might have been expected early in his tenure. Some have already firmly seized these chances – Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna was a notable positive during the March CNL matches and is back for the Gold Cup, while Charlotte FC`s Patrick Agyemang could potentially establish himself as the USMNT`s primary striker given the injuries to Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, as well as the “football decision” concerning Josh Sargent last month, as described by Pochettino. Adams, a product of the New York Red Bulls academy system, views the MLS-heavy composition of the roster favorably.
“When I saw the roster, I was quite excited, to be honest with you, because being a kid that came through MLS, had their first opportunity to play with the national team while I was still in MLS, I know how you have to work to be a little bit more respected and all these guys that are here deserve to be here,” he explained. “All of them have different skill sets and are going to be able to help our team moving forward, but playing with everyone, the vibes are high right now. Everyone here is ready to take their opportunity and ready to prove a point so with these two friendly games before the Gold Cup, I think it will be a great opportunity to test everyone.”
Over the coming month, Pochettino will navigate the challenge of evaluating new talent while simultaneously missing the chance to work with more established players. This is a reasonable task for any relatively new coach, but it requires a delicate balancing act with the World Cup just a year away. The stakes are considerable, especially following a difficult preceding year that included a group stage exit at the Copa America and a change in management. For now, however, the team is hoping that the recent challenges will prove to be a formative learning experience rather than an indicator of future performance.
“Obviously, you wish that you win every game in the lead up to a World Cup and you`re flying with confidence but it`s a double-edged sword so to speak, isn`t it?” Adams remarked. “You could be winning a bunch of games that don`t really matter and get to the World Cup and not have the performance that you want or you can kind of go through a period of adaptation like we`re going through right now and struggle a little bit and realize what`s in front of you and understand how valuable playing in a home World Cup is going to be so to be honest, I think we`re right where we`re supposed to be right now.”
“We`ve struggled, we`ve gotten beat down, we`ve been pegged back a stone, so to speak and now we need to continue to prove that we are at this level and able to improve. … There`s room for improvement for sure, but I`d rather that than to be perfect.”
Adrian Whitmore