Every Gold Cup comes with significant expectations for the U.S. men`s national team, traditionally a favorite to win the competition. However, for Mauricio Pochettino`s squad, this training camp and the upcoming tournament feel like a critical juncture. It represents the coach`s final opportunity to win silverware with this group of players before the 2026 World Cup on home soil, where many hope for a strong, statement performance.
In light of this, Pochettino`s choice to work with an inexperienced group appears intriguing. Only six players on the Gold Cup roster have more than 30 national team appearances, fewer than the seven players yet to earn their first cap before Saturday`s match against Turkiye – the first of two friendlies preceding the tournament. In part, Pochettino was compelled to rely on younger players: key figures like Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic are dealing with fitness issues, while Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Gio Reyna will participate in the Club World Cup.
However, Pochettino faces the opportunity to spend an entire month (should the team reach the Gold Cup final on July 6) to finally drill in the ideas he intends to implement with a group he has only met for a few days at a time since coaching his first game in October.
“I think it`s a great opportunity for us to settle things that are sometimes difficult to work on when you only have a few days to train and you need to play,” he said at a press conference on Friday. “Now we have a wonderful opportunity to spend a month together… It`s always about the opportunity. You need to provide the player with a chance, and the player may or may not take it, but the important thing now is to trust this roster and try to compete, believing we can win.”
The opportunity Pochettino spoke about is two-fold. For him, it`s a chance to identify “too many areas that we need to improve” and effectively correct course, especially after a disastrous fourth-place finish in the Concacaf Nations League finals in March, where the team`s mentality became the primary topic of discussion.
Pochettino countered that it`s “unfair to compare” the March roster with the current group, adding that “the circumstances are completely different.” He may have a point – the Nations League squad had enough mainstays to make developing team chemistry a primary focus in March, even if that didn`t really happen due to two poor performances. This summer, Pochettino is providing an opportunity to a group of players newer to the national team environment, which could be valuable for a broad pool of players still learning to work with the new head coach.
“I wouldn`t say we`re quite in a transition period, but we`re definitely in a learning period,” said 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. 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 will be great for the team.”
Perhaps circumstantially, but the list of unavailable players over the last eight months has resulted in Pochettino giving more opportunities to inexperienced footballers than might have been expected at the start of his tenure. Some have already seized these chances with both hands – Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna was a lone bright spot during the Nations League games in March and is back for the Gold Cup, while Charlotte FC`s Patrick Agyemang could seriously make a case for himself as the new USMNT No. 9 due to the absences of Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi (injuries), as well as Josh Sargent (Pochettino called this a “football decision” last month). Adams, a New York Red Bulls academy product, believes an MLS-heavy roster is a positive thing.
“When I saw the roster, honestly, I was quite excited, because being a kid who came through MLS and got his first chance to play for the national team while still in the league, I know how hard you have to work to earn a little more respect. And all these guys who are here deserve to be here,” he said. “They all have different skill sets and will 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 prove something, so these two friendly games before the Gold Cup, I think, will be a great test for everyone.”
Now Pochettino will spend the next month navigating the push and pull between integrating new talent and lacking the opportunity to work with established players. This is a reasonable undertaking for any relatively new coach, but it requires a difficult balancing act with only one year remaining until the World Cup. The stakes may be high, especially considering the challenging year prior, which included a group stage exit at the Copa America and a managerial change. However, the team currently hopes that past challenges are a formative experience rather than an indication of what`s to come.
“Obviously, you wish to win every game leading up to a World Cup and be flying with confidence, but it`s a double-edged sword, so to speak, isn`t it?” Adams said. “You could win a bunch of games that don`t really matter and arrive at the World Cup without the performance you want, or you can go through a period of adaptation, like we are now, struggle a bit and realize what`s in front of you, and understand how valuable playing in a home World Cup will be. So, honestly, I think we are right where we are supposed to be right now.” “We`ve struggled, we`ve been beaten down, we`ve been, so to speak, set back a stone, and now we need to keep proving that we are at this level and capable of improving… There`s room for improvement for sure, but I`d rather that than be perfect.”
