Christian Pulisic leads Mauricio Pochettino’s first U.S. squad

Mauricio Pochettino’s first roster as United States men’s national team manager contains plenty of familiar names, a group headlined by AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and Monaco forward Folarin Balogun.

Pochettino was officially named USMNT manager back on Sept. 10. His first match in charge will see his 25-player roster face Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 12, with a match against bitter rival Mexico at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara three days later.

The roster contains 19 players who performed at the 2024 Copa América, a tournament in which the USMNT fared poorly, failing to get out of its group stage and losing 2-1 to Panama.

The United States’ record against the Canaleros in all competitions is 17W-3L-6D.

Against Mexico, the U.S. is riding a seven-game unbeaten streak dating back to the 2021 Concacaf Nations League final. But the USMNT will be facing El Tri in a friendly on Mexican soil for the first time since 2012, a 1-0 victory for the U.S. at the famed Estadio Azteca. That is the only away win for the U.S. in this storied rivalry.

Pochettino told the media on Wednesday that he has learned the importance of setting the tone from his other coaching roles.

“From the beginning we are going to be very simple, very clear on our ideas and concept,” he said, adding that he would take the same approach with the coaching staff. “They need to know very well what we are going to expect from them.”

There are several players who weren’t called in because of injury, a group that includes Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, PSV Eindhoven defender Sergiño Dest, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gio Reyna and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards.

The roster also saw a recall for Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen and Venezia midfielder Gianluca Busio. Steffen’s last appearance for the USMNT came in March 2022, while Busio last played for the U.S. at the 2023 Gold Cup. Busio was part of the U.S. Olympic team that reached the quarterfinals in Paris.

Pulisic, the most capped U.S. player on the roster with 73 appearances, enters the camp in electric form, having scored five goals and added two assists to start the season.

The likes of Balogun, PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi and Norwich City’s Josh Sargent have also been sharp of late. Balogun has scored in his past two league matches, Pepi scored twice in his first start of the season on Saturday against Willem II, while Sargent recorded two assists against Derby County.

Pochettino said time did not allow him to meet with players individually prior to this camp, and for this reason the roster is similar to previous squads.

“When preparing the roster and we really trusted in the opinion and all the information we received from the national team, and that is why you are going to see similar roster from last camp,” he said. “Now we have an opportunity to see them in an individual way. But I think every single player on squad deserves opportunity to be with us.”

U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM – OCTOBER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS (4): Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City/WAL; 9/0), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; 29/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 45/0)