Every edition of the Gold Cup brings significant expectations for the U.S. men`s national team, a consistent favorite in the competition. However, there`s a tangible sense of urgency surrounding Mauricio Pochettino`s squad as they commence final preparations for the biannual tournament. This represents the head coach`s last realistic opportunity to secure silverware with this specific group before the 2026 World Cup on home soil, where many are hoping for a statement-making performance from the host nation.
This context makes Pochettino`s current task – working with a group largely lacking international experience – particularly intriguing. The Gold Cup squad includes only six players with 30 or more international caps, a number smaller than the seven players who have yet to make their senior national team debut ahead of Saturday`s friendly against Turkiye, the first of two warm-up matches preceding the Gold Cup. In some ways, Pochettino has been necessitated to field a youthful roster; key figures like Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic are dealing with injuries, while Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, and Gio Reyna are unavailable due to their commitments in the Club World Cup.
Looking ahead, Pochettino has the potential of having up to a full month, should the team reach the Gold Cup final on July 6, to finally instill the tactical ideas he has for a group he has only been able to work with for limited 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 noted 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.”
Pochettino sees the current opportunity as two-fold. It involves identifying the “too many areas that we need to improve” and actively course-correcting, especially following the disappointing fourth-place finish in the Concacaf Nations League finals in March, an outing where the team`s psychological approach was a significant talking point.
Pochettino argued that “it`s not fair to compare” the roster from March with the current squad, emphasizing that “the circumstances are completely different.” He likely has a point – the CNL roster contained enough established players that building chemistry was a primary goal in March, even if it wasn`t effectively achieved with two poor performances. This summer, Pochettino is granting opportunities to a set of players who are newer to the national team environment, which could prove valuable for a broader player pool still adapting to working with the new head coach.
“I wouldn`t say we`re quite in a transition period but we`re in a bit of a learning period,” commented Tyler Adams, one of the few veterans present 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.”
Whether due to circumstances or not, the list of unavailable players over the past eight months means Pochettino has offered more chances to less experienced players than might have been initially foreseen in his tenure. Some have already firmly taken these opportunities – Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna was a rare positive during the March CNL matches and is included in the Gold Cup squad, while Charlotte FC`s Patrick Agyemang could genuinely make a case for himself as the USMNT`s leading No. 9 given the injuries to Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, as well as Josh Sargent`s absence, which Pochettino described as a “football decision” last month. Adams, who came through the New York Red Bulls academy system, views the roster`s strong MLS representation 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 stated. “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 next month, Pochettino will navigate the balancing act of assessing new talent while missing the chance to integrate with established key players. This is a standard challenge for any relatively new manager but becomes particularly difficult with the World Cup only a year away. The stakes are undoubtedly elevated, especially considering the turbulent year prior, which included a group stage elimination at the Copa America and a change in coaching leadership. For now, however, the team hopes the recent challenges they have faced are formative experiences that build character, rather than predictors of future outcomes.
“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 reflected. “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.”
