Pochettino promised this roster would offer a clearer vision into his World Cup thoughts, with a 60-man roster winnowed to 26
During the September window, Mauricio Pochettino offered a glimpse into what this month's camp would look like. It would be less experimental, he said. It would also likely be more European-based. Having expanded the player pool by giving opportunities to as many contenders as possible, it was time to start tightening.
In truth, it was time to really start looking ahead.
On Thursday, Pochettino announced his latest squad, a 26-man list including most of the heavy-hitters. Only 11 are holdovers from last month's camp, showing just how much has changed. Several absences are due to injury. One is due to paternity leave. Much of the squad, though, is made up of players being welcomed back in for one reason or another.
From big names such as Weston McKennie to less familiar ones such as James Sands, this team is, by and large, made up of talented players with points to prove. More than anything, though, it's a team that makes sense.
Pochettino promised that this month would offer a clearer vision into his World Cup thoughts and, by and large, it does. What was once a 60-player pool has been winnowed down. This camp, then, will narrow it even further as those in the team, and those out of it, fight for those World Cup spots.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from the USMNT squad.
GettyWINNER: Antonee Robinson
He's finally back, and that's good news not just for Robinson, but for the USMNT as a whole.
This will be Robinson's first camp of 2025, believe it or not, as injuries have essentially derailed his calendar year with the USMNT. Throughout that span, the U.S. was repeatedly confronted with a fact that, in truth, everyone already knew: there is no replacement for the Fulham star. Other players have stepped in capably, and Max Arfsten has been turned into a decent backup, but Robinson is in a class of his own.
The only real negative is that, because of injury, Sergino Dest is out on the other side, so we won't get a proper look at what this three-back system could look like with the two primary wingbacks. Maybe next month. But in the meantime, the USMNT will be glad to welcome back Robinson, who remains an integral a piece to this team.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSERS: The injured bunch
With time dwindling before a World Cup, every camp seems all the more important. So, for those not on the squad, this is quite obviously a missed opportunity, whether you're a player on the fringes or one in the starting XI.
It would have been very nice to see how Dest played in this system with Robinson on the other side. His PSV teammate, Ricardo Pepi, meanwhile, is also dealing with injury issues that are, for the moment, preventing him from pushing Folarin Balogun for that spot as the USMNT's starting striker.
In the midfield, Johnny Cardoso is dealing with an injury, and no player needs a good international performance more than the newly-signed Atletico Madrid man, who has had few opportunities with the World Cup coming. And then there's Gio Reyna. There's no guarantee he'd have been here even if he was fully fit, due to his lack of minutes but, again, the clock is ticking.
There aren't many chances remaining for players to prove that they belong next summer. For several players in the pool, this one will pass them by due to unfortunate timing.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Joe Scally
Speaking of fullbacks, there's one big absence in that spot: Joe Scally. His exclusion comes after a wild performance in the Bundesliga, one in which he provided two assists in a chaotic 6-4 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
At least for the moment, it seems that Alex Freeman is in pole position for that backup spot on the right side. The reasons why are fairly clear. Freeman, at his core, is an attacking fullback, more of a like-for-like replacement for an injured Dest. Tim Weah, too, is an option in the right-wingback spot, having played there fairly regularly on the club level in recent years.
As a result, Scally is the odd man out at the moment. Despite his assists this weekend, he's more defensive by nature. He does provide versatility in that he can play on either side or as part of a back three. But with the squad expanded to 26 players, there's room to take more specialists than Swiss army knives. At the moment, it seems that fact is keeping Scally out of the team.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Patrick Agyemang
He's seemingly settled in at Derby County, even if he's waiting for that first goal. Now, Patrick Agyemang is back with the USMNT, offering some indication of where he remains in the overall pool.
The now-former Charlotte FC striker has two assists already for his new Championship club and has offered glimpses into the skillset that convinced both Pochettino and Derby of his overall talent. After missing the September camp due to injury, Agyemang will be competing with Balogun and Haji Wright for minutes at the top of the USMNT attack.
Striker, of course, is a unique position, one that depends on form more than anywhere else on the field. You have to be in the mix, though, to make that form count, and Agyemang remains right there.