Mauricio Pochettino, The new United States coach announced his first call-up this Wednesday and assured that his team will have to play exciting and attractive football that attracts local fans.
“I think soccer should be an exciting sport for the American people. I think they should enjoy every time they go to the stadium and “I think we have incredible players,” he mentioned in a press conference via video call.
Prominent but with the right balance
In this sense, Pochettino emphasized that his team wants to be a “protagonist” on the ball and dominate possession, but he also stressed that they need to find “the right balance” and in defense appear “desperate” and “strong” to win the ball back as soon as possible.
This Wednesday, the Argentine presented the list of 25 called for his first matches with the US team, which will be two friendlies: on October 12 against Panama in Austin (Texas) and on October 15 against Mexico in Guadalajara. Of the 25 players, 19 participated in the last Copa América, where they fell in the first stage despite being the hosts.
He met Antonee Robinson by chance
Christian Pulisic He led the first call to Pochettino, who, due to injury, was missing some important names from the previous years in the US, such as Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna or Sergiño Dest.
“From the moment of the announcement (as the new coach), we started working on many things through Zoom, by phone and of course watching the games,” commented Pochettino, who acknowledged that in recent weeks he was not met any of his team in person except Antonee Robinson, whom he met by chance in London.
Endless paperwork
The coach also explained that he was the only one This Monday he received the work visa after a paperwork process he described as “a nightmare” and he’s eager to get his project moving.
“Each of the players on this list deserves the opportunity to be with us (…). I’m excited to see them all because they all have different qualities and it’s very important to know their personalities,” he said.
He also chose to create a “good atmosphere” in the team where the collective prevails over the individual and announced that, from the beginning, will use 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 schemes.
Pochettino was announced on September 10 as coach replaced Gregg Berhalter and will lead the Stars and Stripes team to the main event in 2026, when the USA will host the World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
Your first listing
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace).
Defenses: Marlon Fossey (Standard Liège), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic ).
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven).
Faces: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City).
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
