A three-game winning streak is enough to keep vibes high regardless of the context, but for the US men’s national team, optimism comes easily these days. Their lopsided wins over Peru, Chile and Mexico over the last week and change came courtesy of a group of teenagers who had risen so far to face the challenges of international football in their first go, offering the first cattle on the way to collective power.
As the USMNT head into their final international friendly break on Tuesday against Canada, the window could already be a success, despite some uneven performances. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has prioritized player development over wins, but he has split pockets in both columns along the way, perhaps because about the imperfections of the road. The young US-focused team found ways to solve problems in the course of the first games together, all trending in exactly the right direction so far. Pochettino did not waste the opportunity to talk about the “fantastic atmosphere” and described the youthful energy in the camp as “contagious” with the newcomers heaping praise on the more experienced players alike.
It’s a result of the relaxed professionalism at the USMNT, a natural transition during the first international break after the World Cup. True intentions of good vibes camp, but always top of mind.
How to watch USMNT vs. Canada, odds
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6 Time: 8 pm ET
Location: Allianz Field — Saint Paul, Minn.
TV: TNT | live stream HBO Max
Discord: USMNT -130; They draw +270; Canada +330
“It’s about keeping going, building that chemistry between the older players and the new players,” Pochettino said on Monday. “I think that this is the most important thing that happened in this window, to have three weeks to build this relationship. It is a big thing. That is a military thing that is important to build. Without this, it is difficult to propose something after the pitch and to feel the awareness inside.”
Pochettino is nervous to force the guests – he did not want to join on Saturday 3-0 win in Mexico to the upcoming game against Canada, describing each one as “a different world”, calling the friendlies a “new beginning” rather than a continuation of this year’s World Cup. It is not easy to recognize the context of the new-look USMNT, even if Pochettino left it. Two years after taking up his first job and preparing for the World Cup in short order, Pochettino now has the luxury of time and hopes to spoil none of it.
Twelve players have earned their first caps and 13, ahead of Cole Campbell, could do so on Tuesday against Canada. However, all 19-year-old Zavier Gozo’s wings have played at least 50 minutes so far, Pochettino doing what he can to introduce each of them to the demands of the senior national team before any of them are asked to take part in a competitive match. They will come in short order – the Confederation of Nations quarter-finalist Concacaf is expected next month, a victory there to earn a spot in the semifinals in March and possibly the final days later. With or without that trip, the Concacaf Gold Cup returns next summer, and the World Cup begins next fall. Slowly and then at the same time, all the stakes will undoubtedly be high as to which composition in the USMNT Pochettino relies on in the end.
It’s time for the USMNT to be the best version of themselves come the 2030s, and yet time is of the essence. Over the course of the last three games, the US team’s first timers appear to be good candidates for Pochettino’s high-intensity, attack-minded style of play, while Julian Hall and Cavan Sullivan have made as good a case as any to mix well with the senior players. Each occupies a unique – and highly desired – role in the attacking player pool, with Diego Kochen as the primary leader in the race to see if the USMNT will have another metaphysical start in the 2030s.
A group of newcomers will rotate the senior national team over the next four years, as they will be joined by more experienced teammates as Pochettino embarks on a fascinating balancing act that will play out on the road to 2030. Their ability to quickly adapt to new circumstances, even if the moment does not come too quickly.
“A lot of credit to the senior players in the way they got the new players,” Pochettino said. “The young players were so smart … that’s the way to behave. I think he listened to them [to] The older players were listening [to] on the coaching staff and I think he’s doing really well.”
Pochettino is looking for a turnaround against Canada
While Pochettino wanted the opportunity to establish the basis of a new four-year cycle with the camp extending over two weeks, he spent much of the international window dealing with load management and said he would play a role in his team selection against Canada. He also set a critical US Soccer schedule for friendly situations that he and the coaching staff were not familiar with.
“We are going to make injury changes, but we are trying to manage the players’ loads, of course, but we feel it belongs to the clubs who are the players. [to]”Pochettino said. “All these types of local four games, when in Atlanta, went to Orlando; Orlando [to] Atlanta; Atlanta [to]St. Louis; St. Louis [to] Arizona; and yesterday he was delayed for more than two hours, and the decision came late. Yesterday and today we changed plans a bit and then [we] here in Minnesota But it is not easy, but what I can tell you is that the behavior of the players, the strength of the players, the mentality, the role is amazing”.
Nine players have clocked 45 minutes or more per game in the international window, all starting against Mexico, while Sullivan is one minute short of that mark so far. It seems entirely plausible that Pochettino is moving most, if not all, of the starters out of Saturday’s game, offering a few players a chance to really impress before they return to their respective clubs.
The goalkeeper position will be one of the focuses for the foreseeable future, especially since Pochettino has put a lot of effort into developing that section of the player pool. Kochen only received his first cap this fall, but he has been in and out of the USMNT at the start of his professional career, with Pochettino taking a number of young strikers with him on the trip to the World Cup last summer in the hope of providing Kochen with valuable experience. Brian Schwake could pick up his second cap against Canada while Chris Bradley, the third string keeper at the World Cup, is looking for even more reps with just two caps under his belt. Slowly but surely, World Cup starter Matt Freese will try to shake off the road to the 2030 tournament.
Campbell, meanwhile, remains the only player out of action after missing the first two international games with a minor injury. He trained fully from Thursday, but did not leave the bench against Mexico.