When Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the U.S. men’s national team, the clock became a constant constraint. He arrived with under two years until the U.S. co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, and without the pressure—or clarity—of qualifying matches, his early work has largely been limited to friendlies and short training windows.
That lack of sustained contact has been magnified by a persistent injury list. Pochettino’s November squad reflects those struggles: expected starters such as Christian Pulisic, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman and Timothy Weah are sidelined or still working their way back. Players fighting for places like Tristan Blackmon, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alejandro Zendejas are also unavailable.
Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie was omitted from the call-up as he adjusts to new coach Luciano Spalletti, underscoring how little time the staff has to settle a preferred XI. After November there’s only one standalone international window in March before the pre-World Cup camp in May, so Pochettino has few opportunities left to experiment, evaluate and fine-tune.
Pochettino accepts the timeline without complaint. He has repeatedl
