Mauricio Pochettino, The new United States coach announced his first call-up this Wednesday and assured that his team has to play exciting and attractive football that engages the local fans.
“I think soccer has to be an exciting sport for the American citizen. I think they need to enjoy every time they go to the stadium and “I think we have incredible players,” he noted in a press conference via video call.
Prominence but with the right balance
In this sense, Pochettino highlighted that his team wants to be a “protagonist” with the ball and dominate possession, but he also stressed that they have to find “the right balance” and in defense appear “desperate” and “strong” to recover the ball as soon as possible.
This Wednesday, the Argentine presented the list of 25 called up 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 phase despite being the hosts.
He met Antonee Robinson by chance
Christian Pulisic He heads Pochettino’s first call-up, in which, due to injury, some important names from recent years in the US are missing, 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 via Zoom, by phone and of course watching games,” commented Pochettino, who acknowledged that in recent weeks he has not been able to meet any of his team in person. players except Antonee Robinson, whom he met by chance in London.
Endless paperwork
The coach also explained that he just This Monday he received the work visa after a paperwork process that he described as “a nightmare” and he was eager to get his project moving.
“Each of the players on this list deserves the opportunity to be with us (…). I am excited to see them all because they all have different characteristics and it is very important to know their personality,” he said.
He also opted to create a “good atmosphere” in the team in which the collective prevails over the individual and announced that, from the outset, will use the 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 schemes.
Pochettino was announced on September 10 as coach replacing Gregg Berhalter and will lead the Stars and Stripes team towards the key event in 2026, when the USA will organize the World Cup together with Mexico and Canada.
Your first list
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).
Read also
Fronts: Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Timothy Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City).
