The truth is that we know very little about Pochettino’s USMNT philosophy. We’ll find out more when he meets the press on Friday, but anything is possible.
Maybe — and we’re making examples from the ether — he’s a huge watcher of the Greek league and has identified Erik Palmer-Brown as an elite center back. Maybe he can’t believe Timothy Weah hasn’t been tried at center forward.
[ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino announced as USMNT coach ]
Of course, we know that Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson will be key players for Pochettino, but chances are that there will be at least a handful of players who will get another chance with the national team.
We don’t know, but we can draw a conclusion. Here are some thoughts on the possibilities for the USMNT moving forward under their new Argentinian leader.
Carter-Vickers never made his breakthrough as a young centre-back for Pochettino at Tottenham, but the fact that he was on the bench for UEFA Champions League matches at the age of 18, including both last-16 matches against Dortmund in 2016, says something.
“CCV” never played a Premier League minute for Spurs, and was loaned out many times before moving to Celtic and becoming their best centre-back. But Pochettino used him in two League Cup and two FA Cup games before he was 20, and Carter-Vickers was positioned behind a deep group of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Ben Davies for playing time in Pochettino’s back three.
With the new boss looking at his USMNT centrebacks, it makes sense that he would keep a close eye on Carter-Vickers. And that could also pay off for new Celtic signing Auston Trusty.
Gaga Slonina was also owned by Chelsea when Pochettino was manager, and DeAndre Yedlin was on the payroll at Spurs but played just 11 minutes for Pochettino before being loaned to Sunderland and sold to Newcastle United.
The Burnley forward has been called up to youth camps for Italy, Canada and the United States, and senior camp for Canada. The Connecticut-born 19-year-old has a goal in three Championship appearances this season and would have been on Pochettino’s scouting radar – and in front of his eyes for 29 minutes at Turf Moor – when Chelsea’s staff were scouting and match-planning last season.
But Koleosho was also part of Espanyol’s youth system and broke through to the La Liga side’s first team between 2022-23. Pochettino is a hero at Espanyol, where he has played more than half of his 500-plus league games as a player and two Cups of the King before taking over management of the team from 2009 to 2012.
Koleosho is thought to have hoped to represent Italy at senior level, but his acceptance of a call-up to Canada shows the door remains open for his future. If Pochettino and/or the U.S. Soccer Federation rate Koleosho as highly as some, the States may have another chance to secure his deal.
Marlon Fossey
It might sound strange to name a player who came out of nowhere to earn his first cap on the day Pochettino was hired, right?
But Fossey, 25, perhaps had the best performance of any USMNT starter on Tuesday against New Zealand, playing a key role in the buildup to Christian Pulisic’s goal.
He showed a brilliant first touch, positional awareness and electric burst. Fulham minutes were hard to come by for the right-back before a move to the Belgian First Division, but he is a regular at Standard Liege and has every reason to hope he can become a regular in the team while Sergino Dest recovers from injury.
There were two phases to the Gregg Berhalter era when it comes to center forwards: before and after Folarin Balogun. When the now Monaco starter committed his future to the USMNT, he was expected to play in every game, if not start.
The 23-year-old Balogun has scored five goals and produced four in 17 caps, including a goal against Ghana and assists against Germany and Colombia. He features in every 18.
Ricardo Pepi was also a mainstay, while Jesus Ferreira was a Berhalter fantasy who wouldn’t give up (for better or for worse).
But here’s the thing: Pochettino must be dealt with are best option to end chances as soon as possible. The World Cup is about 20 months away and few people will expect the boss to extend his stay after the tournament.
So whoever is in the best form will get the minutes. Balogun is the clear favorite, but if Jordan Pefok, who played 90 minutes in each of Union Berlin’s first two Bundesliga games, or Championship forwards Josh Sargent and Haji Wright deliver, they could become Pochettino’s talisman.
It seems like a bit of a gamble with the oft-injured 31-year-old Brooks in the 2.Bundesliga with his boyhood club Hertha Berlin, but the U.S. national team is far from settled in his place as a center back. There’s a reason the towering center back has been given chances everywhere from Wolfsburg to Benfica during his fairly stellar career.
Brooks is an excellent long-ball player with bizarre athleticism who has scored in a World Cup and played every minute of a Copa America run to the semifinals. He has been out of the USMNT since 2021 and who knows if the door is open for a return, but Brooks represents an option in a uncertain positional group that could feature a back three.
Look, maybe Mauricio Pochettino is secretly an MLS fanatic and knows the league like the back of his hand.
Maybe.
But it’s more likely that the Argentine will get a crash course on the American talent playing within the borders of the United States (and Canada).
That could mean top scorers Djordje Mihailovic and Timothy Tillman move a bit further into the picture, but it could also mean someone catches Pochettino’s eye, much like Jordan Morris caught Jurgen Klinsmann’s eye.
Jack McGlynn? Diego Luna? Brooks Lennon? Cole Bassett? James Sands? All top players in Major League Soccer and the door may be open for him.
