Mauricio Pochettino’s first games in charge of the US men’s team began with new optimism in the face of a differently bleak life, but ended with the reintroduction of a set of common problems that he will be tasked with mitigating in a month for the 2026 International Cup on local soil.
A 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday and a 2-0 loss in Mexico on Tuesday gave insight into the USMNT’s unused tactical plan under Pochettino, a man who requires high levels of depth to keep up with his taste for the attack. play games. However, between an injury scheme and minutes control, the games also allowed Pochettino to explore the intensity of the United States, with the usual combined effects. Tuesday’s loss specifically highlighted a long-standing malady: the USMNT’s bench isn’t as strong as the most popular lineup, removing the unused head coach with plenty of work to do with the countdown to the 2026 International Cup officially underway. .
It’s not all bad news for USMNT players in the looming bubble, a handful managed to build their instances at this rate, an encouraging sign for a team that feels a desperate need to integrate some emerging skills into the core roster. That said, Pochettino’s early games remind us that the team’s composition continues to change and will be a concern in his first months in charge.
Here’s a look at which players inspired, and which didn’t, in Pochettino’s first games in charge of the USMNT.
Stay up to date: Brandon Vázquez
Brandon Vazquez was a late addition to the roster and played a better 27 minutes at this speed, all in a catch-up appearance against Mexico, but you have to give him credit for making those minutes count. The USMNT was already down 2-0 during the month he arrived, but he was an extraordinary source of depth for a team that desperately needed some. He had 16 touches and three shots, more than Josh Sargent in his 63-minute shift on Tuesday, and also outplayed the starter in key passes. The sample size may be limited, but it’s enough to make him a player to watch in a transition period for the USMNT offense, especially when it comes to bench building.
Keep Unwell: Josh Sargent
This pace field was willing to trade a standout generation for Sargent, who is among the USMNT’s most in-form forwards, recording four goals and three assists in nine games this season and had the starting task all to himself in the upcoming Folarin Balogun. he dislocated his shoulder. He was rewarded with his first start since the 2022 International Cup, but Sargent was largely absent despite playing 130 minutes in two games at this rate. The Norwich Town striker took just two shots during the World Cup split, both against Panama, and was slightly more active on Saturday than Tuesday with 19 touches. There is no reason to rule out Sargent, especially as he may have any other fracture in earning a starting spot after pace, as Balogun is expected to miss the final quarter-finals of the Concacaf International League. Meanwhile, he remains just one of many USMNT players who haven’t begun to live up to their word by competing for the national team.
Stay up to date: Alex Zendejas
Like Vázquez, Alex Zendejas was an alternative player who began to build a case at this speed. He played just five minutes against Panama, but was a half-time replacement in Mexico, doing what he could to inject strength into a listless American team. He took 26 touches and had 16 passes attempted, much better than Yunus Musah, who was replaced by Zendejas, who took just 10 touches and attempted seven passes in the first half. Furthermore, Zendejas and Vázquez fulfilled the intangibles on Tuesday by showing some fighting spirit in a different and boring game. Considering Pochettino’s thesis comment about the USMNT head coach emphasizing depth, both players can envision this speed camp as a task well accomplished.
Staying Unwell: Brenden Aaronson
This beat’s USMNT camp yielded positives and negatives in nearly equal measure, with Brenden Aaronson landing in the extreme section along Sargent. After a stunning start to the season with Leeds United, scoring two goals and registering one assist in 10 games, Pochettino gave him the anticipation to find out if the attacking midfield role he plays at club level would suit him at world level. level. However, the effects were not particularly notable: when Aaronson was excellent against Panama, he struggled to accumulate the ball against Mexico and did little to strengthen his case. It was an incredibly necessary timeout for Aaronson, who spent the last few years looking to fracture the lineup and arguably blew the opportunity to do so.
Keep it up: all injured players
Pochettino led his first camp without using a handful of central players, despite his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter, having to make swaps with an indistinguishable illness. Genera Balogun, Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie, Chris Richards and Johnny Cardoso were all unavailable due to temporary injuries, Tyler Adams and Sergino Dest are dealing with long-term issues and Gio Reyna added to his injury history at this speed. Most of those players are starters for the USMNT when healthy, but their backups have made a small effort to put together something of a festival when those players finally return. Finally, there was little to say about America’s widest player at this rate, which is not a particularly exciting note to end Pochettino’s first camp on, although it is the most faithful review of the friendlies there were. However, trading rarely happens in one example, so expect this long story about USMNT intensity to drag on for a little while longer.
