The United States once again left fans scratching their heads after a disastrous performance against South Korea and a bounce-back win against Japan. Now, all the fans and pundits want is for Mauricio Pochettino to pick a squad and stick with it.
It was a September international window that did little to answer the important questions for Mauricio Pochettino’s often bewildering United States men’s national team.
A poor showing against South Korea, which saw a disorganized, lifeless 2-0 defeat, was followed by a solid 2-0 win over Japan. While the Japanese rested many starters and played sloppy, a more attentive U.S. side took advantage.
The usual suspects provided a mixed bag. Christian Pulisic was non-existent against the Koreans but redeemed himself with a much better performance against Japan, assisting on a Folarin Balogun goal. Club América midfielder Alejandro Zendejas netted a spectacular volley to open up the scoring, though the former FC Dallas player looks more like a squad-depth option than a guaranteed starter.
Maximilian Arfsten and Alex Freeman remain Pochettino favorites, but the extent of their long-term value is still uncertain. What comes next should give everyone a clear indication of the squad Pochettino wants to take to the World Cup, as October friendlies against Ecuador and Australia loom in the future. Here are some takeaways from the September camp as Pochettino enters the final phase of his USMNT World Cup project.
Pochettino Wants to Leave His Mark
When Pochettino arrived, many expected him to elevate Gregg Berhalter’s leftovers and give underperforming players a second wind. Instead, the Argentine has taken the opposite route — bringing in MLS players or fringe European names to inject new life, often to the frustration of U.S. fans.
There have been highs and lows. Arfsten and Freeman, along with Diego Luna, Matt Freese, Sebastian Berhalter, and Jack McGlynn have all seen substantial minutes under Pochettino — producing flashes of promise alongside worrying mistakes.
Thrown into the fire, some of these players got burned, but they’ve also shown resilience. Today, Luna, Freese, Arfsten, and McGlynn all have legitimate chances of overtaking established roster players or flavors of the month competing in Europe.
That spells trouble for the likes of Joe Scally, Gianluca Busio, Brenden Aaronson, Aidan Morris, and Tanner Tessmann, who either haven’t been recalled, disappointed, or simply don’t fit Pochettino’s style. Scally, for example, is a solid Bundesliga right back, but his limited attacking contribution doesn’t suit the aggressive fullback role Pochettino demands.
Whether we agree or not, Pochettino clearly doesn’t want to recycle names just because of where they play. He wants this to be his team — which could mean some shocking omissions.
Finding a Formation
Pochettino has tested the 4-3-2-1 and the 4-2-3-1, but defensive issues have persisted. Against Japan — albeit a weakened one — he finally switched to a three-at-the-back 3-4-2-1, which in practice looked more like a 5-4-1.
Fixing defensive sloppiness must be his top priority with limited games before the World Cup. Using three central defenders, supported by wingbacks like Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson with protection from Tyler Adams or Weston McKennie, could be the answer.
The U.S. must accept reality: they aren’t in a position to outplay top-20 national teams. They need to defend first and capitalize on limited chances.
A potential “best XI” moving forward might look like this:
Matt Turner/Matt Freese
Sergiño Dest — Mark McKenzie — Chris Richards — Tim Ream — Antonee Robinson
Malik Tillman — Tyler Adams — Weston McKennie — Christian Pulisic
Folarin Balogun/Ricardo Pepi
Questions remain. Who partners with Chris Richards and Tim Ream? Mark McKenzie looks the most capable, but Pochettino’s other defensive options have underwhelmed. Ream, despite his age, remains a leader in Pochettino’s eyes and looks set for another World Cup spot after a strong performance in 2022.
In goal, Freese is closing the gap, but by October, with Matt Turner getting more MLS minutes, the picture should become clearer.
Up front, Balogun has shown why he’s the best striker option, but with Ricardo Pepi regaining fitness, the two may battle for the starting role in the October window.
This leaves questions for Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, and Johnny Cardoso. All are capable contributors, with Reyna still having a chance to reclaim a starting role if he can rediscover his old form.
Ending the Myth of a “Deep” National Team
Not even Pochettino can believe the U.S. has 60–65 international-level players to choose from. The reality: if everyone is fit, there are maybe 15 players of true top-level international quality, while the rest are fighting for role-player status.
Pochettino has now seen enough of the fringe options. For the 53-year-old, the ball is in his court — he must lock in the best 26 players who fit his tactics and finally build chemistry, something the U.S. sorely lacks.
What’s Up Next?
For all the chaos of recent years, U.S. Soccer has done the team a favor by booking four strong friendlies to close out 2025.
First up is Ecuador, who finished second in CONMEBOL qualifying and ended with a statement 1-0 win over world champions Argentina. Sebastián Beccacece is overseeing a golden generation with talents like Piero Hincapié, Pervis Estupiñán, Willian Pacho, Moisés Caicedo, and Kendry Páez.
October ends with Australia, who are on a six-game winning streak and won’t be easy.
In November, Pochettino faces his old mentor Marcelo Bielsa. Uruguay, now without Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani, remain organized in defense and dangerous in attack — a true Bielsa hybrid of relentless pressing and Uruguayan defensive grit. The team works very hard but has issues scoring. Defense has not been an issue at all, claiming four clean sheets in five of their last World Cup qualifiers.
Finally, the year closes with Paraguay under Gustavo Alfaro, who in one year turned around a faltering campaign and claimed big wins over Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.
For the United States, the time for experimentation is over. It’s time to embark on the colossal journey of World Cup preparation with seriousness and urgency. Pochettino has seen enough — now he must build a team positioned for success.
In the end, that’s all he’ll be judged on.
