USMNT November Roster: Pochettino Continues to Have Faith in Core Group as ‘New Faces’ Left Wanting

By
Kelvin Loyola
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With the latest USMNT roster selected over the weekend, we get a glimpse of Mauricio Pochettino’s mindset early on in his managerial tenure. 

There weren’t many surprises in Mauricio Pochettino’s 25-man roster for the United States men’s national team‘s upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal tie against Jamaica. The Americans will play the first leg in Kingston on November 14, and then settle the series at home in St. Louis on November 18.

The Argentine manager named core players Chris Richards, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Tim Weah, Antonee Robinson, and Christian Pulisic — no shockers here. Liga MX standouts Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas return to the roster after being called up in Pochettino’s debut, and they will be joined by fellow Mexican league star Cade Cowell.

Pochettino will also have his first up-close look at FC Barcelona reserve team goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who has yet to make his first team debut. He received his first call up last September ahead of the USMNT’s friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.

Still absent from the national team are the “new faces,” players who have not yet had the chance to showcase what they can do for the USMNT if given an opportunity. At the moment, it seems that Pochettino is looking to work with the established crop rather than taking risks on unproven names. His team’s Jekyll-and-Hyde performances against Panama and Mexico may have forced him to ease off major changes, but it could very well be the last chance for a few players to impress the manager.

Here’s an overview of who’s been called up and who’s still missing from the USMNT.

The Roster

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

On the surface, the major talking point continues to be in goal, with Matt Turner still being the clear favorite to start, given the current form of his competition.

In defense, Richards and Mark McKenzie could be the defensive pair of the future for the team, although Tim Ream may still have a say in the matter. In the midfield, Gianluca Busio and Aidan Morris seem to be favored by Pochettino, but their roles may be heavily reduced with the return of an in-form McKennie, Musah, and Johnny Cardoso, who still owes the U.S. kit a strong performance.

Up front, the in-form Weah should be one of the attacking options, with Pulisic most likely operating down the wing or through the middle, and Ricardo Pepi being the most likely starter in both matches as striker.

Out of the Liga MX contingent, look for Cowell and Zendejas to get some action, as they have been performing well for their respective clubs. On the other hand Vazquez has struggled to find the net consistently for Monterrey, and seems to be more of an emergency call-up than a long-term option for the US.

Who’s Missing?

The biggest name missing continues to be Cameron Carter-Vickers, who missed Celtic’s match against Kilmarnock over the weekend, reportedly to rest. However, his absence from these key clashes could suggest a knock of some kind.

Marlon Fossey, who has performed well in his U.S. outings, was shockingly left off the squad, while Tyler Adams, who’s just returning from an injury, is once again missing. Struggles to stay healthy have plagued the midfielder, who has an important role both on and off the field for the USMNT.

Forwards Josh Sargent, Folarin Balogun, and Haji Wright are all injured, leaving Pochettino with no choice but to look to Mexico, rather than MLS, for attacking options.

Who We Would Have Liked to See

The U.S. roster continues to feature absences that raise the question: If not now, when? With precious little time to integrate new faces into the team, the core group continues to look set, unless players like Cardoso, Aaronson, and Tillman continue to underperform.

Diego Luna is still a player many pundits continue to clamor for, while Rokas Pukštas, who has been a steady performer for Croatian side Hajduk Split, continues to be overlooked. Given the chances players like Tillman continue to get, Pukštas seems to have a much harder path into the team.

Brian Gutiérrez should be a major option for the “MLS Camp Cupcake” in January, a camp where Pochettino fully expects the cooperation of all MLS clubs. This could have been a major talking point in Orlando when Pochettino and Don Garber met over the weekend.

Then there is the case for Paxten Aaronson, who has two goals in his last two games for FC Utrecht, and has four goals in 11 matches overall this season. Surely the younger Aaronson has earned a look on the national team.

Cole Campbell is just beginning his career at Borussia Dortmund, but Pochettino comes from the Marcelo Bielsa school of calling in players with little pro experience and integrating them into a national team program — much like Bielsa did with Alexis Sánchez in Chile and Javier Mascherano in Argentina.

While there should be little complaint from U.S. fans and pundits regarding this roster by Pochettino, it is one that, on paper, should defeat Jamaica, in both games. However, this same group has disappointed in the past, and with Pochettino playing it safe so far, the spotlight now falls on the Argentine manager to give us something different that these players have yet to deliver.

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