Mauricio Pochettino’s assistants have been busy racking up some airline miles lately.
Over two weekends in late October and early November, they fanned out across the U.S. to watch a half-dozen World Cup hopefuls perform for their club teams in the MLS Cup playoffs.
Jesus Perez, the top lieutenant for the U.S. men’s national team coach, was in Texas for FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps and Austin FC vs. LAFC. Miguel D’Agostino saw games in New York and Seattle before wrapping up in Columbus, Ohio.
And later this month, it’ll be off to Europe. D’Agostino, Perez and goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez will spend the next several months crisscrossing the continent to keep track of the Americans’ overseas-based stars.
It’s all part of the process of making sure nothing is overlooked, no stone left unturned before May, when Pochettino must name the country’s final 26-man roster for the biggest World Cup in history.
The lineup for the Americans’ World Cup opener on June 12 in Los Angeles is likely to have familiar names. The midfield duo of Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. Star forwards Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah up top.
But the last few decisions won’t be easy, as the player pool is significantly deeper than it was even a year ago. Last November, the likes of left-back Max Arfsten, right-back Alex Freeman and goalkeeper Matt Freese didn’t have a single cap. Now, all of three are projected to comfortably make the World Cup cut and, in Freese’s case, be a starter when the curtain goes up on the biggest stage in sports next summer.
“Not being arrogant, I think we are a coaching staff that has the capacity to improve players,” Pochettino told me this week. “Not only young players who are between 18 and 21, but even someone like [38-year-old U.S. captain] Tim Ream.
“As a result of you’ll be able to all the time enhance. I feel that’s our expertise: we wish to — and we’re in a position to — make gamers higher.”
‘A world of alternatives, however you must be prepared’
Pochettino’s monitor file speaks for itself.
Throughout a 16-year teaching profession that included stints managing a number of the world’s greatest golf equipment, Pochettino earned a repute for growth. He fielded greater than 50 academy graduates throughout spells at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Seventeen gamers that he managed at membership degree debuted for England’s nationwide workforce. His 2017-18 Tottenham aspect had 9 representatives attain not less than the semis of the 2018 World Cup, greater than every other workforce. The final two World Cup-winning captains (Hugo Lloris and Lionel Messi) and the main scorer at each occasions (Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe) labored beneath Pochettino on the time.
However serving to gamers attain new heights as a world boss is considerably tougher.
“We spent each single day with guys on the golf equipment we labored at,” Pochettino advised me. “Right here, it’s about how you could have affect in a really quick interval. Sooner or later, we now have to assist them in an emotional means. The necessary factor is to attach them with their expertise, for them to be at liberty, and once they arrive within the nationwide workforce it’s an atmosphere the place they’re going to be completely satisfied.”
Pochettino hasn’t been in a position to spend various days at a time on the coaching area with European-based standouts like Pulisic and McKennie. Accidents to different regulars, together with Adams, striker Ricardo Pepi – together with full-back duo Sergino Dest and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson – have additional diminished these alternatives.
Their absences additionally opened the door for others.
Take Freeman. The son of Tremendous Bowl winner Antonio Freeman wasn’t even invited to January camp. However then the 21-year-old strung collectively quite a few advantageous performances in his first season as a starter for Orlando Metropolis. He earned a glance and took his probability, logging each minute of the Gold Cup. He additionally went the total 90 minutes within the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Australia final month.
“The whole lot may very well be completely different if Sergiño arrived in a greater situation in June, and we do not ship him again [home],” Perez advised me. “If Sergiño was there, perhaps Alex Freeman would not play. This can be a world of alternatives. However you must be prepared.”
Freeman didn’t land on Pochettino’s radar by chance. He and his assistants visited greater than 50 golf equipment throughout their first yr on the helm. They leaned on folks like former U.S. assistants B.J. Callaghan and Nico Estévez, now the top coaches with MLS groups Nashville SC and Austin FC, respectively, who knew intimately each the home league and USMNT pool.
Each time Pochettino or his assistants spoke to a coach or sporting director, they wished to know the identical factor: Which gamers in your group do you assume can attain the following degree?
“If we return 13 months,” Perez advised me, “That query helped some guys to be within the nationwide workforce as we speak.”
‘Apparent that they’re now on the identical degree’
Discussions with officers at prime European golf equipment are simply as necessary. Probably extra, such because the case with Pulisic.
“I bear in mind one dialog in Milan,” Perez advised me. “The [AC Milan] coach at the moment stated to me, ‘I really feel Christian shines if he’s on this area, doing this function.’ For me, it was necessary to translate to Mauricio.
“I’m not saying we take 100% of what they are saying,” Perez added. “However these guys are professionals like us. It is tremendous beneficial that our colleagues give us their opinion. Then we think about it and consider it. I feel in soccer, like in life, it’s important to be humble sufficient to take heed to everybody after which make your individual selections.”
When a participant is given an opportunity, he should carry out to maintain his place.
“We recognized in these guys that there was the potential to enhance,” Pochettino advised me in reference to Arfsten, Freeman, Freese and others. “Whenever you evaluate gamers that had been within the final World Cup to Freeman or Max, who began to play with us lower than one yr in the past, now they match the standard of the gamers in Europe. That’s evident. It is apparent that they’re now on the identical degree.”
Freese is perhaps the very best instance. The Harvard graduate didn’t seem within the January wins over Venezuela and Costa Rica. However he received the Gold Cup job over 2022 World Cup starter Matt Turner and has now been within the lineup for 10 consecutive matches. In just some months, he progressed from worldwide novice to Pochettino’s clear No. 1 keeper.
“It permits me to sort of play like myself,” Freese stated throughout availability on Monday when requested how a lot the arrogance proven by Jimenez and Pochettino has helped his recreation. “I constantly simply wish to repay that belief.”
With Jedi sidelined indefinitely along with his knee harm, Arfsten is all however sure so as to add to the 14 U.S. caps he is already received in 2025.
“I do assume I’ve improved this yr, simply in all elements of the sport,” Arfsten stated in a bunch on Tuesday. “Being concerned in these camps and having our teaching employees right here specific perception in me, and provides me recommendation on sure issues, has undoubtedly helped me turn into extra assured. I feel it is helped me develop as a participant loads.”
Room for extra development stays. Loads of work does, too. The USMNT received’t collect for one more 4 months when the yr’s remaining camp breaks on Nov. 20. After they convene once more in late March, the World Cup can be simply across the nook.
“That may be a huge problem for us,” Pochettino advised me. “However after one yr, we all know all of the gamers. They usually have began to grasp what we would like. So we’re very excited, and we’re satisfied that we’re going to arrive on the World Cup in an excellent place.”
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities who has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Comply with him @ByDougMcIntyre.
