Mauricio Pochettino is roughly two weeks away from naming his 26-man USMNT squad for a home World Cup — and after using 61 different players across 24 games in charge, almost nobody's seat is truly warm. For European football fans, that matters: a significant chunk of the players fighting for those spots turn out every week in the Premier League, Bundesliga, and across the continent's top divisions. The announcement isn't just a US domestic story. It's a story about players you already watch.
Sixty-one players in 24 games. That's not rotation — that's an open audition that never really closed. Pochettino has cast wider than almost any international manager at this stage of a cycle, which means the usual logic of "he always picks his core" doesn't quite apply here. There is a core, but the edges of this squad are genuinely contested in a way that most World Cup selections aren't by May of the tournament year.
For clubs across Europe, that creates a specific kind of suspense. A player who's been in and out of Pochettino's plans all cycle could either be on a plane to the group stage or watching from home — and they'll find out in a fortnight.
Christian Pulisic is the obvious anchor. AC Milan's American has been Pochettino's most consistent attacking reference point and, barring something extraordinary, leads the line in the squad conversation. Weston McKennie, now at Leeds United after their promotion push, has enough caps and versatility to feel close to certain. Tim Weah at Juventus and Yunus Musah — also at Milan alongside Pulisic — have been regulars under Pochettino and would be genuine surprises if left out.
In goal, Matt Turner has Premier League experience with Nottingham Forest and remains in the conversation, though the position has seen more competition than the USMNT would have liked heading into a home tournament.
The interesting tension sits in the positions where Pochettino has rotated most aggressively. Wide attacking roles, the second striker berth, and the right side of midfield have all seen multiple players cycle through without anyone truly nailing the spot down. That's where European-based players on the fringes — those who've earned one or two call-ups but haven't strung together consistent runs — will be sweating.
Pochettino, to his credit, has never pretended the door is shut. The problem with keeping 61 doors open is that eventually you have to close 35 of them at once.
Beyond the names, the squad will reveal something about Pochettino's tactical intentions — whether he's going with a European-style press-heavy midfield built around the Milan and Juventus contingent, or whether he leans on athleticism and MLS-based depth in the wider positions. The balance between those two instincts has defined his tenure, and the 26 he picks will be the clearest answer yet.
The squad drops in approximately two weeks. For a generation of American players who've built careers in Europe's top leagues, it's the most important piece of paper they'll see all year.
Pochettino has watched 61 of them. Now he has to choose 26. That's the part nobody's worked out yet.
Mauricio Pochettino is roughly two weeks away from naming his 26-man USMNT squad for a home World Cup — and after using 61 different players across 24 games in charge, almost nobody's seat is truly warm.
Fuentes
The Guardian — Football
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