The Latest USMNT Roster: What are Mauricio Pochettino’s Long-Term Goals? | OneFootball

Mauricio Pochettino has turned to youth to start his 2030 campaign with the U.S men’s national team. While many fans are excited to see the first team debuts of Cavan Sullivan and Zavier Gozo, what can they expect long term from the coach and players? 

The 2026 World Cup is a thing of the past. The United States men’s national team “Golden Generation” talk and hype have long since faded. Mauricio Pochettino wants to think about the future, and that future starts now.

The USMNT will play four games in the September-October window, and the nearly two weeks the squad will be together gives the Argentine manager an opportunity to bring in new faces and gather intelligence about what could be his new core of players as the U.S. heads toward the 2028 Olympics and the 2030 World Cup.

Of the 28-man roster, 13 players are newcomers to the squad, with Cavan Sullivan, Zavier Gozo, and Mathis Albert being the biggest new names on the list. While all three are similar in age and profile, they each bring different elements to a team in desperate need of a facelift.

Ricardo Pepi, Gio Reyna, and Yunus Musah are familiar names on the roster, but all three have homework assignments in this camp as they try to erase lackluster performances with the U.S. in the past.

Here’s a look at the full squad via U.S. Soccer social media:

Let’s break down what USMNT fans and pundits will be looking for and what long-term goals we can all expect from the 2030 cycle.

Enter Cavan Sullivan

Sullivan is truly the player to watch in the USMNT camp. The soon-to-be 17-year-old Philadelphia Union star has been on a tear in Major League Soccer, and his skill set is there for all to see. Now, the competition gets a lot higher, and while there will be natural growing pains that come with such a young player, U.S. Soccer fans have a lot to watch for in these four games.

Keeping Sullivan on an even keel during this skyrocketing rise to fame will be key for Pochettino.

Neil Pierre is Finally a Worthy Defensive Prospect

Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

The hype surrounding Neil Pierre is valid. The 18-year-old Philadelphia Union defender has a lot of skill sets to get excited about, including a strong defensive presence and the ability to score goals. He has four in just 10 MLS matches and scored the same number of goals in the same amount of games while on loan at Lyngby in Denmark.

While still working out the kinks that come with being a player with fewer than 50 professional games, Pierre is finally a central defender prospect that U.S. fans can really be excited about, and a player who, at this rate, is destined for a move overseas.

Redemption Time

Photo by Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images

Pochettino is also giving a handful of veteran players a fresh start in his new cycle. Pepi is back after a disappointing World Cup, while Reyna continues to get looks as the manager is hopeful his recent move to Strasbourg will finally bring him to the forefront of the national team.

Then there is Musah, back after a very good start to his AC Milan season under the guidance of Ruben Amorim. Musah, without question, has been a top-five performer for Milan during what can be described as a chaotic start to the season.

Musah brings a lot of work rate and experience for a player of his age, but in Pochettino’s new-look USMNT, can he add a more prominent leadership role to his resume?

Snubs and Interesting Notes

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Pochettino is not messing around in this cycle, and while it may be hard to swallow for USMNT fans and pundits, some familiar faces may have made their last appearances for the national team.

The Golden Generation was a squad riddled with underachievement. The fact that Pochettino did not wait to bring in new players is a clear sign to some established players that they may not be on the national team radar for long, while other bubble players now know that they are not among the manager’s priorities.

This is especially true for the likes of Tim Weah, Johnny Cardoso, and Tanner Tessmann, all with their own individual issues. Naturally, as the new team chemistry builds, some of these players may become afterthoughts no matter where they play and even if they are team captains.

Sure, the U.S. squad is missing Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, and Weston McKennie, but today, aside from those three names, everyone else from the past core can look in the mirror and say, “I may have lost my spot.”

Pochettino’s pet projects are there, which is a sign that he wants his guys. Alex Freeman and Sebastian Berhalter are again on the list.

What to Make of Christian Pulisic

Only a fool would believe that Pulisic will not be a fundamental player for the USMNT during the 2030 cycle. The 28-year-old AC Milan winger is returning from injury and has looked impressive in his limited minutes at Milan to start the 2026-27 season.

Anyone who saw Pulisic play those minutes can easily come to the conclusion that the USMNT simply doesn’t currently have a player of his abilities and talent. Not even Sullivan.

Yet the rumblings within the halls of U.S. Soccer media are that Pulisic and Pochettino are not the best of pals. If one looks more deeply, the relationship between Pulisic and the U.S. Soccer Federation seems strained.

It’s a no-brainer that coming back from injury and getting to 100% should be his priority at AC Milan, where he is playing yet again with a new coach.

After this batch of four games, the U.S. will play in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, a competition the U.S. needs to win, in which Pulisic should be on the roster. If he’s healthy and not on that roster, then deeper questions need to be asked.

Outlook for Pochettino 2.0?

As usual, U.S. Soccer never sets any real goals. No one in the federation comes out and clearly states what the program at all levels wants to achieve during the 2030 cycle.

At the senior level, we can only assume the checklist contains the following: Win at least one Gold Cup and a Nations League (with two of each being played over the next four years), qualify for the World Cup, and make a deeper run in 2030 than in 2026.

The program also has the Summer Olympics in 2028, where it goes without saying that the expectation is for the U.S. to at least earn a medal on home soil in Los Angeles.

At the youth level, the U.S. can realistically ask for deep runs in the U-17 and U-20 World Cups, with the long-term goal of actually winning one of these competitions in the future.

Yet still, U.S. Soccer is an enigma of cryptic messages about how “the future is bright” and “one day we will win the World Cup.” When one looks at the organization from the men’s side as a whole, that is extremely far from the truth. The U.S. is no closer to winning the World Cup than it was in 1990.

With more control and the monkey off his back, Pochettino enters the 2030 cycle with the mission and obligation that the time for talking with the U.S. is over. The program needs to get back to dominating its region. This includes something U.S. Soccer loathes, obligations to produce wins, titles, and results.

Pochettino said in his press conference on Thursday, “Now it’s not what I did in the past. Now is about today. Football is about today, soccer is about today.”

Today, there is a lot to be optimistic about. But now the U.S. and Pochettino need to actually produce results. Otherwise, it’s a more expensive version of the same old problems.