The USMNT is probably taking a B team to the Gold Cup, and that’s a problem | OneFootball

On the heels of losing both the semifinals and third-place match of the Concacaf Nations League in March, the USMNT needs a strong summer to start building confidence and momentum ahead of next year’s World Cup. That will be far more challenging with what amounts to a B roster this summer.

The likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, Josh Sargent, Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Ricardo Pepi are all among the players who are conspicuously absent from the 27-man June training camp squad that was announced Thursday. That’s nearly a dozen core players away from the team one year before arguably the most important tournament in USMNT history.

Why the absences?

To be fair, the absence of so many key players is not entirely the decision of manager Mauricio Pochettino. McKennie, Weah and Reyna are unavailable because their club teams are playing in the Club World Cup.

In other cases, players who are currently injured and unavailable for their club teams at the end of the season are being kept home to recover. However, there are also players, most notably Pulisic, who are being left out of the Gold Cup to manage their minutes and rest.

Why is this a problem?

The obvious reason why so many notable absences are a problem is that it will hinder the USMNT’s chances of winning the Gold Cup.

Not having a full squad could deprive the Americans of the depth and experience they need to get the best of teams like Mexico and Canada. It also makes the U.S. vulnerable against lesser CONCACAF opponents, as well as group foe Saudi Arabia, which is playing in the Gold Cup as an invited guest.

Of course, the USMNT has plenty of Gold Cup trophies, and adding another one isn’t a huge priority in the big picture, even if some fans think otherwise. The bigger issue is that Pochettino needs as much time as possible with the core of the team before next summer’s World Cup.

The new skipper has had just eight games with the USMNT, and only four of those were competitive fixtures. On the heels of losses to Panama and Canada in March, it’s clear that the players and the new coaching staff are still getting acquainted.

Pochettino will rationalize the watered-down roster by saying that it allows him to see more players. Admittedly, the summer roster includes 10 outfield players with fewer than five caps. Those players will have a great opportunity to play their way into the conversation for a spot on the World Cup roster.

However, finding players to fill out the last few open World Cup roster spots shouldn’t be a priority this summer. The USMNT’s fate next summer won’t be decided by the last couple of players to earn a roster spot. It will be decided by how the team’s star players perform. To put those players in the best position possible, they need more training time and more games under Pochettino. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be the case.

Missed opportunity

As mentioned, not every member of the USMNT was available for selection. McKennie, Weah, and Reyna are all participating in the Club World Cup. Other players are unavailable due to an injury that has kept them sidelined during the latter part of the club season.

But unless a player has a legitimate injury, there is no reason to keep them off the roster this summer. After all, players like Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest were included following an extended absence during the club season.

By not including every available player on the summer roster, the USMNT is missing out on a key opportunity to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. While the Gold Cup doesn’t offer the same level of competition, it could be treated as a dress rehearsal for next summer’s tournament. It would have been the perfect opportunity for Pochettino and the team’s core to build interpersonal chemistry, while also replicating a tournament schedule similar to what the USMNT will have at the World Cup.