As Mauricio Pochettino nears his first anniversary as U.S. national team coach, he has yet to make us feel confident that the USA will excel at the 2026 World Cup.

But he has certainly erased a major concern about the USMNT that arose in the latter stages of the Gregg Berhalter era: complacency.

Even before the 2024 Copa America debacle — during which Berhalter’s only starting lineup change in three games was to replace the suspended Tim Weah — the team’s core players could feel assured of consistent call-ups and playing time.

Hardly a recipe for intra-squad competitiveness — intensity wanes once players sense the lineup is pre-decided — or for inspiring the broader player pool.

Pochettino’s latest roster — for September friendlies against South Korea (Sept. 6) and Japan (Sept. 9) — like his 2025 Gold Cup notably leaves out stalwarts and hands chances to fresher faces.

Weston McKennie, whose 60 caps include starts in all four of the USA’s 2022 World Cup games and all six of its 2025 Concacaf Nations League games, has not been called in. Nor was Yunus Musah, leaving only Tyler Adams from the 2022 World Cup “MMA” midfield in this camp.

Instead, the midfield corps includes the Columbus Crew’s Sean Zawadzki, who has one cap, from the 2024 January camp, and an MLS quartet from the USA’s Gold Cup runner-up finish. South Korea and Japan give Pochettino a chance to see Sebastian Berhalter, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna and Jack McGlynn against opponents stronger than their Gold Cup foes.

Playing in Europe doesn’t guarantee a Pochettino call-up: Also not invited: Johnny Cardoso, although he’s now an Atletico Madrid player, longtime Bundesliga starter Joe Scally, and Tanner Tessmann, a starter for French Ligue 1 leader Lyon.

A dozen members of the 22-man squad — one more will be added in the coming days — are MLS players. Berhalter’s 26-man 2024 Copa America included three MLS players, and none saw action.