On Friday, ahead of the USMNT’s first game of its second cycle under Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentine coach revisited the Folarin Balogun red-card controversy at this summer’s World Cup. “In the moment I didn’t understand the criticisms well, but now with time, I can see that you have to learn from mistakes and I think […]
Mauricio Pochettino
Posted inSoccer America Daily
What They’re Saying: Mauricio Pochettino
“[U.S. Soccer] showed confidence in us. We had already agreed and renewed before the World Cup began. I think that was one of the keys. The other thing was seeing this infrastructure and feeling part of a project that is bigger than any individual.”
— Mauricio Pochettino on staying on as USMNT head coach through the 2030 World Cup after its round-of-16 exit from the 2026 World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium. On Saturday, in a friendly against Peru in Orlando, Pochettino and his returning staff lead the USA into its first game of the new cycle. (Fútbol de Primera with Andres Cantor)
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A closer look at Pochettino’s two-track USMNT roster
The U.S. men’s national team opened camp in Fayetteville, Georgia this week as it begins a new cycle under Coach Mauricio Pochettino. His first roster since the World Cup blends much of the team’s established core with a sizable group of younger players who could figure prominently with the U.S. U-23 Olympic team that will […]
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Noahkai Banks picks Germany
German-American defender Noahkai Banks accepted a call-up for Germany’s under-21 national team, effectively ending his association with the U.S. men’s program. Banks, who represented the USA at the 2023 U-17 World Cup and attended one USMNT senior camp, plays for Augsburg in the Bundesliga. He will need to formally apply for a switch of association […]
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SA’s Mike Woitalla on Soccer Media Podcast
Soccer America editor-in-chief Mike Woitalla joined host John Shrader to discuss the evolution our 55-year-old publication, the rehiring of Mauricio Pochettino, U.S. Soccer tackling pay-to-pay, and American TV broadcasters vs. Spanish-language.
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USMNT Roster: By the Numbers
Mauricio Pochettino’s call-ups include 13 members of the USA’s 2026 World Cup, 13 uncapped players, and eight teenagers.
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Mauricio Pochettino explains his roster picks
“It’s not a point, now, the first camp of this new cycle, to start to explain why is one [player included], why is another not (included). Because if not, maybe we spend one hour here, or all day. Why not maybe 100 players that are not in the squad, and why are another 28? Always, we work is to try to call the players that we believe are the best for this roster, when we are analyzing all the circumstances, and that’s it.”
— Mauricio Pochettino’s response when queried on Christian Pulisic’s omission from his 28-man roster for the September-October four-game window. For more on what the USMNT boss said about players picked and players left out …
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Mauricio Pochettino speaks to various issues upon entering his second cycle
“I called the federation that always I am open to be part of the process, but I think they need to feel good. It cannot be my guy. I cannot bring a sporting director. They need to be a person that knows America, knows USA soccer. I think it’s most important that [COO Dan Helfrich] or [CEO JT Batson] or [President Cindy Parlow], they need to feel happy with the people that they recruit, because it’s not an easy position. We are going to support any decision from them, and we are, of course, going to work together with the new organization and with the new people.”
— Mauricio Pochettino on whether he will be part of the interview process for U.S. Soccer’s new senior vice president & director of men’s and boys soccer. On Monday, speaking from London, where he lives, Pochettino addressed several issues ahead of embarking on his second cycle as USMNT head coach.
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What They’re Saying: JT Batson
“For us to win World Cups, we know a lot of things have to be true. We have to have great coaches, we have to have great youth pathways, we have to have great clubs. We have to have great youth national teams, to create world class experiences for those players so your first time trying to win a trophy isn’t a senior World Cup and they believe that all those things need to be true …” — U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson on working with Mauricio Pochettino and Jesus Perez.
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What They’re Saying: Mauricio Pochettino
“After 18, 19 months working in the objective that was only the World Cup, now to start in a fresh way, with different approach, trying to create a different philosophy, different idea of what we need to do. To have the possibility to start from zero. … The demand from the vision of the federation for the future, demand us to have different approach, and to set a different principle, with some similarities, but of course completely different.”