This was what US Soccer wanted. This was what it asked for. This was what it went out and got: a manager with world-class credentials for a home World Cup that demands the best the federation has to offer.
The biggest decision that man, Mauricio Pochettino, made in constructing the roster that will be made official Tuesday afternoon in New York, days after it was first reported by The Guardian, is nowhere near as controversial as the biggest decision made by the last USMNT manager with European credentials. Pochettino not taking Tanner Tessmann to Southern California for final training and the first game, let’s be honest, doesn’t quite have the same resonance as Jurgen Klinsmann not taking Landon Donovan to Brazil.
It might, however, be more consequential, given the way this tournament has been built up into something with life-or-death stakes for American soccer. Pochettino had to get this roster right. He has to get everything right from here, because while Round of 16 appearances in 2022 and 2014 counted as encouraging, losing at — or before — that point in the tournament would feel like a missed opportunity this summer.
So it’s fitting in a way that instead of serving as an introduction to the 26-man group that will take this mammoth task on its shoulders, Tuesday will serve as the first of many referendums. If nothing else, it’ll set the tone for the next seven weeks.
Leaving off Tessmann, who was seen as a potential starter next to Tyler Adams in holding midfield, opens up a series of cascading questions about Pochettino’s vision for how this US squad can unlock the best version of itself. This roster looks like one that will be in a constant tug-of-war between getting its most talented players on the field and getting a team that makes sense on the field.
Everyone loves to repeat the cliché that you want the best team, not the best players; actually putting it into practice is much harder.
For example, without Tessmann, Pochettino could play Weston McKennie next to Adams and use an attacker — Malik Tillman, perhaps? — in the starting 11 who might otherwise not be there. Except taking McKennie out of an attacking role would constitute a serious sacrifice on both his and Pochettino’s part. Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Berhalter weren’t in anyone’s projected lineups before the roster leaked, but Pochettino’s decisions certainly imply he sees one or both of them playing heavy minutes.
A similar set of questions exists on the right side. There’s a good argument that Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman and Timothy Weah are all among the best 11 players, and you could construct a lineup that gets all three on the field if you want. But would that, in turn, leave the US exposed defensively, and would those three players all on at once feel somewhat redundant? Probably.
Decisions in one part of the field will impact others.
This is what Pochettino has set himself up to contend with. We can start to unravel his logic once he takes questions Tuesday.
Had Gregg Berhalter, a manager whose most noteworthy achievements before taking the USMNT job came with the Columbus Crew, taken Joe Scally and Alejandro Zendejas over Tessmann and Diego Luna, there would have been a cascade of criticism. There’s been some of that toward Pochettino, but in most quarters, fair or not, he gets the benefit of the doubt that comes with a longer résumé in better leagues.
US Soccer shelled out major resources — a hair over $5 million over Pochettino’s first seven months in the job, according to a tax filing published in March — to bring him stateside. He has an obligation to explain his decisions, but likewise, he’s here to put his stamp on things.
This roster, and the decisions it leaves the USMNT with for the World Cup, is what that looks like. He owns it now.
