Mauricio Pochettino leads an inexperienced USMNT in to Gold Cup unknown

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The United States is seemingly more divided than ever. Attack helicopters fly over LA after the marines were sent in to suppress protestors who march against ICE and their ongoing arrests up and down the country. It feels trivial, but Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentine, will lead the USMNT at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Concentrating on the football, or soccer, whichever you prefer, Pochettino’s side are in abysmal form heading into this tournament. Four consecutive defeats against Panama, Canada, Türkiye, and most recently, Switzerland mean they are struggling going into a tournament in which they should be considered heavy favourites.

At club level, Pochettino was known to be very hands on, pushing his players to reach the fitness levels required to play in his system, essentially, he loves a bleep test. International management, inherently, doesn’t allow Pochettino to have the required amount of time he needs with his players.

His Gold Cup squad reflects a manager who is struggling to implement his philosophy. Several players have either dropped out after the most hectic season in recent memory or will be playing at the new-look FIFA Club World Cup instead – also taking place in the United States at exactly the same time.

AC Milan duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah have been asked to skip the tournament, while players like Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, and goalkeeper Zack Steffen are either sidelined with injuries or require recovery time. Meanwhile, Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah are competing in the FIFA Club World Cup with Juventus.

As a result, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss has leant heavily on domestic based players this summer. A massive 15 of his Gold Cup squad play in MLS, with the remaining seven based abroad.

With an average age of 25 years and 119 days, it’s the third youngest ‘roster’ in USMNT Gold Cup history. It also averages just 16 caps, with 21 players making their major tournament debuts, showing just how inexperienced this group of lads are at the top level.

Vancouver Whitecaps striker Brian White (10 goals) and highly regarded Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna (eight goals) are among the top scorers in MLS as the league season reaches its midway point.

Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan, brother of future Man City star Cavan, has the second-most assists (seven) in the league as he heads into his first major international tournament at senior level.

Orlando City right back Alex Freeman, who is enjoying a real breakout season at the club with four goals and two assists in his 19 games across all competitions, made his international debut in the 4-0 defeat to Switzerland, their final warm up game.

Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter did the same. Fresh off the back of his side’s massive 5-0 CONCACAF Champions Cup final defeat to Cruz Azul, his mood wouldn’t have improved after the Switzerland game that’s for certain.

The USMNT is having somewhat of an existential crisis between the sticks at the moment. Shaka Hislop described their current crop of ‘keepers as the worst in their history. While a tad harsh, looking back at the likes of Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and Kasey Keller, he might have a point.

Matt Turner, who spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace from Nottingham Forest, is their current number one, but New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese was given the nod in the 2-1 defeat to Türkiye on June 7.

*Matt Turner player traits, with comparison against other keepers in top five European leagues*

Turner returned and then conceded those four goals to Switzerland, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. We’ll let him off for the first two goals, although he could have done better for the first, but Switzerland’s third goal was inexcusable for the 30-year-old.

Ricardo Rodriguez’s tame effort was parried by Turner directly into the path of Breel Embolo, who simply couldn’t miss the open goal he was left with. He was visibly annoyed with himself, taking a sip from his bottle and covering his face with a towel.

Poch has options. Chris Brady, the current Chicago Fire goalkeeper, is probably the heir to the throne, if his last five games at club level are anything to go by. He’s just 21 but has 82 first team games for the Fire under his belt. He also has a goatee, which somehow feels right for an American goalkeeper.

The defeat to Switzerland was pretty indicative of where Pochettino’s side are at the moment. Struggling to string more than three passes together at times, they played like strangers, because, essentially, that’s what they are.

*The USMNT are currently ranked 16th in the World by FIFA*

Their Gold Campaign kicks off against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday (June 15). There are 84 places between these two nations in the FIFA rankings but the islanders got the better of their American overlords the last time they met.

Gregg Berhalter was at the helm back then and his time as the USMNT boss wasn’t exactly lauded by the fans. Still, his side back then was more heavily stacked than the one Poch will be using on Sunday.

Robinson, Balogun, Dest, Reyna, Carter-Vickers, and Ricardo Pepi all featured in the game in 2023 but were powerless to stop Trinidad and Tobago from beating them 2-1 in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final, although they would go on to win the tie 4-2 on aggregate.

Ultimately, the Gold Cup should be viewed as a massive opportunity by those who want to nail down a place in next year’s World Cup squad. Poch has proven he’s not against giving lesser-known players a chance to impress, they just need to take it and run with it.

The ongoing political climate in the US is considered toxic by many around the world looking in, and thousands of people will be traveling to a country that is becoming more and more unwelcoming by the day. Football is an escape, but it shouldn’t avoid what is happening.

In troubling times, this crop of young players can stand up, provide the fans with something to celebrate, and show the world that the ideal in which many still hold the USA isn’t dead.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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