Mauricio Pochettino named a shocking roster for the approaching September window and in his ensuing media name, he outlined his emphasis on making the crew extra aggressive to make.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
August 26, 2025
3:00 PM
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UNITED STATES NATIONAL TEAM head coach Mauricio Pochettino named his roster for the September friendlies the place the crew will host South Korea on September 6 in Harrison, NJ and Japan on September 9 in Columbus, OH. The roster stands at 22 gamers however U.S. Soccer indicated another participant is ready to be added.
The roster comes on the heels of the Gold Cup the place the U.S. crew completed second after a 2-1 loss to Mexico within the ultimate. That was an enchancment from the March window the place the U.S. crew completed fourth on the Nations League.
As for the place the crew is true now, that is most likely the final likelihood for Pochettino to be within the section the place he evaluates a major variety of new gamers. After this window, it can probably be extra about crew constructing.
Right here is the roster together with some ideas on it
DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION
(Membership/Nation; Caps/Targets)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York Metropolis FC; 7/0), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena/ITA; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (8): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 10/1), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg/GER; 0/0), Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 33/2), Alex Freeman (Orlando Metropolis; 7/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 1/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 74/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 31/3)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 50/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 6/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 31/1), Diego Luna (Actual Salt Lake; 12/3), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 11/2), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew; 1/0)
FORWARDS (5): Damion Downs (Southampton/ENG; 5/0), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 78/32) Josh Sargent (Norwich/ENG; 28/5), Tim Weah (Marseille/FRA; 44/7), Alex Zendejas (Membership América/MEX; 11/1)
Nature of September camps
September rosters will be usually uncommon because the window is true initially of the European season and the tip of the switch window. Many gamers are getting settled or are adjusting to new golf equipment, new coaches, or are simply getting back from accidents.
With that in thoughts, some absences turn out to be simpler to grasp. Others, nevertheless, stay fascinating to debate.
Lengthy checklist of injured gamers
With the beginning of the European season, a number of gamers are nonetheless working their manner again from accidents and have been left off this roster to proceed to return to health.
Ricardo Pepi, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Patrick Agyemang, and Folarin Balogun are 5 gamers indicated have been left off as a result of working their manner again to type.
“We have a number of players just returning from injuries or who have had very limited minutes in the last couple months, so they can take this moment to continue to build fitness and sharpness for the upcoming opportunities in the fall.”
Central protection shakeup
There are lots of takeaways from this roster, and one is that central protection is in flux. Sure, Pochettino has stored Tim Ream and Chris Richards, who’ve been his starters for many of this 12 months.
However there isn’t any Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Auston Trusty, George Campbell. Of this group of gamers, solely Campbell is on a brand new crew or taking part in underneath a brand new supervisor. The others are in the identical scenario they’ve been in all 12 months.
As an alternative, Pochettino has made the decision to take a look at extra central defenders. Tristan Blackmon will get the decision amid an important season with Vancouver and Noahkai Banks additionally will get the decision regardless of restricted first crew minutes at Augsburg. He has been a high participant with the U.S. U-20 crew.
These gamers who have been left off are probably not out of the image, however it’s a wake-up name as a result of none match the everyday cause why a participant could be left off a September roster.
Central midfield
One of many huge areas of shock within the roster is in central midfield. Probably the most shocking omissions are on this a part of the crew.
Weston McKennie was left off the squad regardless of having been a core participant for years. His membership scenario at Juventus isn’t excellent or as robust because it was and his performances for the USMNT beginning with the 2024 Copa America additionally haven’t been excellent. He’s a participant who has lots to determine proper now.
Johnny Cardoso can also be not on the squad. He solely simply arrived at Atletico Madrid and is construct up a rhythm there with one of many world’s greatest groups.
Aidan Morris just isn’t on the squad and he has been in unbelievable type for Middlesbrough. The membership has gained its first three video games of the season and Morris was the MOTM within the final two.
Tanner Tessmann is a starter at Lyon. Whereas issues have been rocky on the membership when it comes to possession modifications, Tessmann is revered on the membership and is taking over an enormous function.
Yunus Musah cited a private cause why he didn’t play for the USMNT on the Gold Cup. Since then, he has returned to Milan for preseason the place his performances have been rocky. Now it seems as if a switch to Atalanta may occur.
Tessmann and Morris are significantly fascinating omissions given they have been additionally each left off the Gold Cup crew and are in steady positions.
Included on the roster are gamers from the Gold Cup – Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna, Sebastian Berhalter, and Jack McGlynn together with Sean Zawadzki, who was a part of the January camp.
One of many issues over the present roster is identical because the Gold Cup crew – there must be extra physicality in midfield after Adams. This roster doesn’t essentially enhance on that.
Goalkeeping
It is going to be an enormous shock for a USMNT roster to not see both Matt Turner, Patrick Schulte, or Zack Steffen. Even Ethan Horvath appears far faraway from the image. As an alternative, we see Pochettino persevering with to overtake the depth chart at this place.
Now we see Matt Freese return after beginning on the Gold Cup and he’s joined by Roman Celentano and Jonathan Klinsmann – which is bound to attract a response from USMNT followers. Klinsmann is the son of former USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and had an unpleasant incident as a youngster when he mocked Landon Donovan for being reduce from the 2014 World Cup crew. Klinsmann is now a beginning goalkeeper in Italy for Cesena in Serie B. Previous to that, he was with the LA Galaxy the place he was finally waived.
Celentano arrives in camp whereas having an excellent season for Cincinnati and his call-up is deserved when Pochettino is shaking up the depth chart on the place.
In the meantime, Freese appears to be the potential USMNT No. 1 in the intervening time.
The Assault
The assault doesn’t have as many shakeups as different positions however it’s shocking that Haji Wright and Brendan Aaronson. Wright has had a robust begin to the season with Coventry within the Championship. Aaronson has been getting minutes for Leeds United since their promotion.
However the roster will see the return of Christian Pulisic after his messing summer season when he requested out of the Gold Cup in controversial style. Tim Weah can also be again after the Membership World Cup precluded his Gold Cup involvement. Since then, he has moved to Marseille the place he’s again to that includes as a winger.
Then there’s Josh Sargent who arrives in camp as probably the most skilled striker. Sargent is scoring at a terrific charge within the Championship once more however will get one other likelihood to attempt to translate his membership type to the worldwide stage. He hasn’t scored for the USMNT since 2019 and his leash probably isn’t very lengthy as soon as Pepi and Balogun return.
Participant analysis
A number of gamers have been fast. Johnny Cardoso continues to be adjusting to his huge transfer to Atletico Madrid.
Whereas Josh Sargent made this roster, Pochettino made a remark about gamers who’ve been left off rosters, as Sargent was over the summer season. Since being left off, Sargent has responded by persevering with to lift his recreation and rating targets in droves for Norwich.
“We need to really understand each player. When they’re called, when they’re not – their reaction,” Pochettino mentioned.
He additionally mentioned this was the final window he actually had to take a look at new gamers and he wished to make use of this chance for a number of new faces. Combining that together with his assertion, some gamers have been left off to see new gamers, some gamers might need been left off to check them when it comes to how they are going to reply – as Sargent did.
That may very well be gamers resembling Aidan Morris, Tanner Tessmann, Matt Turner, Yunus Musah or anybody else who has been a part of the crew that’s now left off.
However Pochettino harassed that his aim is to make this crew very aggressive and he didn’t wish to have a scenario the place some gamers are “locks” and different gamers are in a battle to make the crew. He desires an surroundings the place all gamers are combating for his or her spot on the crew each time they take the sector.
“We don’t work in this way – Player A, Player B, Player C, List 1, List 2, List 3,” Pochettino defined.
“We respect and have full respect for all the players who can be called by us,” he continued. “All need to feel the possibility to fight for a place. If we want to be a team that is really competitive, we cannot nominate 13,14,16 players and say for sure these guys will arrive at the World Cup. The rest need to fight for a place. Come on, that is not the real sport of football.. When you see national teams that have won World Cups, you really understand what that means.”
“Players need to feel the threat from your teammates. They need to defend their place every single possibility they have with the national team.”
It’s one factor for a coach to speak about making a crew aggressive nevertheless it’s one other factor to do it, which takes guts. That’s to depart some key gamers off now and again.
That could be McKennie on this scenario as McKennie has struggled for the USMNT for over a 12 months going to again to the Copa America after which to the Nations League. It may be Matt Turner who has been the crew’s first alternative goalkeeper all through each main match since earlier than the World Cup. That ended this summer season on the Gold Cup. Now he’s not a part of the crew for this window as he will get again into the grind of taking part in each recreation for the Revolution.
Pochettino additionally spoke at size about MLS with feedback about how the league’s gamers are evaluated. He mentioned he thought MLS was aggressive with some leagues in Europe and if a participant is doing properly in MLS, he desires to take a look at that participant – particularly with a participant who’s in Europe and who may not be doing properly.
“For me, we need to open another way to see things,” Pochettino mentioned. “We need to give MLS the value because competing there, the player can show they can perform with the national team. It’s not necessary to move from MLS to Europe because sometimes, MLS – under my assessment – is more competitive than some leagues in Europe. We have some players maybe competing in different leagues are not so competitive every single week in the way some compete in MLS every single week. That is my assessment.”
“That is why we don’t compare – oh if you play for a team in Europe you are above players in MLS,” he identified. “That is not a way to assess a player. One thing we are good with a coaching staff is to see and project the player in how they can perform with us.”
Pochettino added that he’s 60-65 gamers in his pool proper now the place he tracks them on a weekly foundation.
Trying forward
There are plenty of takes about this roster, which is ok. There are plenty of surprises. However this crew has been taking part in poorly for a very long time.
People who find themselves disillusioned with the roster must ask themselves what they’re clinging to with this group? The outcomes have been dangerous on the Copa America and Nations League, whereas the Gold Cup was lukewarm at greatest. Pochettino is a extremely achieved coach and is aware of issues should change with the nationwide crew. A key a part of this underperformance is that the crew is taking part in far beneath the sum of its components.
The query is how do you get the crew to hit its potential? Two issues.
First, you possibly can’t count on enchancment in case you all the time persistently call-up the identical 21 gamers and perhaps restrict the newcomers to at least one or two. If the issue is cultural, extra drastic cuts are wanted. Gamers should be reduce and work their manner again in. That takes a daring supervisor who instructions respect. Pochettino is like that. He has to reset the inspiration after which construct from there.
Second. even when/if gamers come again into the combination, the tradition should be completely different in order that the identical issues don’t resurface. A part of that’s if McKennie returns in October, how do you greatest make sure you get the Champions League stage McKennie and never the Copa America McKennie?
Within the meantime, some gamers are unexpectedly getting an important alternative which a number of may take benefit.
The October camp shall be a greater time to research who’s right here, who just isn’t. This camp is about tradition and about the best way the crew operates. It’s about gamers combating to make the crew, and if a participant is left off, to see him hold combating. A part of what noticed Gregg Berhalter wrestle main the crew after the World Cup is that it was the identical group camp after camp, 12 months after 12 months. It was a recipe for stagnation. Even when gamers weren’t taking part in properly for his or her golf equipment and even for the nationwide crew, they have been known as up. It by no means appeared like there was competitors to make the crew.
The whole 60-65 gamers within the pool are price watching now. Nobody is actually forward of others – whether or not or not they made this roster. That is about setting that tone transferring ahead and this roster is there to counsel it’s extensive open.
