East Hartford, Connecticut – the US National Team that will enter the field here on Saturday against Turkey – And this summer’s Concacaf Golden Cup – It will seem very different from what would be expected a year ago. Or, really, just a few weeks ago.
Without Christian Pulisic. He left after requesting a rest.
Without Antonee Robinson (Knee surgery), Folarin Balogun (ankle) or Ricardo Pepi (knee). No Yunus Musah (Personal Reasons) and Weston McKennie, Tim Weah or Gio Reyna (FIFA Club World Cup). No Sergiño DestWhich was considered by the US team to need more time to recover from their knee injury, or Zack Steffen, who left camp with a knee injury.
This is very ‘no.
So, yes, it is fair to say that the challenge was a bit different from Mauricio Pochettino and his team expected when they accepted their job after last year’s Copa America’s failure. Unforeseen obstacles must be expected in any job.
“The truth is that whenever you start a new project, you always expect to find something,” said Pochettino. “It’s very difficult to predict situations that may arise later. People who come into contact with you and explain a little to you always have a different point of view. But when you’re inside, you’re absorbing what’s happening – like what’s happening this year, what’s the situation, it’s not real. [you’ll face]. So we are always prepared. ”
It is undoubtedly better that these circumstances are occurring in the summer of 2025, rather than in the summer of 2026. The absences of players who would normally be expected on a list of national teams opened the door to other players.
He will give a chance for names like Diego Luna, by Real Salt Lake, Patrick Agyemang, from Charlotte FCLike this, Alex Freeman, from the city of Orlando and PSV’s Malik Tillman to grab a job.
Patrick Agyemang and Sebastian Berhalter go to the shoulder to the USMNT training in Chicago. (Photo by John Dorton/Isi Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
“When these things happen, there are also many positive points”, pochettino said in an interview with Andrés singer on your radio network, First football. Since there are many players who will have the opportunity to be with us, and many players who think they may need much more time, under these circumstances, these players can have the opportunity – and why not? Some of these players will surprise us and become important players from now on for the World Cup. ”
It is fair to say that the door is not only open because the players are absent.
The “stars” of this group did not leave the group stage in the Copa America. It was the ‘A’ team that lost to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf League in March. There is also an opportunity there because this US team, with all its huge expectations, is under performance.
The group in the countryside is not blind to this reality.
“I don’t think there is any denial that some of our performances have been below last year for 18 months,” said Center Back Walker Zimmerman, who started several games for the US at the 2022 World Cup. BIG FOCAL POINT FOR THIS CAMP. AND I THINK WHY YOU LOOK AT GOLD CUP, AND YOU LOOK AT SOME PLAYERS MAYBE HAVING THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH GOLD CUP, OR EVEN YOUNG GUYS COMING INTO THE TEAM IN General Staff, Get a Lot of Quality Trainings in Together, and Find Yourself, Hopefully Getting into the Rhythm of Playing Multiple Games Where You Can Put All at Endamento to try to make a World Cup team in a year.
In short: jobs are in dispute this summer.
But in addition to the vision of a year before the next summer World Cup, there is a more immediate task in question. The team in this Golden Cup has the opportunity to turn the mood around the US team.
Things are as pessimistic and negative in the US as they were in the previous two cycles. A team that had a lot of boost coming out of the 2022 World Cup now seems to be going to an early exit at a World Cup at home that should be the great moment of the show.
Expectations around the 2026 tournament were increased when the Federation dismissed the former Gregg Berhalter and hired Pochettino, but the results have not yet improved.
Although this group may be a ‘B’ team, there is still a need for results that can inject some belief into the fan base.
US goalkeeper Matt Turner was part of the 2021 Golden Cup team that followed the victory of the team ‘A’ in the League of Nations with its own title. This victory stressed that this national team pool may be capable of something special.
“I would lie if I didn’t say this trophy on the last day would be what we considered success,” said Turner. “That’s the standard that we’ve set for orrselves. But at the same time things happen in soccer, and i think what we need to control is what we bring to the table every day, The Way We push each others, The Passion, The Energy, The Connection with the Fans, The Connection With Each Other, The Connection With the Staff.
Turner knows that firsthand, however, what a cup of gold can mean. He credited the 2021 tournament for helping him solidify his place on the World Cup list – and Turner ended up earning the initial job about Steffen.
This result is a tradition of a program. Since 1993, at least one player who had five lids or less on the Golden Cup list in the year before the World Cup began to make the World Cup list the following year.
“There are a lot of guys here with a great opportunity to show the technical team and fans who are desperate to see this passion and this energy,” said Turner. “They have a good opportunity to defend the World Cup team and be a contributing member for this team in the coming years.”
(Top photo: John Dorton/Isi Photos/USSF/Getty images)
