Pochettino arrives at the US Soccer helm with a clear message: fewer excuses before the 2026 World Cup

There's a line that sums up pretty well where things are headed with the US Men's National Team between now and the 2026 World Cup: "You know that's nonsense." That's how bluntly Mauricio Pochettino responded when asked about the old habit of some players being overly cautious ahead of a major tournament. He didn't name names, but everyone knew who he meant.

The Argentine coach spoke Monday during a video call Q&A with reporters, now well into his second cycle in charge of the team. He made clear that the Christian Pulisic episode, who opted out of the 2025 Gold Cup to arrive fresh for the World Cup, is still on his mind. "It was hard to build the Gold Cup roster a year in advance because the mentality was different. You'd say: 'if I play, I don't get a vacation, I can't arrive fresh for the World Cup'... You know that's nonsense," Pochettino explained.

Pulisic, the team's biggest star, failed to score in his four World Cup appearances this year. He missed a group-stage match with a calf injury and ended up getting hurt again, fracturing his tibia and fibula, in the round-of-16 loss to Belgium on July 6. Things haven't been much better at AC Milan either: after scoring 10 goals in his first 15 matches last season, he went scoreless in 19 straight matches starting December 28 and was an unused substitute in the club's first three matches this season.

A project starting from scratch

Pochettino took over the team after Gregg Berhalter's departure in the fall of 2024 and recently signed a four-year contract. Now, with his sights set on the September and October FIFA window, he insists the change isn't just tactical.

A new process, a new project, new rules, new principles. I think the headline has to be that this is a new beginning, a fresh start. And I think we need to change habits.Mauricio Pochettino

The coach will announce his roster on September 17 for friendlies against Peru (September 26 in Orlando), Chile (September 29 in St. Louis), Mexico (October 3 in Glendale) and Canada (October 6 in Saint Paul). After that comes the real business: the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals in November, the team's first official match since the World Cup.

There will be familiar faces returning, including midfielders Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris, all of whom were left off the World Cup roster. There could also be a debut for 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, the young midfielder from the Philadelphia Union. Pochettino, though, urged caution when it comes to handling precocious talent.

You need confidence. You need to believe in yourself. Sometimes if you play well and you're 17, 16 or 18 years old, people start talking about how you're Messi or a great world star. If you get confused after that and don't handle it well, that can be dangerous for your career, and that's what we don't want.Mauricio Pochettino

The coach also addressed the situation of Noahkai Banks, the Augsburg defender who has yet to decide whether he'll play for the United States or Germany, and revealed he plans to personally call Folarin Balogun after his move from Monaco to Everton fell through. "He's an important player for us, he was at the World Cup, and I hope he can find the right place to perform at his best," he said. At the core, the idea is the same in every case: fewer excuses, more commitment, and a generation that competes the way it should for a national team already looking ahead to the World Cup it will host on home soil.