Just a year from the World Cup, the USMNT stumbled into controversy, one that forced Pochettino to set a new tone
HOUSTON – It may not have been the biggest moment of the U.S. men's national team's Gold Cup run, but it might have been the most impactful. It didn't come on the pitch or even in USMNT training. It came in a temporary tent constructed outside of PayPal Park for the sole purpose of hosting news conferences.
"When I signed my contract with the federation, I was appointed head coach," Mauricio Pochettino said one day before the USMNT began their Gold Cup campaign. "I’m not a mannequin."
It was a line in the sand. On one side of it was Pochettino, the man who did not intend to sit idly by as his USMNT tenure suddenly turned contentious. On the other side was anyone who would oppose his authority within the team. Pochettino sent a message: get with the program or get out of the program.
More than a trophy, that's what this Gold Cup ended up being about: drawing that line. Just a year out from the World Cup, the USMNT stumbled into controversy, one that forced Pochettino to set a new tone. How those in this program react will define these final months of 2025. Whether or not this group buys in fully will likely determine what the road to the 2026 World Cup – and the tournament itself – looks like.
Pochettino spoke often about culture and the Gold Cup was his chance to put the foundation in place. The U.S. may or may not be talented enough to win at the World Cup next summer. But until then, Pochettino and the rest of American soccer will be looking to see who's committed enough to make it a successful journey.
AFPNations League response
Shortly after announcing his summer squad, Pochettino sent a thinly-veiled shot at his teams veterans and leaders. Something bothered him, and he wanted to let everyone know that he didn't want to see it again.
"If you arrive to the camp and you want to have a nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, visit my family, visit my friend, is that the culture that we want to create?" Pochettino said in May. "No, no, no, no, no. What we want to do is to go to the national team, arrive and be focused and spend all my focus and energy on the national team."
It was a statement that resonated with those in camp. But much of the focus leading up to the tournament was actually on those who were missing.
Antonee Robinson was out due to injury, while both Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic asked out – the former for personal reasons and the latter due to fatigue. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna were committed to the Club World Cup. Josh Sargent, Joe Scally, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Tanner Tessmann were among the Nations League participants that Pochettino omitted for "football decisions."
On talent, experience and, arguably, merit, they arguably deserved to be included this summer, and it's easy enough to suggest that the Gold Cup campaign was derailed at least partly due to their absences. Pochettino, though, wanted to see something else, something different than what happened in Nations League losses to Panama and Canada.
"Our responsibility is to analyze and assess the player in the same way," he said. "We cannot assess the player because [he is] playing in one team, playing in Europe or playing the MLS, in one team or another, no? I think all the players that are for the first time with us, I think all deserve to be there, deserve to have the chance."
The roster selection was controversial, but not totally unprecedented. In many ways, it made sense to give other players a look at this Gold Cup once it became clear that several high-profile names weren't going to be around. The controversy was just beginning, though, as Pochettino was forced to draw his line in response to the biggest name in the pool.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe Pulisic incident
The controversy over Pulisic's decision to skip the Gold Cup had partly quieted down by the time Pulisic gave an interview to CBS Sports. Then everything changed, forcing everyone in the USMNT to reckon with his absence.
Pulisic said that he asked to be part of the two friendlies ahead of the Gold Cup before taking the rest of the summer off. Pochettino declined. Pulisic says he accepted the decision, but didn't understand it.
"I had to make the best decision for myself," he said, "and in the long run, my team – even if clearly some people haven't seen it that way."
The "some people" Pulisic referred to were the various talking heads and former players who had taken shots at him in the aftermath of his decision. He had been questioned by the likes of Landon Donovan and Tim Howard for effectively turning down a national team call-up. It was a foreign concept to many in the USMNT sphere, just as it likely was to Pochettino.
The coach, though, was then forced to address his decision. Pulisic's interview had put the controversy back on boil.
“Players don’t need to understand or not understand that,” Pochettino said. “Players need to listen and stick with our plan. They cannot dictate the plan because, if so, then we’d invert positions, no? It is obvious, and the most important thing is that we explain. We explained why we decided not to include him in the two friendlies. And then if you have some problems, it’s not a problem if you understand or don’t understand.
"The communication is good with him, just like with any other. I have the same communication with him as with others. I do not prioritize. You can say he’s the best player and, yes, he’s a good player, but he needs to perform. I’m not going to treat him differently than, say, Diego [Luna]. If he performs well, then he’s the best and he’ll have a place with the national team."
From that point forward, the focus was exclusively on those in camp.
Getty Images SportGold Cup brotherhood
All through the tournament, members of the USMNT talked about brotherhood. Pochtettino loved it. He beamed when asked about the bonds developed by players in this camp over the 40-day, 10-city rollercoaster ride.
"The other day we were at dinner and there were three tables," Pochettino said ahead of the semifinal. "You could see how they connect between the tables. You feel the energy. There weren't three tables, but one big one, because they felt so connected. That is a spontaneous situation. You cannot force it and you cannot push it. All we can do is create the platform and say, 'Come on.' That is the way. That is why we feel so proud to be part of this."
Those connections manifested themselves on the field. After losing to Turkey and Switzerland pre-tournament, the U.S. buckled down to win all three group stage games. Then, the big moment happened. After Malik Tillman missed a penalty in the quarterfinal, Costa Rica taunted the quiet American midfielder. His teammates didn't stand for it. They ran in ready to fight.
"You have to be able to fight," Chris Richards, who picked up a yellow card in the melee, told GOAL. "You have to be competitive and be intense in every game. I think, within the last year or so, we may have lost that because of, I guess, how easy CONCACAF games had kind of come to us. It's not to blame anybody, but I think March was the straw that broke the camel's back. I think that was a real chance for us to look in the mirror and ask each other, 'What are we doing?'
"I think maybe we lost our way in the last year and became too friendly and nice to teams. F*ck that. We want to be the guys who, if you want to beat us, you have to earn it. We have to show teams that we're not anyone to mess with, whatever it takes. We stand up for each other. That's something that we should never compromise."
That's the thing going forward: the time for compromising is over. With just a year left before the World Cup, that attitude has to continue on, even as the U.S. faces the challenging task of reintegrating those who missed out.
Getty ImagesWhat comes next
Following the Gold Cup final, a reporter asked Pochettino about the task of reintegrating. What would come next for Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest?
“You already made the list?” Pochettino responded, "or you ask artificial intelligence and you do the roster for next time? I don’t understand that question because, for different [reasons], we have the roster that we have. All the American players have the possibility for September to be on the roster. It’s up to us now to analyze. But all the names you told me are all under scrutiny, and we are following them."
Another message sent.
There are no guarantees for the upcoming September roster, with that squad tasked with playing two tough friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Pulisic's spot in that roster isn't a foregone conclusion. Neither is anyone else's. Pochettino will likely look to regather his strongest side to make up for lost time. He could, however, use September to send one more message to those he doesn't feel have bought in.
Whoever is included, though, will be expected to maintain a standard. Whether you were in the Gold Cup squad or not, that team established a baseline when it comes to effort, attitude and commitment. Anything less? Not good enough.
“If I'm being honest,” 2022 World Cup captain Tyler Adams said after the final, “I think it has to translate right away, or I think Mauricio probably just won't call people in. Because the culture that we have, it doesn't matter who you are. If it's guys here that played well, if it's guys coming back into the group, if you're coming back from injury – whatever it is, the culture and the emotion is the first thing that he wants to see, and I think that's going to lead to positive results.”
Added Richards: "When the guys come back into camp, I think there are some things we have to hold each other accountable for. And hopefully, moving forward, if we can add a little bit more quality to it as well, I think that we're gonna be a really tough team to beat.”
Pochettino has less than a year to ensure that the quality and the accountability align. The line has been drawn and the standards have been set – the only question is if this will all work out in time for the World Cup next summer. Whether the USMNT has the quality to compete is no longer the most important question – it's whether they have the strength to compete. And the road to discovering that began with this Gold Cup.