The U.S. men’s national team has just three international windows before they kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles next June, but head coach Mauricio Pochettino has yet to call up a full-strength squad.
Since taking the job in September of 2024, Pochettino has fallen short at the Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup, and boasts an overall record of 12-1-7.
While there have been recent improvements, with three games undefeated against Japan, Ecuador and Australia, there is still a long way to go before the USMNT deems themselves ready for next year’s tournament co-hosted with Canada and Mexico.
It’s what made his roster for the November window all the more intriguing, as he left out several key players expected to be on the World Cup squad.
Among those missing due to choice and injury were Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, Matt Turner and Johnny Cordoso. At the same time, center back Chris Richards was left off the squad amid an accusation battle between Pochettino and Richards’s manager at Crystal Palace, Olivier Glasner.






