Mauricio Pochettino Has Fiery Response on USMNT Absences for October Friendlies

U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino had a fiery response in his pre-October international break press conference when questioned about his squad selection.

Two names absent from the squad were Atalanta midfielder, Yunus Musah, and Borussia Mönchengladbach right back, Joe Scally. ESPN FC’s Jeff Carlisle questioned Pochettino why both Musah and Scally were not selected for USMNT friendlies against Ecuador and Australia.

“Next time you provide your list and your roster and after we can debate, or everyone can provide,” a prickly Pochettino said in response.

“I’m not going to talk [about it] because we never gave explanations for those who are not with us. When you are asking me about players that are not in the squad, it’s because I think you in your mind you believe that they have [a] right to be here. I think we need to respect the players [making up the] 26.”

Jeff Carslile is one of the most respected ⚽ journalists in the US.

It was a simple question on the omission of two players. Pochettino could have easily said, “Others are ahead,” but his answer was bush league. Combative.

Can’t be questioned?

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— herculez gomez (@herculezg) October 2, 2025

Pochettino: Respect the Players That Are Here

The Argentine manager analogized if players like Lionel Messi, or the late Diego Maradona and Pelé, were not selected for their national teams, that would be more appropriate. He stressed the need to respect the players selected for October action given the context.

Musah, 22-years-old, has 47 caps for the national team primarily as a central midfielder under former coach Gregg Berhalter. Scally, also 22, has 21 caps and was called upon during the 2024 Copa América while Sergiño Dest recovered from a long-term injury. Scally started all three group stage matches under Berhalter as the USMNT were eliminated on home soil in the group stage—the first time a host nation failed to advance to the knockout stage in tournament history.

Both Musah and Scally previously were named to 2025 Concacaf Nations League squads under Pochettino, playing notable minutes in the quarterfinals against Jamaica and subsequent losses to Panama and Canada in the semifinals and third-place match respectively. Since then, both players have not been called up to represent the USMNT.

The USMNT squad for October friendlies includes prominent stars including Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah among others.