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.
Pulisic Left with AC Milan
The most important player to the USMNT's potential, Pulisic, has not seen the pitch since suffering a hamstring injury in the last international match, a 2–1 win over Australia in Commerce City, Colorado, on Oct. 14. The AC Milan forward started that match, but left early after coming out on the wrong side of a challenge with Australia's Jason Geria.
Pulisic has missed the last four matches for AC Milan after starting the season with four goals in Serie A and six in all competitions, but is expected to ease back into action as he continues to recover.
“It’s common sense not to call a player that maybe is coming back from an issue,” Pochettino said. “It’s to provide him the possibility to recover 100%, be full and be ready to play after the international duty with his team. That is common sense. We never risk players.”
McKennie Focuses on Struggling Juventus
Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie was also left off the squad amid a poor run of form for the Serie A giants. Sitting sixth in the table, the Old Lady sacked manager Igor Tudor and brought in veteran boss Luciano Spalletti, leaving McKennia a new eye to impress.
“With a new coach arriving in a new club, you can see that Weston is playing all the games,” Pochettino said.
“Now, I think these next few weeks, with the possibility for the new coach to work with the players there, and to compete, I think it’s important for Weston to be there and try to convince the coaches that ‘Keep playing me.’ I think it’s more important than maybe to be with us, no?”
Pochettino Voices Frustration with Crystal Palace
The Argentine manager also responded to Glasner’s comments on Richards’s use in the October friendlies. The Crystal Palace manager said that it was “disappointing” that the center back had played, given that the games were not competitive.
“We had a lot of discussion about that, but I think the priority always needs to be the player,” Pochettino said. “After the camp in Denver, I think we decided not to call him. We already know his leadership on the team, but I think the most important thing now is to provide him the possibility to play, to recover in his club, and not to take risks.”
Separately, Pochettino told talkSPORT: “I am very disappointed with Oliver because we always respect and we, as the coaching staff, respect the player and we respect the clubs. I understand that sometimes coaches can complain about the national team. We’ll see one day if he’s in my position to be a coach in the national team, where he can understand this type of situation.”
The USMNT face Paraguay on Nov. 15 in Philadelphia, and then take on Uruguay on Nov. 18 in Tampa to close out the 2025 schedule, before facing four or five friendly matches ahead of their World Cup opener.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Pochettino Left Pulisic, McKennie, Other USMNT Stars Out of November Squad.
