With Pochettino's Faith, MLS Players Are Ready to Challenge With USMNT | OneFootball

When the U.S. men’s national team hits the pitch at the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer, MLS will have a presence like never before.

After years of largely dismissing the American first division in favor of those playing in Europe, new manager Mauricio Pochettino is ushering in a new era.

Upon his hiring, he said: "MLS is very competitive. They have very good discipline, they train very well and why not? For me, they're going to have the same possibility of playing in MLS than if they played in the Premier League or in La Liga or in Belgium or France."

And with his latest roster, he’s lived up to that statement.

The 26-man squad for the friendlies in the leadup to the Gold Cup, which will be cut down to 23 for the tournament, features 16 MLS players, some of whom are earning calls to a competitive national team camp for the first time.

They take the spots of the European-based Americans, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah, Joe Scally, Josh Sargent and Tanner Tessmann, who either opted to skip the tournament, had Club World Cup commitments or were not included in the roster due to what Pochettino called “football decisions.”

"Our responsibility is to analyze and assess the player in the same way. We cannot assess the player because he’s playing in one team, playing in Europe or playing  MLS, in one team or another,” Pochettino told reporters this week.

"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. We want people desperate to come not only to the USMNT, but to be desperate to perform. To perform means to follow the rules, create good opportunities and to be part of the team in every single aspect in our demand.”

The MLS players come into the squad with hopes of bringing the U.S. back to regional glory, after flaming out in the group stage of last summer’s Copa Améria and in March’s Concacaf Nations League Finals.

While the key European players will likely still have a spot on the team in the future and at FIFA World Cup 2026, it is clear Pochettino is willing to assess players on their play and the level of their commitment to the national team, instead of their club’s status.

At the same time, allowing the European-based players a chance to rest after a long season could help them avoid overuse injuries ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

“We need to send a signal to our fans, about that the team that we want to be in the next year and then at the World Cup be in our best, but I think this will be a great opportunity for different players to have the chance to challenge and to and to try to get a place in one year time to the World Cup.”

A Big Chance For MLS Stars

Brian White scored for the USMNT in a January friendly against Costa Rica. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

While some MLS players have had the chance to represent the national team before, many are getting a chance to establish themselves further and truly challenge for a spot on the World Cup roster.

Among those getting a more significant shot are MLS standouts Brian White, a striker for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and attacking midfielder Diego Luna of Real Salt Lake.

White returns to the USMNT for his third camp, having played briefly at the Nations League Finals after scoring in a friendly match at the January camp. With eight regular-season goals with the Western Conference-leading Whitecaps, he will have the chance to establish himself as a valid striker option, given the lack of form of American national team forwards.

Meanwhile, Luna scored against Canada at the Gold Cup and has scored seven goals and two assists as he continued to develop in his 21-year-old campaign with RSL.

Other potential standout MLS players include midfielders Sebastian Berhalter of the Whitecaps, Jack McGlynn of the Houston Dynamo, Quinn Sullivan of the Philadelphia Union, and fullback Alex Freeman of Orlando City SC.

Freeman, 20, is the son of former Green Bay Packer Antonio Freeman and has become one of the most dynamic fullbacks in MLS, playing 14 matches already and scoring three goals and one assist, while Berhalter has developed into a critical midfield piece for Vancouver.

"The important thing is to provide to the new players the possibility to challenge, and to challenge the possibility to take a place [in 2026]" Pochettino added. “You need to fight. You need to show the right attitude. But not only that, perform and be brave and follow the rules that are set in the group.' I think it's really important for us.”

The U.S. will play Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies ahead of the Gold Cup before facing Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia, and Haiti in the tournament's group stage, hoping to win its first Gold Cup since 2021.