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On Wednesday, Mauricio Pochettino named his squad for the upcoming USMNT games against Panama and Mexico. The Argentine coach stressed the importance of finding the team’s balance as he opened the door for future call-ups to those who didn’t make his first roster.
First opportunity to meet with players
After an underwhelming pair of games under the interim manager Mikey Varas, Pochettino looks to start his tenure on a positive note. However, he already faced the first challenge regarding visa and travel issues.
“Now there will be an opportunity to meet the players individually and collectively. Now we can fly (to Austin) on Saturday, but the paperwork was a nightmare process,” Pochettino claimed.
“I’m excited to see all in place. We already know those we met before like Christian Pulisic, Robinson, Tim Ream and Weston McKennie. But it’s important to know the personality of all players and meet them. The collective is the most important thing,” Pochettino said.
The first training will be conducted on Monday after players start joining the camp a day earlier. So far, Pochettino has only spoken with the left-back Antonee Robinson since signing the contract with US Soccer.
“I only talked with the players by phone. I’m going to be honest that I only met one player and it’s by coincidence. I was at a dinner with Fulham in London and I met Robinson.” Pochettino said. “We had a very good chat. We plan to be more in contact with the team after the Austin camp.”
He also included those who will not feature in the games against Panama and Mexico in the discussion. “We’re also thinking about the possibility for the future. And not only for players in Europe but also in MLS. We’re going to create links and relationships.”
Coach speaks about defensive solidarity in USMNT squad
Pochettino addressed the concerns over the goalkeeping position within the USMNT squad. Ethan Horvath and Matt Turner are struggling to…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/pochettino-names-usmnt-squad-for-panama-mexico-friendlies/
Author : Eskender Tamrat
Publish date : 2024-10-02 19:55:34
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