NEW YORK – U.S. national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his “painful” squad selection for the World Cup and his style of communication after the official unveiling of his 26-man roster on Tuesday.
All 55 players on the provisional squad were notified on Friday via email whether or not they made the team, while those who made the squad also received a video from Pochettino. Per US Soccer, the players who made the team were sent the video before the email, although multiple players, including Gio Reyna, said on Tuesday they had seen the email first.
“It wasn’t the moment to inspire, it was the moment to communicate the roster,” Pochettino told reporters. “The most difficult thing (is that) it is painful. It is painful because I really know what it means to be out of the roster.
“I was a player. When I didn’t make the roster, I didn’t want the coach to call me. If I ask why am I not in the roster, what are they going to say? They are going to lie.”
Pochettino added: “If I call, it’s about myself. Come on, that is bullshit.”
In his playing career, Pochettino narrowly missed Argentina’s squad for the 1998 World Cup before being called up in 2002.
“If the players didn’t make the roster, they don’t want to hear from me,” Pochettino said. “I care. For two weeks, I didn’t sleep.”
The squad list wasn’t finalized in Pochettino’s mind until Thursday, the day before the players were notified. Some of the most-discussed selections were the inclusion of Reyna, and the omission of Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann.
“The last day, we decided,” Pochettino said. “We had an idea. It’s not like we changed 20 players but we were analyzing the situations and then decided the 26 players.”
The manager also deflected questions about snubs like Tessmann or Luna, saying it would be disrespectful to talk about players who aren’t here rather than the ones that are on the squad.
Defender Tim Ream said Mauricio Pochettino’s standards have been consistent. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)
It is consistent with Pochettino’s messaging during his reign as head coach of the USMNT.
He cares only about the group in front of him. In 2025, when Christian Pulisic asked to sit out of the Gold Cup to have a break before the season, Pochettino didn’t want to discuss the absence of his star player. When others missed time due to injury, or there was a rotated lineup, he bristled at questions that suggested there was a first choice lineup.
“It didn’t matter who was going to be in the 26; everyone knows the standards from Mauricio and his staff,” veteran center back Tim Ream said. “That starts tomorrow with the very first training session.”
Now, the group flies from New York City to Atlanta to officially kick off their World Cup preparations. There is a friendly against Senegal in Charlotte on Sunday then a final friendly against Germany on June 6 in Chicago, before opening their World Cup schedule on June 12 against Paraguay.
Questions about the balance of the squad — heavy on defenders, light on defensive midfielders — will have to wait. The status of key center back Chris Richards will have to wait as well, as Pochettino said we’ll see if Richards is able to play for Crystal Palace on Wednesday in the UEFA Conference League final. Richards, for his part, is 100 per cent confident he will be good for the World Cup, The Athletic previously reported. He may be able to play for Palace, too.
“America is amazing,” Pochettino said. “I am so grateful for the welcome of the people here and the fans. What we want to translate to the fans is they feel really proud of what they are going to see on the field.
“We need to give our best, we cannot regret at the end… to be competitive, to show how we are, how we are in this country, how the people live and are so passionate; we need to be a team that, in every single moment of the game, we are being aggressive and very passionate about the game.”
