USMNT Q&A: What to make of Poch's experimental roster
Will the first post-World Cup camp be Poch's last camp as USMNT boss?
A programming note: I'm away visiting family til Monday, so there'll be no regular Sunday column this weekend, nor any react to the US/Peru game on Saturday. Back to regular service next week!
The first post-World Cup USMNT camp is always a little weird because, by their very nature, they are experimental. There's no major tournament* looming just over the horizon, and, thanks to the expanded field, no incipient qualification drama, either. The US is going to qualify for 2030. So is Italy. It’s done.
(*) The US will and should treat next summer's Gold Cup like a win-at-all-costs event, but c'mon. We all know it's not the World Cup or Copa America.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is, according to reports, trying to chip away at the obvious hierarchy between the guys who were wearing the colors this summer and everyone else. This is the reset: lots of new faces, very few old faces, a bunch of guys trying to kick down the door, and a coaching staff – one that, if I had to guess, won’t actually be here much longer – figuring out what this thing looks like when the stakes are suddenly much lower.
The trick, of course, is getting everyone to play like the stakes are exactly the same as they were in June and July. Which is easier said than done when nobody’s career is hanging in the balance.
So naturally, you had questions. Let’s get into it:
