EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe next generation of U.S. men's national team players is ready to take the international stage. Now it's up to them to make the most of the opportunity.On Thursday, U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino named his roster for a quartet of upcoming friendlies, and true to his word, he has brought in a mixture of veterans and young players. There is excitement in getting a glimpse of the likes of 16-year-old Philadelphia Union attacker Cavan Sullivan, Red Bull New York midfielder Adri Mehmeti and Crystal Palace attacker Zavier Gozo. Further back you have Lyngby Boldklub goalkeeper Diego Kochen, Union center back Neil Pierre and his club teammate, right back Frankie Westfield."I think we are so excited, and we cannot wait to arrive Saturday, Sunday morning, start to train and start to share time with these guys," Pochettino said during a conference call with reporters. "But also with the guys that are senior players that were with us, because it's not because now we are going to work only with young kids."To that end, at every position, there is a veteran ready to help the youngsters with their international baptism, while also competing for their own spot in the lineup. You have Palace defender Chris Richards in the back. There's Tyler Adams in the center of midfield. Up top there's Ricardo Pepi. That is by no means an exhaustive list either. All told there are 13 players who were part of the World Cup roster earlier this summer."We need the player to show the good examples, to show good how to behave, how to behave in a different way, not only on the field [but] off the field," Pochettino said. "And that is really important if we want to create that idea of to be strong and to build that feeling of to belong to this national team. Yes, it's a great opportunity. The young kid, always the young player that for first time they're going to join the national team, the senior national team, they need the guide and they need the support from the most experienced players."Yet with the World Cup cycle just starting, now is the time to get a look at how these young players fare at the international level. Some will thrive. Others won't, but better to gather that data now than, say, in two years' time, when FIFA World Cup qualifying begins and the patience for mistakes won't be nearly as abundant.The camp is also about keeping an eye on the entire pool of players from youth to the senior team. Pochettino said that U23 manager Steve Cherundolo, who will coach his side at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, also will be on hand to immerse himself in the player pool.All of that said, even the most cynical of observers will find it hard to contain their excitement about this crop of young players. Much of that will be centered on Sullivan, with considerable justification. His youth certainly catches the eye, but so do his performances since MLS play resumed following the World Cup. In that time, Sullivan has been arguably the best player in the league not named Lionel Messi, tallying six goals and adding eight assists.Pochettino said that Sullivan "deserves all the praise that he's getting," but that he needs to continue to evolve and improve."Now it's another challenge," Pochettino said about Sullivan. "It's a challenge that [he] needs to adapt to another level, international competition with international players. He's going to find a mix of different players that came from Europe. I think the most important thing is that we need to have clear idea how to, I don't want to use the word 'help,' but yes, to be with him and trying to provide the best platform for him to evolve every day."Sullivan isn't alone. Red Bull New York's Julian Hall has earned considerable attention with nine goals, although he has hit a dry spell since the World Cup. SV Elversberg's Cole Campbell has looked lively in the early weeks of the Bundesliga season. The ability of Orlando City forward Justin Ellis to set up teammates for goals makes him an intriguing prospect.For Pochettino, no player is too young, citing how no one is saying that about Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. If he thinks a teenager can play, then they will be on the field."It's about opportunity. Give the opportunity and take the opportunity," Pochettino said. "And now it's a great opportunity for everyone that is going to be involved and to keep their place. And that is a mentality that we want to build in this process, in these four years."As exciting as the new crop of attacking players is, the most interesting positional battles skew more toward the defensive side.New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese might be the incumbent, but his high-profile error in the round-of-16 match against Belgium reveals his grip on the starting spot is anything but vice-like. The Chicago Fire's Chris Brady is probably the keeper best positioned to wrest the starting spot from him, but there is competition as well from Nashville SC's Brian Schwake, currently manning the goal for the best team in MLS this season. Kochen, who is getting his first taste of first-team minutes while on loan at Lyngby from Barcelona, also has a chance to further improve his standing with the coaching staff.The center-back position figures to be even more competitive. Tim Ream's time with the U.S. team is over. The depth at the position isn't nearly what it needs to be. That leaves the Union's Pierre in prime position to make an impression. As much as Sullivan's form has been instrumental to Philadelphia's revival over the past two months, so has Pierre's. His 6-foot-7 frame belies solid skill on the ball to go along with his dominant aerial presence and impressive defending, winning 75% of his duels. George Campbell has been toiling away in the English Championship for West Bromwich Albion, and should also get some opportunities.Some of the team's highest-profile players from last summer are missing as well, with the absences of AC Milan's Christian Pulisic, Juventus' Weston McKennie and AS Monaco's Folarin Balogun catching the eye. Pulisic is just returning to the field for Milan, McKennie has yet to take the field this season because of a muscle injury and Balogun is dealing with a similar ailment.But their absences clear the way for others. Fellow Milan midfielder Yunus Musah is this roster's version of the Man Who Came in From the Cold. The 23-year-old last played for the U.S. at the 2025 Nations League finals 18 months ago, but his early-season performances have been impossible to ignore."I think Yunus is like everyone, the door [is] open for everyone. Now it's a new start. It's a new cycle," Pochettino said. "It's not what happened one year ago, one year and a half ago, what happened in the World Cup. To be honest, it's a fresh start. It's a roster that we consider that is the best for that period."We are talking about that now, the design, the strategy, the game, the plan is going to be different. Why? Because when we arrived was one year and a half and to try to play the World Cup. But now it's about four years' time with the last objective that is a World Cup, but many, many goals that we have ahead that are really important for us."There are other absences that raise an eyebrow or two. Middlesbrough's Aidan Morris remains ever present for the club, and looks to be making more of an effort to contribute to the team's attack, as evidenced by his uptick in shots taken this season, but there was no room for him on this roster. The San Jose Earthquakes' Niko Tsakiris is another young player who has excelled of late after returning from groin surgery, but there was no room for him either.But the 2030 World Cup cycle is just beginning. The number of players will rise and fall throughout the next four years, meaning this window is by no means the end. And as beginnings go, the excitement is palpable.
