Pochettino defends decision to not call omitted USMNT players

Mauricio Pochettino

NEW YORK -- USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino launched an ardent defense of his decision to not personally call players after they were left off his World Cup roster in a press conference on Tuesday evening. The head coach circulated emails to the 20+ players who didn't make the final cut, and acknowledged that he wouldn't want to hear from a coach who made a similar decision.

United States World Cup Roster Reveal

'We are not going to change'

Pochettino, despite coming under heavy criticism for his hardline communication style, emphasized that his policy on treating his players has not changed since he first took the job in August 2024. A World Cup, he argued, is no different to any other call-ups.

"What we need to understand is how we create the communication with the player from day one, and when you create the communication very clearly, the way that we implement our way to communicate is we are not going to change, because for us, the most important event is to be in any single roster," he said at the USMNT's roster reveal conference.

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'I didn't want the coach to call me'

The manager also pointed out that he knows the feeling of missing out on squads for major tournaments. He was omitted from Argentina's roster twice, in 1994 and 1998.

“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... If I call, it’s about myself. Come on, that is bullshit." he said.

The Argentine admitted he felt the same as a manager, highlighting his sacking from Tottenham in 2019.

"I was sacked at different times. One of them was at Tottenham. When you made the decision, there is nothing to say. I don't want to hear nothing. If I understand the player, they didn't make the roster, they don't want to hear me to say, "Oh, I apologize," Pochettino said.

Diego Luna, RSL

Leaving some names out

Pochettino's words came after heavy questioning over his hardline stance on not calling individual players to inform them they did not make rosters. The manager sent a video in a WhatsApp Group to all 26 players who were named on the squad Friday afternoon, and then an email was circulated to those who didn't soon after.

Diego Luna, in particular, was regarded as a high-profile omission after being named in many of Pochettino's squads, playing a key role at the Gold Cup, and appearing in many promotional materials for the tournament this summer.

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The squad starts to form

Twenty-five of the U.S.'s 26 players were unveiled at a rooftop event in New York City on Tuesday afternoon, although the roster was leaked on Saturday. Chris Richards was the only player not present, with Crystal Palace due to play against Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday. The USMNT play two warm-up friendlies before opening group play against Paraguay on June 12.