Mauricio Pochettino on USMNT roster: Sleepless nights and late decisions

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he did not know his final 26-player World Cup roster until last Thursday, the day before players were informed on his decision. Pochettino publicly confirmed his World Cup squad on Tuesday in a ceremony in New York City.

“I think it was the day before, the day before we released the roster,” Pochettino revealed in a press conference on Tuesday. “We were, with all the information over the last few weeks, working on different things. And then in the last days, at the last moment, we decided.”

Pochettino explained: “It’s not that we changed 20 players, but we were seeing, analyzing the situation [before] we decided on the 26 players on the roster.”

Pochettino has taken some criticism for notifying players via email, rather than contacting each member of the 55-man provisional squad personally. Speaking at the squad announcement press conference on Tuesday, Pochettino insisted that he did not see any need for a more personalized approach.

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

Pochettino on past World Cup pain

For all the excitement around the US ahead of the World Cup, some high-profile omissions from the squad have prompted questions. The likes of Diego Luna and Tanner Tessman were both left off the final squad despite featuring heavily for Pochettino during his time in charge.

During his own playing career he only made the Argentina World Cup squad at the third attempt. Speaking about the decisions on Tuesday, Pochettino sympathized with those who did not make the final squad.

“The most difficult thing is that it is painful. I know, from my career, what it means to be out of the roster. During my career in 1994, the World Cup in the USA, I was out. And then in 1998 the same,” Pochettino said. “Then the World Cup in Japan and [South] Korea in 2002, finally I made the roster.”

“It was so painful for me to make this decision but that is my job. It is not only to dictate the way that we are going to play and dictate the way that we are going to be together. It is to make decisions like this.”

Pochettino has been praised during his time in charge for opening the door to fringe players, particularly those playing in MLS. His meritocratic approach has broadened the USMNT player pool and garnered important contributions from less heralded names. However it has made the final selection process particularly tough.

“With all of these thoughts, I think in the last two weeks I did not sleep too much. Maybe three, four hours a night. But [I was] seeking all of the possibilities that can happen.”

Whatever process Pochettino may have used to arrive at the final squad, Tuesday’s announcement marks a key step in US preparations for the World Cup. Following the roster announcement the squad will head to the US Soccer Federation’s new training facility in Atlanta to begin team practice.

The USMNT will take on Senegal on Sunday, May 31 in the first pre-tournament warm-up game, before going up against Germany on Saturday, June 6. The opening World Cup game sees the US face Paraguay on Friday, June 12.

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