How Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT Experimentation Could Save the World Cup

United States national team manager Mauricio Pochettino drew considerable criticism for how he handled his first year in charge of the program, experimenting far more than fans would’ve liked, particularly during Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup play.

But the Argentine’s approach has been validated not only by improved performance in October and November, but also the clear reality that has emerged throughout the current European season: There isn’t a single core member of the USMNT whom he can truly depend on to be healthy and fit next summer.

Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams has dealt with back issues for much of his career, and now is a few weeks into three-month recovery from an MCL tear.

Fulham left back Antonee Robinson has only returned to full fitness and regular games last month after undergoing knee surgery back in May.

And attacker Christian Pulisic is still managing a chronic hip issue that saw him limited to a brief cameo in AC Milan’s last Serie A fixture, a 1-0 win at Cagliari on Friday.

That’s to say nothing of issues Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest and others have dealt with in the recent past.

There is still a pathway for nearly every anticipated starter to be at or near full fitness when the World Cup begins next June. And the good news (in terms of injury avoidance) is that the previously mentioned trio aren’t playing in European competition, and thus face a more manageable schedule.

Even so, it’s probably time that American fans accept that no single player is irreplaceable on the USMNT squad. That includes Pulisic, whom The Guardian recently left its top 100 players in the world list, to the ire of quite a few American fans.

Yes, the United States probably needs good tournaments from Pulisic, Robinson and Adams to make a deep tournament run. But the reality is that the difference between a good and a great showing will probably hinge more on an unearthed gem from Pochettino’s year of exploration than excellence from regulars.

Take the Americans’ 2002 run to the quarterfinals, the best World Cup finish in the program’s modern era. Yes, established starts like Claudio Reyna and Brian McBride had strong tournaments. But manager Bruce Arena was rewarded for his willingness to include 20-year-olds Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley and give both significant minutes.

In particular, Donovan scored twice -- including the game-sealer in the 2-0 round of 16 victory against Mexico -- and several years later was retroactively named the young player of the tournament.

Today its emerging prospects like Alex Freeman, Diego Luna and Sebastian Berhalter whose contributions -- even if they come on the margins -- might push the Americans over the edge in a key match. All three of those find themselves in the picture since Pochettino’s arrival. It’s unclear any would’ve been considered by former boss Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino’s approach also shows why it’s so hard for any international manager to have successful multiple cycles. Managers are human after all. They build loyalty over time to players that have performed well in the past. And unlike the club game, where you can see performances up close week after week, the infrequency of international play makes it harder for a loyal manager to identify a player’s decline.

Pochettino deserves credit for having fresh eyes. But Berhalter also deserves empathy for lacking them after his successful 2022 tournament in Qatar. Arena, Bob Bradley and Jurgen Klinsmann encountered similar problems when they managed in a second World Cup cycle. Only Arena survived to the end of said cycle, and even then, and his 2006 U.S. squad fared far worse than the 2002 group.