Mauricio Pochettino's first games in charge of the U.S. men's national team started with newfound optimism after an otherwise dismal year but ended by reintroducing a batch of familiar problems that he will be tasked with mitigating in time for the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
A 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday and a 2-0 loss at Mexico on Tuesday offered a glimpse at the USMNT's new tactical plan under Pochettino, one that requires high levels of intensity to keep up with his attack-minded style of play. Between a series of injuries and minutes management, though, the games also allowed Pochettino to explore the USA's depth, with familiar mixed results. Tuesday's loss in particular highlighted a longstanding problem – the USMNT's bench is not nearly as strong as the preferred lineup, leaving the new head coach with much work to do with the countdown to the 2026 World Cup officially underway.
It is not all bad news for the USMNT's players on the bubble after a handful managed to make their cases this month, an encouraging sign for a team that feels in desperate need of integrating some rising talents into the core roster. That said, Pochettino's first games remind us that the current squad composition is still in flux and will likely be a priority in his early months on the job.
Here's a look at which players impressed – and which ones did not – in Pochettino's first games in charge of the USMNT.
Stock up: Brandon Vazquez
Brandon Vazquez was a late addition to the roster and only played 27 minutes this month, all in a substitute appearance against Mexico, but credit to him for making those minutes count. The USMNT were already down 2-0 by the time he came on but he was a rare source of intensity from a team that was in desperate need of some. He had 16 touches and three shots, more than Josh Sargent in his 63-minute shift on Tuesday, and also outdid the starter in key passes. The sample size may be limited, but it's enough to make him a player to follow in a period of transition for the USMNT's offense, especially when it comes to building the bench.
Stock down: Josh Sargent
This month's camp was poised to offer a breakout moment for Sargent, who is one of the USMNT's most in-form attackers after registering four goals and three assists in nine games this season and had the starting job all to himself after Folarin Balogun dislocated his shoulder. He was rewarded with his first start since the 2022 World Cup but Sargent was largely absent despite playing 130 minutes over two games this month. The Norwich City forward took just two shots during the international break, both against Panama, and was only marginally more active on Saturday than Tuesday with 19 touches. There's no reason to write Sargent off, especially since he may have another crack at earning a starting spot next month since Balogun is expected to miss the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. In the meantime, he is still just one of several USMNT players who have yet to live up to their promise while competing for the national team.
Stock up: Alex Zendejas
Much like Vazquez, Alex Zendejas was a replacement player who started to make a case for himself this month. He played just five minutes against Panama but was a halftime substitute in Mexico, doing what he could to inject energy into a listless U.S. team. He took 26 touches and had 16 attempted passes, much better than Yunus Musah, who was replaced by Zendejas after taking just 10 touches and attempting seven passes in the first half. Additionally, Zendejas and Vazquez both delivered on the intangibles on Tuesday by demonstrating some fighting spirit in an otherwise uninspiring game. Considering Pochettino's thesis statement as the USMNT head coach emphasizes intensity, both players can consider this month's camp a job well done.
Stock down: Brenden Aaronson
This month's USMNT camp delivered positives and negatives in almost equal measure, with Brenden Aaronson landing in the latter category alongside Sargent. After an impactful start to the season with Leeds United, scoring twice and notching one assist in 10 games, Pochettino offered him the chance to prove if the attacking midfield role he plays at the club level would suit him on the international stage. The results were not particularly impressive, though – while Aaronson was fine against Panama, he struggled to hold the ball against Mexico and did little to bolster his case. It was a surprisingly poor outing from Aaronson, who has spent the last few years trying to break into the lineup and arguably squandered an opportunity to do so.
Stock up: All the injured players
Pochettino led his first camp without a handful of core players, though his predecessor Gregg Berhalter had to deal with a similar problem. While Balogun, Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie, Chris Richards and Johnny Cardoso were unavailable with short-term injuries, Tyler Adams and Sergino Dest are dealing with long-term issues and Gio Reyna added to his injury-prone history this month. Most of those players are starters for the USMNT when healthy, but their understudies have done little to create a sense of competition when those players eventually return. In the end, there was little to learn about the U.S.' wider player pool this month, which is not a particularly exciting note to end Pochettino's first camp on, even if it is the most honest assessment of the friendlies that were. Change rarely happens in an instance, though, so expect this long-running storyline about the USMNT's depth to linger for a little while longer.
