The United States Men's National Team was officially announced Tuesday and it was identical to the leaked roster I posted in this feature Saturday (can be read several posts below).
The players were formally announced in front of fans at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City's South Street Seaport.
There was a press conference following, that included head coach Mauricio Pochettino ... but not one reporter asked him about roster construction. Speaking generally, he said he chose the "right characters," prioritizing drive and commitment over talent and popularity. He said he wants the roster to have a team-first mentality to build a winning culture in such a short timeframe, and wants all the players mentally focused.
His decisions, and perhaps his strategy, will get a test run with two friendlies ahead of their Group Stage opener against Paraguay on June 12 — Senegal on May 31; Germany on June 6.
My take: It's hard to comment without understanding what structure he's going to use and what positions he'll place certain versatile players. He has no time to experiment. We'll see a bit after Senegal and Germany — I'm sure he'll leave some tactics on the training ground — and the unlimited substitutions could obscure who will be starting.
THE ASYLUM
Pochettino: Roster 'right characters'
The United States Men's National Team was officially announced Tuesday and it was identical to the leaked roster I posted in this feature Saturday (can be read several posts below).
The players were formally announced in front of fans at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City's South Street Seaport.
There was a press conference following, that included head coach Mauricio Pochettino ... but not one reporter asked him about roster construction. Speaking generally, he said he chose the "right characters," prioritizing drive and commitment over talent and popularity. He said he wants the roster to have a team-first mentality to build a winning culture in such a short timeframe, and wants all the players mentally focused.
His decisions, and perhaps his strategy, will get a test run with two friendlies ahead of their Group Stage opener against Paraguay on June 12 — Senegal on May 31; Germany on June 6.
My take: It's hard to comment without understanding what structure he's going to use and what positions he'll place certain versatile players. He has no time to experiment. We'll see a bit after Senegal and Germany — I'm sure he'll leave some tactics on the training ground — and the unlimited substitutions could obscure who will be starting.
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