Pochettino has shaken up the USMNT with 13 uncapped players as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun miss the first 2030 cycle camp. The 28-man squad is a dramatic change from the group that represented the United States at the 2026 World Cup, with Pochettino using a four-game fall window to widen his player pool and begin building toward the next tournament.
Pulisic is the biggest omission. The AC Milan attacker only recently returned from a lower-leg injury suffered during the World Cup and has made limited appearances for his club this season. McKennie has also had a reduced role at Juventus, while Balogun has yet to establish himself after a disrupted start to his season. Their absence, however, is balanced by a striking influx of young talent.
Cavan Sullivan Headlines USMNT Youth Movement
The biggest name among the newcomers is Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan. The 16-year-old has been one of MLS’s breakout young players since the World Cup and will have the opportunity to make his senior debut before turning 17 on September 28. If he gets on the field, Sullivan would become the fourth-youngest player ever to represent the United States at the senior level.
Sullivan is one of 13 players on the roster without a senior cap. The group also includes fellow Philadelphia Union prospects Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield, New York Red Bulls teenagers Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti, Crystal Palace attacker Zavier Gozo, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mathis Albert and New England midfielder Brooklyn Raines. Goalkeepers Diego Kochen and Brian Schwake, defenders Peyton Miller and George Campbell, and Elversberg forward Cole Campbell are also part of the youth-heavy overhaul.
The selections are not simply about throwing teenagers into the deep end. Pochettino said the start of the 2030 cycle is an opportunity to identify players who can develop over the next four years, while the U.S. also has the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles to consider.
Plenty of Familiar Names Remain
Despite the wave of newcomers, this is not a complete break with the past. Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Yunus Musah, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna and Ricardo Pepi all remain in the squad, providing the experience Pochettino needs to balance the younger players.
Musah’s inclusion is particularly notable after he missed the World Cup squad and had not appeared for the national team since before the 2025 Gold Cup. Auston Trusty, Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman and Matt Freese are among the other World Cup players returning, while Pulisic, McKennie and Balogun are among the notable absences. The callup can be seen less as a rebuild from scratch but rather an aggressive expansion of Pochettino’s options. The coach has made clear that past status alone will not guarantee anyone a place in the next cycle, and this roster puts that philosophy into action.
Four Friendlies Give Pochettino Room to Experiment
The timing could hardly be better for an expanded evaluation. The USMNT will host Peru in Orlando on September 26, face Chile in St. Louis on September 29, meet Mexico in Glendale, Arizona, on October 3 and finish against Canada in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 6. Full schedule is available HERE.
Four matches in an 11-day window should give Pochettino plenty of opportunity to rotate his lineup, test unfamiliar combinations and expose the newcomers to senior international soccer. Mexico and Canada bring the added edge of regional rivalry, while Peru and Chile offer different tactical challenges.
The 2026 World Cup cycle is over. Pochettino now has four years to build the next USMNT, and his first squad of the new era makes one thing clear: nobody’s place is guaranteed, not even Christian Pulisic’s.
Pochettino Names Youthful 28-Man USMNT Squad as Christian Pulisic Misses Out