Mauricio Pochettino leaves out Christian Pulisic and bets on prodigy Cavan Sullivan for the USMNT
The United States men's national team will play four matches during the upcoming international break.
For the most part, Mauricio Pochettino 's tenure with the USMNT so far has been very solid. Despite finishing as runners-up to Mexico in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup , Pochettino's squad galvanized the country during the 2026 FIFA World Cup .
Two big wins to start the tournament had fans dreaming big, then a Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina kept the team on the right path. But Belgium slammed the door shut on the USMNT's run on home soil. Still, the future looks very bright for the team under Pochettino .
The upcoming international break will be the first time the USMNT takes the pitch since that Belgium game. On Thursday, Pochettino announced the squad for the four games the team will play during the break , and the roster features a ton of fresh faces.
USMNT roster for four international games announced by Mauricio Pochettino
Most notably, 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan is set to make his senior team debut. Meanwhile, some mainstays for the team in recent years have been left out: Christian Pulisic , Weston McKennie , Folarin Balogun , and Timothy Weah .
In total, there are 13 players called up who have never played for the senior USMNT . Pochettino is using this international window to bring those more inexperienced players up to speed and acclimated to the national team.
The USMNT will play four games during the international break: September 26 vs. Peru , September 29 vs. Chile , October 3 vs. Mexico , and October 6 vs. Canada .
