Back before the calendar flipped to 2026, U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he hoped that his late May, Pre-World Cup roster would effectively be his World Cup squad, looking to avoid heartbreaking final cuts before the tournament kicks off in early June.
With that mindset, there is added pressure on the March international window—the last camp until then and, thus, the final opportunity to impress before the door slams shut. Of course, nothing is stopping Pochettino from making final cuts from a larger-than-26-player roster in June —but it’s clear he doesn’t want to.
