Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun Could Be Given USMNT Reprieve by Teammate’s Injury

There were worrying scenes for Mauricio Pochettino, who has gambled on a youthful roster for the fall fixtures.

Folarin Balogun (left) and Christian Pulisic both missed out on the USMNT fall roster. | Katelyn Mulcahy/FIFA/Getty Images

The controversy caused by Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to leave out both Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic from his first post-World Cup U.S. men’s national team roster may not have ended with the announcement of that news on Thursday.

Ricardo Pepi did get called up for the slate of fall fixtures but now his place in the 28-man shortlist has been put in doubt by a new injury. The 23-year-old lasted just eight minutes before sinking to the turf and grimacing during PSV Eindhoven’s clash with FC Twente on Sunday. Pepi was promptly withdrawn.

The severity of this ailment remains to be seen but an enforced substitution with single digits on the clock doesn’t exactly bode well for a player expected to travel across the Atlantic for four games in the space of 11 days. Should Pepi be taken out of consideration, Pochettino will have a key decision to make when selecting his replacement.

Ricardo Pepi cut a forlorn figure on Sunday. | Dijks Media/MB Media/Getty Images

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USMNT Fall Internationals

Opponent	Date	Location
Peru	Sept. 26	Inter.co Stadium—Orlando
Chile	Sept. 29	Energizer Park—St. Louis
Mexico	Oct. 3	State Farm Stadium—Glendale, Ariz.
Canada	Oct. 6	Allianz Field—St. Paul

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Pochettino’s Attacking Options for Fall Internationals

Mauricio Pochettino has trusted youth this month. | Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Wingers

• Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund)
• Zavier Gozo (Crystal Palace)
• Cole Campbell (SV Elversberg)
• Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union)
• Gio Reyna (Strasbourg)
• Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)

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Center Forwards

• Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven)
• Julian Hall (Red Bull New York)
• Justin Ellis (Orlando City SC)

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While Pochettino is not short of teenagers, he isn’t blessed with an abundance of strikers either. Pepi represented one of just three players on the fall roster who spends most of his time lining up through the middle.

Red Bull New York’s 18-year-old gem Julian Hall enjoyed a rich vein of scoring form to start the year but went 13 straight league games without a goal from May. Hall only broke that drought in the derby with New York City FC on Saturday, after the roster had already been announced.

Fellow teenager Justin Ellis has only scored one league goal all season for Orlando City. However, the upright forward, who has operated on the wing on occasion in recent weeks, has racked up seven assists since July, a post-World Cup tally even Lionel Messi can’t better.

Zavier Gozo has also amassed some senior minutes at center forward during his burgeoning career, but there would still be a clear need for another forward-thinking player should Pepi pull out.

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Who Is Most Likely to Replace Pepi?

Folarin Balogun (left) and Mauricio Pochettino have a strong bond. | Alex Livesey/FIFA/Getty Images

Pochettino has trusted youth with his latest roster in a very purposeful shift toward building the foundations for the 2030 World Cup squad. The embryonic tinge to his latest collection of individuals is most potent in the frontline.

More than half of the nine wingers and strikers Pochettino selected are still teenagers. Malik Tillman is the veteran of the group at the ripe old age of 24. The coy Argentine coach didn’t offer a convincing explanation as to why Pulisic was left out, but at 28, he’s clearly part of a generation which Pochettino is no longer giving much consideration to.

Balogun only recently turned 25 and, unlike Pulisic, has never incited any public ire from his manager. Pochettino even took the time to reveal that he had been on the phone with his top scorer at the World Cup to talk about his tumultuous collapsed transfer to Premier League side Everton earlier this month. The affectionate coach even left the door open for his swift return, explaining on Thursday: “Now he’s focusing on trying to recover a little bit from a small issue in one of his legs.”

On Friday night, Balogun made his belated first appearance of the season for Monaco, managing the final 14 minutes of a 2–1 win over Lens. The USMNT star of the summer did get a chance for himself, forcing a strong save from Robin Risser in the 90th minute.

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