Pochettino Explains Why Pulisic, Balogun, McKennie Were Excluded From USMNT Fall Roster

The U.S. men’s national team roster for upcoming fall friendlies against Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Canada will lack many of the star players that competed in the 2026 World Cup, as Mauricio Pochettino opts for a more youthful squad to kick off the 2030 World Cup cycle.

Most glaringly, the USMNT’s latest 28-man squad is missing Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie, three pillars of the team’s identity and core. The seasoned veterans won’t be around to usher in the likes of 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan and the 11 others seeking their first senior national team appearances in this camp.

“This is the beginning of a fresh start for everyone, and we are excited in these first matches to bring a group of experienced players along with some young talents who have great potential,” Pochettino said.

“It will be important that they all understand our culture, our way of working, and of course the principles of how we want to play. Most importantly, they must show the commitment to representing the country in the way our fans deserve.”

While the new call-ups may not match the level of the veteran core that led the way at the 2026 World Cup, each of Pulisic, McKennie and Balogun was left out for a specific reason, either nursing injuries or dealing with off-pitch situations in the opening weeks of their European campaigns.

Why Pulisic and McKennie Were Left Off USMNT Roster

Christian Pulisic didn’t have the World Cup he had hoped for. | Alex Grimm/Getty Images

With Pulisic and McKennie, Pochettino felt the veterans needed more time to return to full speed, as they both have had rocky starts to the new club season.

The 27-year-old Pulisic fractured two bones in his right leg in the USMNT’s round of 16 loss to Belgium at the World Cup and was an unused substitute in the first three games of Milan’s Serie A campaign under new manager Ruben Amorim, before playing 31 minutes in a 2–2 comeback draw against Lazio last weekend.

McKennie, meanwhile, has played just once in Juventus’ first four games of the campaign.

“After the World Cup, we started to change to see and to analyze all the potential players for this camp ... The players that are going to be involved in these four games, for different circumstances, are the best players that we want to see, and they want to play, we want to work, and that's it,” Pochettino said after his roster announcement.

“Our work is to try to call the players that we believe are the best for this roster, for when we analyze all the circumstances ... I think now is a completely different approach than it was in the past. The World Cup is in four years. We need to work with different objectives and goals, and for different reasons. That roster is the best roster that we can design for this camp.”

While the Argentine manager did not call out Pulisic’s lack of commitment directly, he hinted at it in a media call last week, when he took a shot at those who have called for vacations in the midst of USMNT competitive action.

“If I [don't have a vacation], I cannot arrive fresh for the World Cup,” Pochettino said, repeating Pulisic’s request for missing the 2025 Gold Cup, before an injury-riddled World Cup the year after. “You know now that is bulls--- no? It’s to change this type of idea [and] to build the mindset with the coaches, with the people in the organization and in the clubs, and of course with the players in the way we will plan."

Pochettino Reached Out to Balogun

Folarin Balogun rubbing his head. — Folarin Balogun endured a tumultuous summer. | Sarah Stier/FIFA/Getty Images

In the lead-up to the World Cup, Pochettino made it clear he didn’t believe in speaking with players outside the international window—a stark contrast to the hands-on approach taken by many other international managers, including Canada’s Jesse Marsch. The American manager, though, seems to have broken his own rule in the lead-up to this roster.

Pochettino admitted that he spoke with star striker Balogun before deciding not to call him up for camp, discussing the attacker’s failed move to Everton in the Premier League and the minor knee injury he faced early in the season. As a result of both, he has yet to play a single minute in Monaco’s first four games of 2026-27, last taking the pitch in early July at the World Cup.

“I was in touch with him,” Pochettino said. “After his situation... Yes, we had some conversations about how he is, how he is now, how he feels, that he needs to move on, and it was a very nice conversation, and now he's focusing on trying to recover a little bit from a small issue in one of his legs.”

Instead of Balogun, the USMNT will turn to a combination of PSV’s Ricardo Pepi, Orlando City’s Justin Ellis, and Red Bull New York’s Julian Hall to lead the line in the friendlies. The team will hope to secure four wins and discover which of the young strikers are capable of playing understudy to Balogun in more competitive fixtures, beginning with November’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.

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