Nine months to the World Cup: Does Pochettino know his best XI?

Just 9 months from the commencement of the 2026 World Cup, U.S. men's nationalist team manager Mauricio Pochettino is inactive figuring things out.

Before slumping to a 2-0 nonaccomplishment connected Saturday to South Korea successful a affable that featured his 14th antithetic starting XI successful 17 games, the USMNT manager was blunt astir his willingness to widen his tinkering for -- astatine slightest according to him -- 1 much planetary window.

"[This] is simply a campy that I deliberation is going to beryllium the past campy to person the anticipation for america to spot players, caller faces," Pochettino said successful precocious August erstwhile the roster was announced. "No 1 has their spot [assured], and that is my connection for everyone that you request to fight, request to combat due to the fact that that is an unfastened system.

"If we privation to beryllium a squad [that's] truly competitive, we cannot nominate 13, 14, 15 players -- these guys for definite are going to get to the World Cup and the rest, they request fewer places to fight. Come on."

The connection is wide from the Argentine coach. Though his World Cup mentation has featured setbacks done injuries, complications astir subordinate availability, and frustrating results, helium besides has shown successful caller planetary breaks that he's consenting to look past high-profile starters and springiness opportunities to fringe players.

Captain and prima attacker Christian Pulisic? A headline-stealing lack from summertime friendlies aft the AC Milan subordinate wanted to remainder during the Gold Cup. Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie who has 60 caps with the USMNT? Left retired arsenic the astir noteworthy omission from the existent squad, with Pochettino attempting to warrant the determination by stating "we cognize Weston."

The database goes on, and portion continuing to analyse a increasing radical of alternate players on the way, those decisions person led to six losses successful his past 11 games. The USMNT failed to triumph the Gold Cup with an experimental roster, and adjacent with much established names astatine the Nations League, they stumbled to an underwhelming fourth-place decorativeness successful March.

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When asked aft Saturday's nonaccomplishment to South Korea astir erstwhile helium has to commencement getting much results successful his favor, the Argentine manager brushed speech the thought of needing victories connected the way to adjacent year. For Pochettino, it's not astir the journey, it's astir the 2026 destination.

"We request to commencement to triumph erstwhile the World Cup starts," Pochettino said.

Including the existent window, the USMNT person lone 4 planetary breaks earlier the commencement of World Cup preparations adjacent summer.

So does Pochettino person capable time? And much importantly, has helium cemented the thought of what his champion XI looks like? When diving into the wide minutes up of the September window, the information tells an absorbing story.

(Due to Sebastian Berhalter's positioning successful a much precocious relation during the Gold Cup knockout circular -- arsenic opposed to his emblematic cardinal relation -- helium has besides been slotted connected the close flank.)

Few analysts and fans of the USMNT, if any, would accidental that this is the strongest XI.

Boosted by a dependable fare of appearances astatine the Gold Cup, the players with the astir minutes (divided by goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards/attackers) are those who took portion successful the summertime tournament. The tall...