Before he was a manager, there was Mauricio Pochettino the player, and his old teammates saw signs of the successful coaching career that was to come.

A weekly look at how U.S. men's national team players are faring around the world — and what it means for Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup plans.

Christian Pulisic has been told that he is not the captain the USMNT "want or need", with Alexi Lalas claiming Mauricio Pochettino's squad is lacking "bad boys" ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Lalas, never one to mince words,

"The team culture, the team togetherness, is stronger than any individual," USMNT midfielder Brenden Aaronson said.

Balogun scored USMNT’s equalizer after falling behind to Enner Valencia’s first-half strike in a performance which Pochettino took time to praise. The admiration is clearly mutual.

The October international break is over, with the U.S. men’s national team overcoming early deficits in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador and a 2-1 win over Australia. With eight months to go before we co-host the World Cup, some players (Diego Luna!) are clearly in the good graces of Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino. We’re not talking about them right now.

The USMNT head coach says there was a "risk" in his squad playing in sultry Austin and chilly Denver across four days

After falling off the consideration of Mauricio Pochettino, Giovanni Reyna set huge expectations for his return tot he USMNT ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Giovanni Reyna has seen his place in the US Men’s National Team slip away in recent months,

A month ago, the USMNT looked lost. Now on a three-game unbeaten streak, though, Mauricio Pochettino's hosts are dreaming of World Cup glory.

A pair of October friendlies showed that Pochettino's side have a reliable system - and World Cup success could follow

Although Christian Pulisic remains in top form, he keeps facing strong criticism. In this case, a former USMNT player recently voiced disapproval of the 27-year-old star, emphasizing an area for improvement as the 2026 World Cup approaches.