Coaching Philosophies and the Mauricio Pochettino System

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Join us on the #USMNT’s quest for glory in a new @HBO & @ParkStories Docuseries leading up to the next #FIFAWorldCup. Coming to @StreamOnMax in 2026.

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— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) October 24, 2024

🎥 The USMNT will be getting an HBO documentary series.

U.S. Soccer announced earlier today that HBO documentary series following the USMNT in the lead up to the 2026 World Cup is currently in production.

The series will air on HBO and will be available to stream on Max in… pic.twitter.com/XbQ5R39zLB

— GOLZ TV (@golz_tv) October 24, 2024

 

Coaching philosophy of Mauricio Pochettino:
- Call up the same guys whose only non-fluke win over the last dozen games was against Bolivia
- Don't recruit dual nationals like Chase / Koleosho / Brown
- While acknowledging the depth is lacking by only calling in 2 fullbacks and 2 strikers
- Don't call up the MLS young player of the year Diego Luna who is desperate to play for the US
- Don't call up Lennard Maloney who is desperate to play for the US
- Bring back Zack Steffen as a regular based on one good MLS tournament
- During the MLS playoffs scout... a 37 year old Tim Ream who is on his last legs

Pochettino spoke a little about dual national recruiting and his response was a little different than his predecessors. He's always open to dual nationals but seems to be much less about convincing and more about wanting to see people desperate to play for the #USMNT

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) November 10, 2024

Diego Luna is still not called up for the US senior national team. He finished this season MLS with 8 goals and 12 assists in 31 games, and won the YPOTY award. It's absurd that he's not on the roster. USMNT. Mexico is already stalking his one-time switch to recruit him.​

Sigue sin ser convocado Diego Luna para la selección senior de EEUU. Esta temporada acabó la #MLS con 8 goles y 12 asist en 31 partidos, y ganó el premio YPOTY.

Absurdo que no esté en el roster. #USMNT

México ya está acechando su one-time switch para reclutarle. #Mexico #RSL https://t.co/bKnu8HqNNE pic.twitter.com/2XlsAYt9sr

— Jaime Ojeda (@jaimeor96) November 10, 2024

Diego Luna is desperate to play for the USMNT and US Soccer won't give him the time of day (not even at the U-23 level)... it would be one thing if Luna was missing out on these rosters because Poch was actually recruiting other guys like Koleosho (which apparently he's not), but Luna being left off because of Alex Zendejas which is just silly, given the latter has been a complete zero with the national team. If US Soccer loses Diego Luna to Mexico they have no one to blame but themselves.

He’s gonna play for Germany very soon 🔜 pic.twitter.com/334N0CnsHA

— Edgar M. (@ConcacafEdgar) November 10, 2024

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino is in Orlando, Florida, and attended the Orlando Magic game tonight.

Pochettino is also planning to attend Orlando City’s vital MLS playoff game against Charlotte FC tomorrow night.

Tim Ream is expected to start for Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/HH9KjSGdSX

— GOLZ TV (@golz_tv) November 9, 2024

The things that caught my eye from top to bottom...

- Horvath dropped, Kochen added 👍
- Steffen called back ❓
- Two full-backs shows what Poch thinks of the other options
- I support taking precaution with Tyler, but why not the same precaution with Chris?
- Six guys that can… https://t.co/7DCcZ2luYL

— Marcus Chairez | US/SC (@USSoccerColl) November 10, 2024

 

Pretty sure anyone who played at the Chelsea circus in London won't be very bothered by US soccer reporters.

 

Here's Pochettino's explanation for only calling up 2 natural fullbacks. It might shed some light on his thinking going forward as well: https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ne...-explains-why-chelsea-didnt-sign-tyler-adams/

"I think today, football in the last few years, you see the teams like Manchester City, Arsenal and company, I think we can see that a center back can play like a fullback," he said. "Tim Ream, yesterday [in Charlotte FC's MLS Cup Playoffs game against Orlando City], was playing like a fullback. For me, he's a center back but he was playing the left fullback. He can play. Depends on the dynamics of the game … I think we all agree that Yunus Musah can play wingback, maybe right back. Against Real Madrid [in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match], he performed in a fantastic way and they won the game with [AC] Milan. I think he's another player that can perform there, can play."

 

I'm sure. My point was he doesn't need to stop being nice to the media, like the post I quoted said, because of a blowhard like Lalas.

 

I do think sometimes we on this board get to involved in labeling a guy as playing a concrete position. Meanwhile modern tactics are much more complicated.

Its like when Berhalter played Adams as a right back. The board freaked the hell out. Meanwhile a heat map showed that Adams still spent most of his time in central midfield. He was basically doing what Klopp was having Trent Alexander-Arnold do. It didn't matter that in some graphic we had Tyler Adams starting at right back. That wasn't what was going on down on the field.

So yes, Weah and Musah and McKennie and others can play fullback in Poch's system. They've done so in Serie effing A. And yes, CBs can slide over to. We know Ream can. Richards played all along the backline at Bayern effing Munich. He plays in central midfield for Palace at times. He too can cover fullback if needed. McKenzie has played fullback. We remember him doing that at the U20 World Cup with the US.

 

Here is the full quote from Mauricio Pochettino on dual national recruting with the #USMNT.
- the boss doesn't suffer from #DualNationalPanic pic.twitter.com/AbyzLcd0hJ

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) November 11, 2024

 

I could see one of Musah or McKennie at right back if we keep playing the way we played last window. Musah was already on the wing and McKennie has always been a bit loose with the ball for those deep midfield positions. We could see McKennie at the 10 and Musah on the wing, but then where does Weah play when he is back in action. Those right sided spots are going to get crowded if neither McKennie or Musah are played in those deep midfield spots. I could even see Scally squeezed out with Weah on the wing, Musah at right back and McKennie at the 10.

 

This kind of attitude can have some long term recruiting benefit and can have some benefit in camp.

But it is absolutely going to lose players, especially in the short term, to the recruiting philosophy. Berhalter's style was a decent mix; he wasn't begging anyone from any account, but was still selling how the USA could help them, either explicitly or implicitly, with a focus on what was right for the player.

But every coach who takes this kind of stance in every other sport ends up losing recruiting battles. You can only be the "you must come to me" guy if you are #1 ... and even then, it usually fails.

 

Pochettino hasn't really said anything controversial there. In fact, in the first paragraph he flatly says he's out in contact with players now to see if they want to play for us. One can imagine who those players are. Brown, Chase, Koleosho, etc.

He flatly says that if the players are passionate about playing for us then they will be given the opportunity to "demonstrate their quality." What's the problem?

So who are we going to lose? Players that don't have a passion regarding playing for us. Are we upset about losing guys like that?

One of the most pathetic things on this board is the group of people pining for Julian Araujo. A guy who said his "heart is with Mexico." The man's heart was/is with our biggest rival, and yet there are still people on here saying the USSF didn't do enough. Same for Obed Vargas. His heart was with Mexico.

These are the kinds of players we'll lose, and that's fine.

Really, its fine.

 

Very possibly. Passion isn't a binary thing, and let's not pretend that dual nationals can be very split.

But just to take a few of our recent best. I think Sergiño, who was in the program, was probably pretty passionate about staying with the US.

But a guy like Musah, who seems very committed now and clearly grew to be great friends with several of the guys, probably wasn't passionate when he was first being recruited. None of us know the relative pitches and frequency, but you've got to get them on campus, so to speak, for them to fall in love.

Likewise, I suspect Folarin Balogun is not super passionate about specifically playing for the US. I don't think that it affects his play -- and heck, there are certainly non-dual nationals who also aren't super passionate. What does Pochettino mean by these words? Where is the cut off? He certainly could mean that someone like Balo could still be here ... but maybe not.

What about Pepi? Clearly loves playing for the US ... but I suspect would have ended up loving playing for Mexico as well. When he was split, are we issuing ultimatums?

These words are very vague and we simply don't know how it manifests directly in terms of approach, level of effort, call ups, etc.

There's no definitive answer, but people who have this attitude range from decent recruiters to abysmal. What I do know is that you can't afford to be high and mighty unless you are actually high and mighty. And we aren't. How high and mighty we actually act will be the big question.

 

Sure. Who says he's being high and mighty?

Pochettino said in those comments he's out "working with other names to see if they want to be committed with us." His words. We can guess what those names are.

So he's still out recruiting dual nationals.

There's a danger of over-interpreting his comments there.
He says he's in contact with dual nationals. He says that if they're committed to us then they're going to be given a chance.

So...................what's the problem?

 

We don't know that there's a big problem, but in the history of recruiting anything, saying you want players to come to you often implies a strategy that is less effective.

I think there's right to be concerned even if we will likely never know the actually individual choices made.

 

Re-hire Gregg (as chief recruitment officer)

 

I noticed nobody seems the least bit concerned about the "entitlement" problem anymore.

b.t.w., Cole isn't a dual nat (practically); he switched to USA after playing for Iceland u17's. I'm happy with guys like Cole and Koleosho being in good European teams as youths. It broadens their horizon and makes it easier to get on with a club team in Europe where rules tend to favor European slots over international slots. Also, coaches tend to favor payers who have trained in European ways which makes it easier to integrate the player. Cole started visiting Iceland to play soccer at age 8. Imagine an 8 year old taking such a momentous decision.

 

One thing Berhalter did was bring in players he thought might be on the fence to practice and watch during a window without having to commit to playing. Then give them time to decide without pressure. I think that worked for a lot of players who probably liked that non-pressure part a lot. We've had several players do that with the US and Mexico also. See where and if you fit and feel comfortable.

 

The "come visit the campus" approach does indeed tend to work pretty well.

 

Absolutely. There are some people that are really big on the idea of passion for the badge above all, commitment to the cause and all that, and I get it, I'm not spitting on it, saying this, but, where are the incentives? Generally players are motivated by a sense of belonging, and incentives in general (Playing Time, opportunity to play in a WC, the actual pleasure of playing for one national team versus the frustration of playing and competing for a spot in another). We can all pretend that what matters most is commitment to this badge thing above all, but the truth is, most of the dual nats don't have a sense of true belonging with any particular country, they have their feet in multiple countries, their heart and experiences spread between them, their identity a mix. Just consider Pepi: Pepi's already talked about how he feels entirely both. He doesn't feel 1000% American and nothing else, but his goals count just as much as Haji Wrights or Brian McBride's.

To me, it's obvious that this over a long haul would cost us recruits, period. It's perfectly understandable that an Argentine of Italian extraction would feel this way, but they also have what, a half dozen or more WC's between them, and numerous WC wins. Easy to strut w/a "love the badge or else," attitude, when your the Albiceleste or Azzurri, but for a nation built upon immigrants from everywhere with heart tugs in every direction and little history to speak of in the sport, the claim seems dubious at best, and foolhardy at worst. We'll stand w/our pride, and risk losing our players. Not the right approach to me with Gen Z, at all and honestly, it's not an approach that works unless you're a WC power, which we emphatically are not.

 

I 100% believe that guys who are passionate about playing for the badge have a very real and very large on-field effect. And that a locker room mostly full of them becomes contagious, especially for players who didn't really consider it.

I don't think it is quite as big as someone like Lalas would tell you it is; I think Alexi is very invested in the idea that his success was driven by character more than anything. But hard work and commitment are massive. It's the single largest difference between the #20 ELO team (or better) that we were and the #40 ELO team that we are.

I also think that even if you don't go down that path, it's important to have a walk away line. In any relationship - romantic, friend, family, a job you want - there's a point where no matter how bad you want it, trying to get something that clearly isn't excited about you is a bad long term idea. You can nurture things, but force?

But that all said ... this approach is the best with a team with a ton of talent. Where the line should be drawn is frankly variable if your goal is the best results. Too hard of a line, and you simply can't compete. Too forgiving, and I think that's part of the issue with Jamaica ... I would not want to deal with Leon Bailey. There's a knock on in the locker room, in the demands future players would make, etc. I really don't know that Leon Bailey cares if Jamaica wins or loses, and he certainly cares more about Leon Bailey and getting his. That is the kind of thinking that you can't allow.

We will lose guys because of this. Perhaps a rewiring of the mindset will offset that. Perhaps we'll get lucky enough with guys who want to play for us that we don't miss many of the players that jump. But we'll lose guys, and as you note with Pepi ... there's a lot more here than just "die for the shirt" and "the club writes your paycheck."

 

The message is great in that it completely side-steps the whole "dual nationals don't have passion" kerfuffle during Klinsmann's tenure. However, why aren't young, passionate players - dual national or not - being called up?

 

I think I pretty much agree w/all of this, within the context of my pro-aggressive recruiting angle. i definitely have a drop dead date with vets.

What's most interesting to me and revealing through interviews on shows like Kickin It, is how different it appears guys responded to players like Tim Chandler. Definitely seems like Donovan and Howard weren't fans, but Jozy was....makes it a bit more nebulous.

 

Indeed, "passion for the badge," and conversely, the lack of it, genuinely does matter. But a hard line on that would probably have meant that some very important players of ours would not be on this team. So... as with all things, balance is necessary, and the optimal balance point shifts depending on the situation...

 

It certainly implies the standard isn't all that high. I somehow doubt poor Kristoffer Lund and Marlon Fossey were the only players who simply didn't meet the exacting passion standard.

Pochettino's coaching history does not imply someone who is going to come in and immediately change players quickly without giving players a chance. Especially because it's pretty clear where the talent is in the pool, at least at the upper end.

So I'm not sure what people were expecting, but I'm not overly shocked.

I will say I was hoping he'd be more proactive in scouting, dual national recruiting, etc., but it does not really seem it right now. If we're lucky, he's been spending time scouting the current pool, working on development plans for them, devising tactics.

If we're not, he's been on vacation.

 

Of course, Jozy had a bit of that rep as well.

We all know that not everyone will be like Donovan and seem to put the national team even above club. We all know that not everyone has a high work rate even independent of the national team.

But you simply can't have Chandler's attitude in the room. And by that, I mean the idea that you shouldn't give your all here because of injury potential and because it's simply not as important as club.

And what's worse is saying it to younger players. Attitudes like that spread, just as the converse does. I don't think any team is good enough to go through the motions, but certainly not us.

But treating national team play as less than club ... you're going to go through the motions. Especially given the current world fixture congestion.

The few players who went through Couva, or who were close to the team at Couva, or took a long time to get a call up ... they definitely seem to be more committed. One problem with this youth movement is that a lot of players who were hyped also got to play and start without ever proving anything ... is it special for them?

 

It's also worth remembering that Cole Campbell's eligibility to play for Iceland is only through grandparents. While his mother played for Iceland, she was born and raised in the US and only ever lived in Iceland for two years after college.