"...everybody knows there's talk outside of the locker room..." "To be able to dream about this day, and have it come out to this moment and start off a tournament like this back in my home city is awesome.” 🇺🇸Diego Luna spoke to @JennyTaft after his 2-assist performance in the USMNT’s win over Trinidad & Tobago pic.twitter.com/2TI9F94wvu— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2025
I disagree. I think the plan was to use this tourney, as one of the last meaningful matches before the WC, to get the A team together. But CWC (McKennie, Weah, Reyna) and injury (Jedi, Dest, Balogun, Pepi) took a big chunk of the first team off the board. Then Puli & Musah passed. Turner, Dest, Richards, McKenzie, Ream, Robinson, Adams, Cardoso, & Tillman were called in. Not to mention Steffen, Schulte, Zinmerman, LDLT, and Wright. The top 3 GKs, starting RB, top 5 CBs, top 2 (if not top 3) DM/CMs, and best available CFs & CAMs were all called to camp. I don't, for the life of me, see how that screams "the plan was to rest the A team." Of our 26 at the WC: 8 were called: Turner, Dest, Ream, Zimmerman, Adams, LDLT, B. Aaronson, Wright. 3 had CWC: McKennie, Weah, Reyna 2 had injuries: Jedi, Dest 2 asked out: Pulisic, Musah 12 dropped: Horvath, S. Johnson; Scally, Yedlin, Moore; CCV, Long, Acosta, Roldan, Sargent, J. Morris, Ferreira. There is not a starter amongst the guys who were dropped. And many have been off the radar before Poch took over (Horvath, Yedlin, Moore, Long, Roldan, Acosta, J. Morris). This was supposed to be A team with a couple possible newer faces covering for CWC guys and guys who were injured. The only available starters who weren't called were Puli & Musah, and they both asked out. Something they would not have had to do if the plan was always to call in the B team. The only real "drops" worth mentioning were Scally, Sargent and maybe CCV.
Tanner Tessmann had played in all 6 "A" matches under Poch so far. [In other words, not the camp cupcake games.] To me, leaving him out was a "real drop." But dropping these guys isn't excommunication for life. They can be back. Its OK for a coach to want to work with somebody else. Is a "message being sent" to those guys? Of course. Was it sent to Brenden Aaronson when he was left out of the Nations League camp? Of course. [Aaronson, by the way is now up to 9 USMNT goals. 4th active leading scorer after Pulisic, Pepi, and McKennie. Well, if you consider Ferreira active then he's 5th. Jesus hasn't been capped in two years now. 2023 Gold Cup.]
Luna has been one of my favorite players for a while, and he shows the heart of a lion every time he goes out there for the USA. Leadership qualities like that should earn him a Team Captain-ship at some point.
Repeat this line to yourself 11 times: "Pulisic is hurt." Plans made in the absence of reality are no plans at all. It was never possible to get the whole team together. The CWC was known, the injuries were known.
I think that fact is lost on many for some reason ... the only reason the Pulisic situation took center stage is because his GC absence was based on a decision he made - not a decision due to injury or his club ... most of the other absences (have we ever learned why Yunus is out?) are not due to decisions the players made. I just wonder - while he is out on the golf course with his significant other - if he is able to actually focus on his drive and short game and putting - or if he is shanking it out of frustration due to the publicity and not being with the other USMNT players ... who knows. at a minimum let's hope his legs are in fact getting recharged ... because if they aren't - this will all have been a wasted opportunity for him ... and the team. Pretty clear to me - that he will be a key part of the USMNT going forward - but he also will likely not be the captain.
Poch never stated that Pulisic was willing to come for the friendlies. Several others were also willing to come but unwilling to stay for the Gold Cup. The "wasted opportunity" was Poch. He had an opportunity to prepare for the World Cup with the friendlies and threw it away for stubborness. Ask Poland's ex National Team coach what happens when you get stubborn with a key player, Lewandowski. Pulisic holds the cards and Poch holds 6 million dollars.
The whole thing is so overblown at this point............................... 1) Pulisic wanted to play in the friendlies, but not the Gold Cup. 2) Poch has said he's taking the Gold Cup seriously and viewed the friendlies as warm-ups with that group. He wanted one roster of guys. 3) Pulisic thus decided to take the summer off to recover from the previous season and prepare for an important 2026. 4) The media and podcasters and twitterati lose their minds. Tried to create scandal and drama. POCH IS THE BOSS. Everything Poch has said about the matter is fine. Everything that Pulisic has said about the matter is fine. This isn't a Rafael Devers in Boston situation. A situation in which a divorce was needed. As far as we can tell. Pochettino has said that Pulisic is a big part of his plans. So what are we talking about here? I don't know. Is Pochettino sending a message to Pulisic? I guess so. He's sending it to the entire pool. I'm the boss! Pulisic doesn't get to decide which games he plays in. That's Poch's job. That's what we're paying him for.
amen ... it does not matter what Poch is getting paid .. it does not matter that Pulisic will be around for a while. The job is the job - the gaffer is the gaffer. Players don't get to choose their coaches (once they are a part of a team) ... Poch is "sending it to the entire pool" ... is anyone aware of a coaching situation in which the players control the situation (PSG cough cough) and it goes well? Pulisic holds all the cards? In what universe? Pulisic gets to make his decision (to rest his legs and mind) and Poch gets to make his. They each likely did the correct thing from their own perspective. But thinking that Pulisic holds all the cards - nah I don't think so. Poch is thinking of all the players - not simply the two that took the break (Pulisic and Musah).
has there been anything public about Musah's reason for not being a part of the friendlies and GC? ... I heard rumors (on these boards) about hajj and about a child/relationship but have seen nothing substantiated .... at least with Pulisic we know what is up .. what is up with Yunus?
Only rumor out there is he was told he was not in Milan's plans and Musah wanted to focus on figuring out his next club
so seems like 3 possible scenarios are: a. new dad b. new club (searching) c. hajj ..... I would have thought if "new club" was the scenario - we would have heard more about it AND/OR he would have been with the US showing he is still a good player ... I wonder if this absence is all new dad and hajj combined ... well here is an article from goal.com that says he has a baby girl ... https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/yu...ions-league-milan-serie-a/bltca80dcddde4b9391 and married? guess his wife likes Minnie ...
Welcome to the club! I've been the unofficial president of the unofficial Diego Luna (Brenden Aaronson and Daryl Dike) Fan Club for at least 2 years now. I'm so glad he's developing like he is. He's so dreamy. I have a feeling that Pochettino might even bring Luna along to whatever his next destination is.
Alphonso Davies is currently out with a serious (cruciate ligament) injury, he's not expected back until December 2025... Alphonso Davies outside #CanMNT lockerroom Alphonso Davies outside #CanMNT lockerroom @TSN_Sports @TSNSoccer @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/Ub4h4UGOlc— Matthew Scianitti (@TSNScianitti) June 18, 2025
He has a chronic hip flexor strain. Unless you rest that, it will not get better. He can play with it, as he has the second half of the season, but there will be pain and it will never heal. So why did he offer the friendlies? To show Pochettino that he wants to help the team and to avoid the scorn of meathead USMNT fans who live and die on every result, friendly or not. Around every corner in life you will meet people with great emotion who will want you to do stupid and wrong things. And the key to success in life is to not listen to them.
IMO there was only one small comment made in the Pulisic skipping out that was stupid and better left unsaid. And that was Pulisic's comment about not understanding why Poch wanted to have the same players for both the two friendlies and the GC. That was a dumb thing to say.
The same one's criticizing Pulisic for not playing GC would be the first to criticize him for playing in the GC if he got injured during or the first half of Serie A. Yeah, he's not a tank and needs to prioritize the best times to play. I'd imagine right now it's WC, CL and Serie A. I'd also be stunned if Poch doesn't call in his best player because of a momentary disagreement over wording / communication. I'm sure if the US was stacked he could think about those kind of power moves but we are having trouble coming up with a third starting quality winger at the moment. The Klinsmann dropping a 33ish Donovan would be forgotten in a second if Poch doesn't bring CP to the WC.
He should have reached out to the communications team at Milan or US Soccer to help him with a statement, posted it to Twitter/X, and been done with it. It could have shown regret for missing out and have been supportive of the players who did show up. What he did was lazy and not very smart. Will he learn from it? Only if he recognizes he made some mistakes.