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NEW YORK — U.S. Men’s National Team manager Mauricio Pochettino defended his decision to alert players of his World Cup roster decisions with a message rather than a phone call.
The players who made the World Cup received a video of Pochettino early Friday afternoon in a WhatsApp group, later followed by an email. The players who didn’t make it just got an email.
“It wasn’t a moment to inspire them,” Pochettino said of the video at Tuesday’s roster reveal event in New York City. “It was a moment to communicate the roster.”
As for the players who did not make the team, Pochettino said “the way that we communicate is not changing because it’s an official competition.” He said he’s thinking about the players who didn’t make the roster, even as he celebrates with his chosen 26, but said they don’t want to hear from him right now. “That is bullshit,” he said.
Former USMNT player and ESPN personality Herculez Gomez called the decision to tell people they didn’t make the team via email “diabolical if true.”
Pochettino’s roster was unveiled by World Cup broadcaster Fox at New York City’s Pier 17. The event marked an unofficial kickoff for the start of the tournament, only spoiled by leaks over the weekend that revealed the entire roster ahead of time.
Half the roster played in the 2022 World Cup. Eight are currently in MLS, including all three goalkeepers, and 15 have spent time in their domestic league.
Pochettino also defended his roster-building decisions. He said final decisions were made the day before the squad was announced. Official rosters are due to FIFA on June 1, but the team can make changes until the day before its first match based on injuries.
When asked about leaving Tanner Tessmann off the roster, Pochettino said he thinks it’s “disrespectful” to the players who did make the roster to talk about players who did not make the roster.
The Argentine talked about missing the World Cup roster himself. “That is why I know how painful,” Pochettino said, “was so painful for me to make the decision, but that is my job.”
Tim Ream, who has captained the vast majority of games since Pochettino was announced in 2024, told reporters “it didn’t really matter what or who was gonna be in the 26,” because everyone knows the expectations.
The U.S., Mexico, and Canada are co-hosting the tournament running from June 11 through July 19. In the group stage, the U.S. plays Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, Australia in Seattle on June 19, and Turkey in L.A. on June 25.
At the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. made it out of the group stage but fell against the Netherlands in the Round of 16. This summer, FIFA is expanding the tournament to 48 teams and 104 matches, adding a new Round of 32 for the first time.
Fox used the broadcast as a chance to show off its own World Cup roster, with analysts like Carli Lloyd and Landon Donovan at the event in person. Viewers watched a snippet from a Zlatan Ibrahimović–Tom Brady interview before any current U.S. players took a mic. Last week, Fox executives said the tournament will be the biggest production “in our company’s history.”
