Pochettino: No USMNT player 'safe' as 2026 World Cup draws near - ESPN

CHESTER, Penn. — United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino reiterated his stance that «no one can feel safe» when it comes to making the World Cup roster and that the players on the current roster deserve to be there.

Pochettino said his stance applies to U.S. stars such as AC Milan attacker Christian Pulisic as well as Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams. Both players are out injured and aren't available for friendlies against Paraguay on Saturday and Uruguay three days later.

Pulisic has only recently recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained last month against Australia during a play that Pochettino called «a bad luck situation.» Also absent are Juventus' Weston McKennie, Crystal Palace's Chris Richards and Bayer Leverkusen's Malik Tillman. But Pochettino expressed faith in the current 24-player roster.

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«For me these are the players that today, they deserve to be here and are the players that we want to see, are the players that are our choice, our selection,» he said. «And then no one can feel safe or no one can feel that it's going to be [on the roster], even the names that you say: Pulisic or Tyler Adams. I think the federation is bigger than the names that [are in] the national team.»

Pochettino added: «It's a great opportunity in the moment that we decide to pick another player to choose for another player. That player needs to show up and step up and say, 'Yes we have also the opportunity to be part of the roster for the next World Cup.'»

As for Pulisic, Pochettino lamented the injury but said