NEW YORK, NY – United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino took to the podium to meet with the press on Tuesday to discuss his selection of 26 players for the 2026 World Cup. But the Argentine manager did not reveal much in giving answers to some of the most pressing questions.

Everyone was expecting there to be controversial cuts. That is the way it goes with every roster. Qualified players with strong cases to be included are left off the team. In this case, Tanner Tessman was the most significant cut. The former FC Dallas and Venezia midfielder was a regular starter for a Lyon team this season which finished fifth in Ligue 1.

In addition, Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris and Real Salt Lake playmaker Diego Luna was also left off.

No Discussions of Those Cut

But when asked, Pochettino did not want to talk about players who were not on the roster because such discussions are “very disrespectful to the players who made the roster.”

He later confirmed that players were informed of the decision by e-mail. Those who were selected were also invited to a live online conference with Pochettino to offer congratulations. Those who were on the preliminary roster but left off the team were simply sent an e-mail.

When asked why Pochettino did not deliver the bad news himself, he drew from his own personal experiences as a player where he was among the last cut from Argentina’s World Cup teams in 1994 and 1998 but was later included in 2002.

“When I didn’t make the roster,” Pochettino explained, “I didn’t want the coach to call me. If I ask why am I not in the roster, what are they going to say? They are going to lie... If I call, it’s about myself. ‘I am very human. I am calling to give an explanation.’ Come on, that is bullshit.”

But in terms of speaking about specific players left off the team, Pochettino did not want to go down that road.

“You say okay if this guy should be included on the list which player is out of the squad,” Pochettino said. “If you listened to what I said from the beginning, we were working really hard during the one year and a half trying to arrive in this moment in the best condition, with the information, to try to make the best decision. It's impossible to be fair with everyone.. but if it is not one, it is another. If I include one, for sure you are going to ask me for another. I understand but I going to be focusing the players that are here because I don't want to disclose anything.”

Roster Balance

The big line of questioning for questioning was about roster balance. Between fullbacks and central defenders, Pochettino selected 11 players (including Tim Weah, who plays mostly as a right back for his club, Marseille). On a roster of 23 field players, 48% went to defenders.

Part of that could be explained by a lack of confidence in some of the options. Chris Richards is dealing with an injury and Tim Ream has shown signs of aging in 2026. As a result, Pochettino might have felt compelled to bring an additional central defender.

“I think we wanted to be sure that we don't take any risks,” Pochettino said of his defenders.

But Pochettino was asked to open up about how he compensated for the extra defenders.

Instead of cutting attackers, Pochettino seemed to trimmed down the roster in central midfield. After losing Johnny Cardoso to an injury two weeks ago, Pochettino also did not bring Tanner Tessmann or Aidan Morris, who both played a lot this season in both No. 6 and No. 8 midfield roles.

That places a lot of weight on Tyler Adams in that role. Behind him is only Cristian Roldan, who spent most of his career until recently as more of a box-to-box role. So while defense faces many questions, the team is seemingly thin up the spine in the misfield positions that will protect or shield the backline.

Pochettino’s responses were surprising when listing who could play there.

“We have Cristian Roldan,” he said. “Sebastian Berhalter can play in that position. Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna. Sergiño Dest, in his team, can play there,” he added. “Alex Freeman. If you go back to when we played against Jamaica , we used Antonee Robinson playing like a midfielder.”

What is surprising about that is that it conflicts significantly with how the players have played at their club. Berhalter is in more attacking positions. Tillman and Reyna are not typically strong defensively. Alex Freeman has not yet featured in this role.

Emphasis on flexibility

Pochettino stressed that he wanted the roster to comprise of a team that could play in several different ways.

Part of that is due to the defenders. here is not yet a clear indication of the formation the team wants to play but any formational change is most likely to impact the defenders most. A three-man backline with wingbacks is one option while a four-man backline is another. Bringing this many defenders is only necessary if Pochettino wants genuine flexibility.

To add to that, Pochettino made it clear that he believes his midfielders are all capable of playing different roles.

“I think there are plenty of possibilities in the way to play,” Pochettino said. “What we wanted to provide the team is the best players possible, the right players.  And to have this flexibility in the way to play.. to be flexible in a tactical way. I think this roster provides the possibility to play with a back four, a back five, play with one holding midfielder, play with no holding midfielders, having three offensive players in front of a back three. With all these thoughts, I didn't sleep much in the past few weeks.”