U.S. men's national team star Christian Pulisic took a gamble last year when he declined to play in the Gold Cup in order to be rested for his club season at AC Milan and the 2026 World Cup. It was a controversial decision at the time, and it didn't play out as Pulisic would have wanted.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is immediately looking to change that mentality in his second cycle (first full cycle) in charge of the men's program. He didn't shy away from calling out his beleaguered star either.
Speaking to Yahoo! Sports, Pochettino referenced Pulisic's Gold Cup controversy. And with Pulisic ultimately having a disappointing World Cup and poor second half of AC Milan's season, it showed that resting doesn't guarantee success. Pochettino said
as the first post-World Cup international window neared, via Yahoo:
In the summer of 2025, less than a year into his tenure, he confronted such challenges when multiple players, including Pulisic, requested to be left off the roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the region's biennial championship.
"If I [don't have a vacation], I cannot arrive fresh for the World Cup," Pochettino said, repeating Pulisic's request. "You know now that is (expletive), no? It's to change this type of idea [and] to build the mind-set with the coaches, with the people in the organization and in the clubs, and of course with the players in the way we will plan."
It was an obvious message to Pulisic who has started the Serie A season as an unused substitute in three straight AC Milan matches. But Pochettino appears to want to shift how the USMNT approaches a World Cup cycle. Gone are the days of dismissing tournaments like the Gold Cup as a "B-Team tournament." Players will be expected to accept call-ups (if healthy) or possibly lose spots in the USMNT pecking order.
That will be a welcomed change to a program that is already coming off arguably its best World Cup performance.
Pochettino will name his first USMNT squad of the 2030 cycle on Sept. 17 ahead of four friendlies in the U.S. We'll have to see if Pulisic is included.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Mauricio Pochettino singled out Christian Pulisic in USMNT's culture for 2030 World Cup
